Brooklyn Tea

Brooklyn Tea was founded in 2017 by Alfonso Wright, a certified tea sommelier, and his wife Jamila Wright, who grew up in Atlanta. The company's stated purpose is to put serious loose-leaf tea into predominantly Black neighbourhoods where it has not historically been sold, starting in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The Atlanta tearoom at 329 Nelson Street SW in Castleberry Hill was the second location, opening in February 2022, and Secret Atlanta covered it that April. Day-to-day it is run by Kerri-Ann Thomas, who was born and raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Spelman College, and whose friendship with the founders is how the Atlanta shop came about. The room is deliberately modern rather than chintzy — clean lines, generous indoor seating, free wifi — with artwork by Adeana Berry and India Linsey honouring Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and other New York figures on the walls.

The tea list is the substance: more than fifty loose-leaf blends, sold by the cup hot or iced and by the tin to take home, with sachets and house blends stocked alongside. Masala chai lattes are the volume order; the Cucumber Melon iced tea and the Cold Killer detox blend are the two named house pours that regulars ask for. Coffee is available for anyone who wants it, and the kitchen runs an all-day menu with a strong vegan section — vegan waffles, plant-based English muffin sandwiches — plus the Notorious B.I.G. cookies the company is known for. Afternoon and high tea service can be booked, and from April through October the shop hosts a Saturday block party outside with food and a live DJ. No alcohol is served or licensed. Brooklyn Tea sits at a four rather than a five on our scale because it trades Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm: a genuinely serious alcohol-free room, but a daytime one, and it closes before the evening begins.