A small tea shop called Palais des Thes just opened on Columbus Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets. Michelle Young, the founder of the Untapped Cities websites and a friend of the owners, sent us a description:
Palais des Thés was created in Paris in 1986 by François-Xavier Delmas as a premium tea brand. Delmas and his team have been touring the world’s tea plantations for nearly 30 years, selecting teas directly from the source and forming long lasting relationships with suppliers. You can read more about the sourcing process on François-Xavier Delmas’ blog discoveringtea.com.
The company offers signature flavored teas (“Les Créations”), pure Single Estate teas, and limited edition “Grand Crus.” The colorful shop on Columbus offers free tastings everyday of a new “Tea of the Day.” Delmas’ niece, Aurelie Bessiere, is running store operations in the United States and has been personally greeting guests and explaining the teas. All teas are available as loose teas or bags, and come in a variety of sizes and packaging. Also available in the shop are artisanal tea pots and cups from the countries the teas are sourced from.
Untapped New York included the shop in its roundup of the skinny shops of Columbus Avenue.
For more recent Upper West Side openings and closings, click here.
