The calming and restorative ritual of drinking tea dates all the way back to the third century, originating in China before spreading around the world. It seems there is tea for everything now. There’s tea to boost your immune system, tea to energize, tea to calm, tea to aid in digestion… Green tea has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. And that’s barely scratching the surface. Fortunately for residents of the East Village luxury apartments at EVGB, there are three stellar tea shops right in the neighborhood.

29B | 29 Avenue B

A contemporary tea house with an absolutely enormous collection of teas from around the world, 29B features a tasting room and a retail section. The retail section is wonderful. It’s highly unlikely that the tea you’re looking for isn’t in stock, and you’ll certainly discover an array of options you’ve never seen anywhere else while perusing the shelves. And their tasting room is, as 29B describes it, “one of the only dining spaces in the world that allows one to try the finest teas from Japan, Korea, India, China, and Taiwan all in a single sitting.” We don’t personally know of any other tea houses that offer tastings on this level. Sit down for a tasting at 29B and circumnavigate the world sip by sip.

Tea Drunk | 123 East Seventh Street

The proprietors at Tea Drunk take their tea very seriously. Every spring, they head to the mountains of China and spend time there with heritage farmers harvesting their selections. Tea Drunk holds exclusive rights to some of the rarest and most revered Chinese teas on the planet. Their loose teas are well known far and wide, and, like 29B, they have a shop and a tasting room. It’s a small but serene space, built for some contemplative relaxation. You won’t find better tea at any shop in New York.

Janam Tea | 67 Clinton Street

For our last selection, we move from China to India. Janam Tea is a charming, vibrant, and elegant tea house that specializes in farm-to-table tea from India. They serve delicious, unblended teas from the Darjeeling region, specializing in oolong, green, black, and white teas. Their teas are fresh and positively bursting with flavor. Like the other selections on this list, Janam is a place that will broaden your tea-based horizons. Head in for a tasting, and you’ll definitely want to bring some home.