the global directory
find the room where tea speaks your language
tea.place maps Chinese tea houses, shops, and suppliers vetted by regional editors. every listing is claimed and curated — no fake reviews, no paid placements. from a courtyard in Chengdu to a basement in Berlin, find spaces where *Shēng Pǔ'ěr* (生普洱) is poured with intention.
From the community
Recent discussions
- — 01
Airport tea rooms 2026 — the actually-decent options
Five airports where you can actually sit down for a gongfu session in 2026. No tea bags, no lukewarm water — just a proper pour between flights.
- — 02
The Berlin tea scene in 2026 — who's pouring, who's gone
Five rooms quietly keep the gaiwans hot. Two newcomers have arrived since 2024. And a couple of cherished spaces have faded. This is a snapshot of Berlin's Chinese tea landscape: who is still pouring, what's changed, and where the city's tea curiosity is heading next.
- — 03
Mexico City — Chinatown and Roma Norte tea rooms
A first-hand look at Mexico City’s quietly expanding Chinese tea landscape — two historic rooms in Barrio Chino and three new spots in Roma Norte, each trying to translate gongfu culture for a city more familiar with cafés de olla. Chen Hui Yi shares what she drank, who she met, and what surprised her most.
- — 04
Cold-weather tea rooms — the rooms that work in winter
Amgalan Chin opens a discussion on tea rooms in northern cities like Reykjavik, Oslo, and Tallinn, asking what makes them truly habitable when outside is –15°C. From Mongolian felt-lined shelters to Siberian double-paned sanctuaries, share your winter tea room wisdom.
- — 05
Ethical listings — when we reject a place
Zhang Hao draws a hard line on what never makes the tea.place map: places that fake provenance, exploit workers, or poison the soil. This is how we say no — and why.
- — 06
How to open your own room — the questions to answer first
Mei Yang, Senior Tea Expert, walks through the seven questions she wishes every aspiring tea room owner would ask before signing a lease. From sourcing — to training — to community, the answers shape everything.
- — 07
Kuala Lumpur — Malaysian-Chinese tea rooms
A survey of the city’s Chinese tea rooms — from century‑old suppliers on Petaling Street to the sleek gōngfū bars of Bukit Bintang. Mei Yang shares the addresses where Malaysian‑Chinese tea culture still breathes.
- — 08
Lighting and acoustics — what makes a tea room actually work
Practical observations from over a decade of sitting in tea rooms across China: why some spaces hold your attention like a brewing pot, while others push you out before the second steep.
- — 09
NYC Chinatown — the gongfu rooms that survived 2024
Amgalan Chin maps the working gongfu rooms of New York's Chinatown — who closed, who reopened, and what the tea community can learn from the spaces that made it to 2024.
- — 10
Outdoor tea pop-ups — what we've learned about wind, sun, and water
Sharing the quiet triumphs and stumbles of brewing Chinese tea in parks, on beaches, and under open skies. From flame management to leaf selection, each session reshapes our understanding of the elements.
Groups
5 active cohorts
Directory vetting cohort — train as a regional editor
Learn to research, verify, and maintain a high-quality directory of Chinese tea places. Over eight weeks, you’ll develop the cultural knowledge, editorial judgment, and field skills needed to contribute to tea.place’s geo-catalogue. The program is limited to twelve participants and led by Zhang Hao, Head of Operations (China) & Travel Content Editor for Teamotea.
Opening your own room — six-month founder cohort
A six-month mentorship for members ready to open a Chinese tea room. Led by senior tea expert Mei Yang, this intimate cohort of eight founders moves from vision to first guests through weekly live sessions, one-on-one guidance, and real-world projects.
Room operations — quarterly cohort for working owners
A structured thirteen-week programme for tea-room owners refining staffing, costing, supplier rotation and seasonal programming through the lens of Chinese tea. Led by Mei Yang, Senior Tea Expert (Oolong & Black Tea Varieties), the cohort moves from diagnostics to a tested operational plan.
Room photography cohort — six-week visual programme
A six-week practice-led course for members who want to photograph Chinese tea rooms and spaces for the tea.place directory. We cover natural-light capture, lens choice, compositional restraint, and an ethical, respectful approach to documenting living tea culture — no sterile stock imagery, only honest atmospheres.
Rooms around the world — twelve-month tour cohort
Over twelve months, we will visit one iconic tea room each month — from Yunnan to London, Taipei to Saint Petersburg — all while tasting a different Chinese tea every week. Whether you join in person or through live video, you will sit at the same table with tea lovers across continents, guided by Chen Hui Yi.