The East Village tea emporium known as Tea Drunk is the kind of business that garners accolades not only for the incomparable quality of its wares, but for the singular dedication of its vision. Shunan Teng, who started Tea Drunk in 2013, has the drive of both an artist and an entrepreneur. She didn’t just source teas, she became a part of an ancient tea-making tradition, and brought it to our shores at a level of quality never before seen. According to an article from the Specialty Food Association, “She visited tea vendors, educators, and scholars, and trekked to some of China’s most remote tea regions. While traveling through these ancient tea mountains, Teng worked alongside the heritage farmers, learning the nuanced factors that make an authentic tea, which strengthened her desire to preserve the tradition.”

Though Tea Drunk’s physical location closed in August 2021, the ethos of the company lives on in the East Village in the form of an impassioned tea community, and in local happenings like the “Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony With Tea Drunk” event that will be hosted by Teng at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) on Feb. 9, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., as part of MOCA FEST. It’s the perfect way for residents of the East Village luxury rentals at EVGB to be introduced to a tea-drinking community that is changing the way we think about tea in this country.

At the event, Teng will introduce the very best terroir-, cultivar-, and vintage-specific teas. After her presentation, Neil Wu-Gibbs, director of programs and strategic initiatives & chief of staff, will lead guests on a private tour of the museum. It’s the perfect way to honor the history of tea in China, and to connect to that history with both your mind and your palate. It will also be a great introduction to the educational side of Tea Drunk, known as Tea Drunk Academy, which offers classes on tea history and cultivation that explore why location is so important to the way a tea tastes. Students can also learn how to brew each specific kind of tea to perfection.

Perhaps the best way to bring the world of Tea Drunk home to the East Village apartments at EVGB is to gift yourself with a Tea Club Membership. Each month, two top-terroir teas will be mailed to your door, along with an invitation to a live Zoom tasting with Teng herself. It’s businesses like these that are born and thrive in the East Village — and bring the best of the world to its doorstep.