The houses
26 houses
Austin tea guide
Austin, TX
A free directory for discovering Chinese tea across Austin — from East Side specialty cafes to the gongfu / matcha overlap on South Lamar, with recommendations by Senior Tea Expert Fang Ting.
Boston tea guide
Boston, MA
Boston’s specialty tea scene bends toward the meticulous — a thread of Chinese tradition running from Harvard Square tearooms to Allston’s Sheng Cha counters. Fang Ting’s free directory maps the quiet places where the city’s best oolong, pu-erh, and green teas are served.
Chicago tea guide
Chicago, IL
A quietly curated route through Chicago's three tea-drinking neighborhoods — downtown refuges, Chinatown South's dim sum parlors, and Andersonville's specialty spots. With notes from resident master Amgalan Chin and a Midwest cohort schedule for those seeking good tea alongside others.
US customs and importing — what to expect
United States
A plain-English walkthrough of USDA tea regulations, FDA prior-notice requirements, CBP clearance norms, and the specific paperwork needed for aged pu-erh — delivered with the quiet confidence of a master who moves tea across borders every week.
Washington DC tea guide
Washington, DC
A curated map of the capital’s quiet tea constellation — Korean-Chinese cafes in Annandale and Falls Church, Dupont Circle’s specialty spots, and the diplomatic-tea-event circuit that connects embassies with local tea lovers.
Los Angeles tea guide
Los Angeles, CA
From the dancong dens of San Gabriel Valley to the sleek tea counters of Koreatown and the quiet Westside nooks — a curator’s map to Los Angeles’s Chinese tea rooms, annotated by Mei Yang, Senior Tea Expert.
New York City tea guide
New York City, NY
A living map of tea rooms across Manhattan and Brooklyn, with monthly cohort meetups hosted by resident master Amgalan Chin. The clearest entry point into the constellation for readers in the five boroughs.
Portland tea guide
Portland, OR
A quiet map of Portland's tea geography: from the Ming Dynasty teahouse at Lan Su Chinese Garden through the rain-washed cafés of Hawthorne, ending in the sleek tasting room of Smith Teamaker. Every stop is annotated by Senior Tea Expert Chen Hui Yi, who connects the Pacific Northwest’s craft tea wave back to the timeless methods of Chinese leaf-making.
Seattle tea guide
Seattle, WA
Senior tea expert Chen Hui Yi maps the city's Chinese tea rooms — from International District gongfu counters to Bellevue's private parlours — turning a rainy afternoon into a slow study of white, green, and yellow teas.
San Francisco Bay Area tea guide
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
A living map of Chinese tea culture in the Bay Area — from a hidden Phoenix dancong vendor in Oakland to seasonal pop-ups in San Jose, curated by senior oolong expert Mei Yang. No bricks and mortar, just a quiet thread connecting tea people west of Phoenix Mountain.
Sommelier sessions — booking guide for US readers
US (online + travel)
A private gongfu tea session with senior expert Mei Yang — whether online from your home or in person in a quiet New York City tea room — is an unhurried immersion into Chinese black and oolong varietals. Each appointment opens a careful sequence of aroma, texture, and story, drawn from two decades of crafting leaf on Phoenix Mountain.
US guide — find your tea entry point
United States
Not a physical property but a quiet library of pathways — a single directory that maps six common American tea intentions to the right constellation site. Whether you need knowledge, a cake, or a sommelier session, you will leave with exactly the address you require.
East Coast guide — Boston to Miami
US East Coast
A curated directory of Chinese tea experiences for the US East Coast — from live tasting sessions to study paths and shipping routes that work reliably along the Atlantic seaboard. Master Amgalan Chin’s sommelier selections help you find your entry point into the tea constellation.
Hawaii guide — Honolulu and the outer islands
Hawaii, US
A quiet map for the curious drinker on the islands — shipping routes that actually work, the handful of O‘ahu tea rooms worth knowing, and how Big Island-grown leaves pair with the deep larder of Chinese tea on shop.thetea.app.
Midwest guide — Chicago to Minneapolis
US Midwest
A curated constellation directory for tea travellers across the American Midwest — quiet tea rooms, community calendars, and the finest cold-weather sessions between Chicago and Minneapolis, guided by cross-regional master Amgalan Chin.
Mountain West guide — Denver to Albuquerque
US Mountain West
The high‑desert corridor from Denver to Albuquerque holds some of the most demanding conditions for fine tea — paper‑dry air, 5,000‑to‑7,000‑foot elevations, and piñon‑scented mornings. This guide collects altitude‑adjusted brewing notes, dry‑climate storage wisdom, and a directory of constellation sites that ship without humidity‑related concerns, shaped by senior tea expert Chen Hui Yi.
Pricing across the constellation in USD
United States
A quietly authoritative guide to navigating tea prices across THE TEA constellation — when to buy, how tariffs work, and what ancient trade routes have to teach us about value. Free and always updated.
US-departing sourcing trips for 2026-2027
US-departing
Three seasonal itineraries — spring in Yiwu, summer in Wuyi, autumn on Phoenix Mountain — each tracing the leaf from bush to cup under the guidance of cross-regional expert Amgalan Chin. Small groups of 14 depart from major US gateways.
South guide — Atlanta to New Orleans
US South
A seasonal resource for navigating Chinese tea across the humid American South — humidity-aware pu-erh storage advice, a hand-mapped selection of tea rooms between Atlanta and New Orleans, and warm-water-source brewing notes tuned to the region's softer mineral profiles.
Storing aged pu-erh in US climates — region-by-region
United States
A comprehensive free guide curated by tea master Liu Shenyang to navigate the challenges of aging pu-erh tea in the United States. Tailored for the humid East, dry West, mountain altitudes, and cold Midwest, it distills decades of storage science into actionable, region-specific protocols.
US tea clubs and cohort meetups
Various US cities
a living map of Chinese tea gatherings across the United States — from a Chinatown backroom where gongfu is passed hand-to-hand to a Chicago loft where an aged pu’er is sliced with a knife. every club listed here pours quietly, studies a single tea family deeply, and stays open to newcomers without fanfare.
US tea shows and events 2026-2027
Various US cities
A quiet guide to the 2026-2027 tea season across the United States — curated dates, constellation hosts, and what to expect when you walk into the room. From Las Vegas to Portland, these are the gatherings where the tea community gathers, tastes, and trades.
US tap water for tea — a city-by-city brewing guide
United States
How the tap water of seven American cities meets — or fails — gongfu tea. TDS numbers, mineral profiles, and a city-by-city filtration strategy from cross-regional tea expert Amgalan Chin.
West Coast guide — Seattle to San Diego
US West Coast
A living map of tea rooms, sourcing journeys, and online sessions tuned to Pacific Time — curated by Senior Tea Expert Mei Yang, who guides you from the misty docks of Seattle to the sunlit courtyards of San Diego.
Where to buy — US shipping options across the constellation
Ships to United States
A selective field guide to every constellation shop that ships reliably to US addresses — customs realities, realistic transit windows, and the quiet confidence of knowing which parcels will land as promised.
Where to learn — US-friendly tea education paths
US (online + on-site)
A quiet map of Chinese tea study made for American seekers — from structured online curricula and master-guided tastings to professional sommelier tracks that open their doors to international students.