During my research looking for a Chanoyu teacher on the Urasenke Foundation page, I came across this beautiful company. Stefen Ramirez & Shin Won Yoon run a company that offers unique teas and tisanes but also exquisite teaware, sake pitchers, and incense burners… well just go look for yourself! Don’t forget to look at their tisane section as well, even if you tend to only drink Camellia Sinensis, they have some really novel selections available.

Website:  https://www.teadealers.com/

Location(s) Headquarters: 90 Hudson St, NY, NY 10013

Company Focus:  

• We focus on traditional processing methods, single origins, and single cultivar teas.  Our teaware is handmade and works with independent artists and traditional craft studios. 

Most popular company tea(s)? 

• Our matcha selection from Uji, Japan, Yancha Cliff Rock Oolongs from Wuyi, China, Wild Arbor Puerhs from Yunnan, China, and a large selection of Korean teas.

Does the company name have a meaning? 

• No, its quite literal

Do you participate in any charities?

• No but we responsibly source directly from farmers and not large estate owners.  We visit, inspect, and meet every producer to establish trust and ensure they follow proper cultivation processes and labor laws. 

What is your and/or your co-workers’ favorite tea?  

• That changes with the season, but since we are currently in spring, I’m really into Korean Buddha’s Woojeon made from wild tea trees.  It’s quite unique but is almost like a cross between a Japanese and Chinese tea.  

What are your thoughts on transparency in the tea industry? 

• I think that there still needs to be a lot of work to be done in that respect, especially from the larger companies. Since they have the resources to reach a mass market, they should take responsibility for properly educating consumers. Small purveyors, like us, have a limited audience, but we work hard to communicate with our customers how to buy safe, good-quality tea.  

What role does tea play in our lives? 

• Tea is a lifestyle for us (my wife and I), and it is not only our career but a daily practice from which we learn and grow. I’m a Japanese traditional ceremony practitioner and master, and my wife is a ceramic artist, so tea is deeply intertwined in our daily lives. 

Anything else you’d like to add?

• We are a small independent tea company that works hard to import some of the rarest teas and wares in the world and charge a fair price based on ever-increasing shipping and import costs and currency fluctuations.  Our prices do not have discounts built in, and we never depreciate the work of our craftsmen.  Your support empowers us to work with more traditional artists and to motivate them to pass on their skills to the next generation.

Social Media: Steepster

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Instagram

---

TeaTiff Picks:

Organic Balhyo

During a visit to New York in August of 2025, I had the pleasure of visiting their store on Hudson Street. During this visit I picked up this tea and a Mulberry Tisane also of Korea. You can read the review of the tea here.

---