Brooklyn Tea
Alfonso “Ali” Wright, co-owner of Brooklyn Tea, has always been a bit of a tea nerd. “I grew up in a Jamaican household — tea is life for us,” the Brooklyn native explains. “You wake up to tea. If you have a sneeze, a cough, or your ankle hurts, tea is always the cure.”
When he started dating co-owner Jamila McGill, it was a big part of their courtship; Ali preparing pots of chai with cinnamon sticks and cardamom, or blooming teas with flower blossoms that unfurled in hot water. After a year the couple decided to get into the biz.
They carefully developed their brand and original blends before launching Brooklyn Tea in 2017 as an online retailer. “But whenever we did festivals and events,” says Ali, “The Number One question was, ‘Where is your tea shop?’”
Responding to the demand for an immersive experience, Ali, 37, and Jamila, 30, opened the brick-and-mortar Brooklyn Tea in January: an oasis serving 60 tea varieties, delicious pastries and tranquil, communal vibes in Bed-Stuy.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to give people a place to sit and drink tea, rooted in this idea of community and love.”
“Tea is best experienced communally, when you can have an exchange,” says Jamila, who worked to build interactivity into the Brooklyn Tea experience.
Adjacent to the front door you’ll find a “smelling wall” displaying dozens of loose tea-packed jars to pop open and sniff for a sense of their flavor notes; perhaps something fruity, floral, nutty or warmly spiced. With 60 teas available — half of which Ali blends himself, and half curated from tea masters around the world — it’s a fun way to get acquainted with the variety.
Fresh pots of tea line the counter for sampling. There’s a community bookshelf (take a book, give a book) just getting started with a couple dozen titles. “We want people to know that it’s okay to sit, pause and read, and not feel rushed out,” Jamila says. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to give people a place to sit and drink tea, rooted in this idea of community and love.”
There’s just one rule at Brooklyn Tea: Sip before you sweeten. “Tea is chemistry,” says Ali, a certified tea sommelier. “The reason why most people instinctively sweeten their tea is because they burn it or make it too bitter by steeping it for too long. We make sure to do it the right time and right temperature.”
It’s true. We had two varieties, straight up — Vanilla Rooibos, a South African bush tea blended with slivers of almond and vanilla bean; and Relax, Relate, Release, a light and refreshing herbal blend. Ritualistically presented alongside a sand-filled hourglass to guide proper steeping time, both were smooth and easy. (If you want a sweetener, though, organic sugar, honey and agave is provided.)
We also tried every cookie available that day, each one extraordinary and sourced from local Black bakers: beautiful matcha shortbread and a Biggie-shaped sugar cookie from BCakeNY, as well as soft, buttery vegan chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies from The Uptown Vegan. Don’t sleep on the baked goods, Massive! And definitely go explore the teas.
524 Nostrand Avenue, 347-240-4281, brooklyntea.com
