It’s hot and humid—a typical summer day in NYC. You want to get something refreshing and cool yourself down a bit, but many coffee and ice cream shops in Manhattan don’t have a lot of seating. They are often grab-n-go shops, if not packed with people. Well, Spiritea in East Village has your back. You don’t walk into Spiritea just for a cup of tea. Your visit to Spiritea is a holistic experience of Spiritea’s contemporary take on tea culture.
A Visit to Spiritea isn’t Just About the Food
When you first walk into the store, you first notice the pastel pink and blue interior of Spiritea. The space is clean and contemporary. There are enough seats for you to enjoy your drinks, chat with your friends, and even charge our phone before you head out. On one side of the wall, you’ll see some colorful paintings, and the neon sign saying “Spiritea” will definitely make you want to upload a new Instagram post.
Tea Soft Serve, Currently Only Available at Spiritea’s NYC Store
Another reason to visit Spiritea’s store in New York City is the new item that the store recently launched—tea infused soft serve ice cream. You can get jasmine tea soft serve, dark tea soft serve, or mixed tea soft serve. I tried the dark tea soft serve. It’s creamy, yet you can still taste the underlying flavor of Danding tea. It’s not too sweet or too bitter, and you’ll finish one by yourself in no time. If you order the dark tea soft serve, you see that it’s topped with peach jelly. This peach jelly also goes in the Beautea drink. Often, when we think of fruit jelly in milk tea, we imagine jelly soaked in syrup, but Spiritea’s peach jelly is different. It reminds me of herbal jelly or grass jelly in that it’s soft and not too sweet.
Cloudtea and Fruitea for Those That Don’t Drink Black Tea or Coffee
Not everyone drinks black tea or coffee. For those, Spiritea’s cloudtea and fruitea would make great options. I had Super Combo Fruitea and Melon Melon on my visit to Spiritea, and both went beyond my expectations.
Super Combo Fruitea is light yet exciting. Jasmine tea base keeps the drink light and refreshing. On the other hand, slices of passionfruit, pineapple and orange create that sweet and tart flavors. As someone that drinks black coffee on a daily basis, I’m always afraid that fruit-based drinks would be too sweet, but Super Combo Fruitea‘s sweetness mostly came from the fruit slices themselves.
For some reason, when I ordered Melon Melon, I was thinking of honeydew. Turns out, Melon Melon is watermelon and jasmine tea blended into slushy and topped with Spiritea’s homemade cloud: “a creamy delicacy for maximum complexity.” Most of us already know that watermelon is refreshing and great for summer days. By topping the drink with Spiritea’s cloud foam, Spirtea not only made Melon Melon refreshing but also rich in flavor.
So why not visit Spiritea NYC before it starts snowing?
