There's A New Tea House In Providence & It Sounds Amazing

Friend of the blog, Erika from I Heart Rhody, is here with everything you’ll want to know about the brand new place for tea (and more) on Thayer in PVD.

Photo By Erika Of I Heart Rhody

A new tea house has opened where TeaLuxe "used to be." Ceremony is open and modern where the former was crowded and rustic, owner Michelle Cheng calls it a "tea house reimagined.”

Photo By Erika Of I Heart Rhody

Inside, the minimalist decor focuses on dried florals - a shout-out to the tea sold by the cup, bag, or experience.

Photo By Erika Of I Heart Rhody

You can pop in for a cup and a pastry to go. You should invest about 20-30 minutes in a ceremony. Michelle has curated a minimalist amalgam of tea ceremonies she's seen in China, Japan, and Taiwan to create something uniquely her own. It's worth unplugging to watch and savor, which is what they'd like you to do.

“I don’t want this café to be a laptop office,” she said. In a time where mindfulness and intention are more than lifestyle buzzwords, the shop is ahead of the trend. “We’ll have WiFi, but no outlets. We want you to be present, be here with your friends or even read a book — just reconnect with the world around you.”

Photo Courtesy Of The Ceremony PVD Instagram

Just because the tea ceremony is minimalist doesn't mean the staff's knowledge is. During my visit, the staff was being blind-tested on a tea. It turned out to be the un-roasted version of what I was drinking. They were learning to identify not just the type of tea, but the region where it was grown, and even its growing season. Tea, like wine and other agricultural products, has distinct terroirs, a flavor difference based on the soil, temperatures and moisture levels where and when it was grown.

Photo By Erika Of I Heart Rhody

"We work directly with single estate farms across Asia to ensure that we source ecologically sustainable products," Michelle told me. She visits the farms personally to see quality control and labor conditions first-hand.

Along with the tasting of I tried - the heavy roast Dong Ding - there are zero-proof mixologies of tea. London Fizz, which is described as black tea, chocolate bitters, cinnamon, micro mint and egg white is one on offer. I'll be back for that one.

*This post appeared originally on IHeartRhody.Com; for more from Erika and I Heart Rhody be sure to follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.