Press Tea

Press Tea has always been my go-​to place in the neighborhood when I need to grab a drink and sit and relax. They have a good amount of seating and is almost never crowded, unlike the other cafes in West Village.
I admit the first time I came here I was only interested in the ramenritto. However, the recent quality and quantity is not on par with the first ramenritto I had here a year ago. Later on, I came here simply for the tea. And I always ordered the same thing, the Hazelnut Black Tea Mocha with soy milk. Something about this combination of tea and cocoa powder makes a wonderful soothing concoction. Probably one of my favorite drinks during the winter time.
It is upsetting to see that Press Tea never had the popularity like some of its competitors in the area. The staff here was always very nice and even let me borrow the bathroom once (before they expanded their kitchen) lol. I am hoping to have their tea again one day.

I can’t believe Press Tea closed :(If I had only known, then I would have gone there every day for their green tea Mont Blanc crème. It was my favorite go to drink that I can’t get anywhere else. What am I going to do now?
They also served their signature ramenritto which was pretty good and an interesting concept. Back then I even snagged the $ 13.99 lunch special which included the ramenritto, drink and dessert. They also launched a new menu right before they closed.
Hopefully they will reopen in another location. I’m missing their Green tea Mont Blanc crème. So badly.

Tried the flat iron steak ramenritto with soy ginger sauce which is different but pretty good in its own right. Though it was slightly dry which I had to keep put on hot sauce to keep it moist and for taste.
I tried the passion fruit green tea, that was awesome. I should have gotten a big one instead. Also tried the earl grey pecan cookie. The cookie was ok, a little chaulky in texture and kind of bland. This might be me being influenced by another reviewer but I can’t totally see where the chocolate overpowers the earl grey in taste. This one wasn’t for me, but there are lot of other goodies that I can’t wait to try.

Knocking back a star. Still friendly service but the cookies aren’t as good as I remember. Tried the jasmine and earl grey cookies. Both had a bit too much chocolate which masked the tea flavors.
The cold drinks are pretty sweet and reminded me of bubble tea drinks. My dirty coconut drink was nice but didn’t get much chai flavors.

Like much of my life, I chose Press Tea and preconceived my menu choices based on Unilocal.Usually this is a no fail solution but for Press Tea I was wrong.
I was excited about the various tea options I had seen in the Unilocal pictures as well as the specials it looked like they had — $ 15 ramenritto, tea and cookie. This doesn’t exist. Not only does it not exist but the cashier never heard of such a thing.
More about the customer service– the cashier was not knowledgeable about the difference between the ramenritto and the ramenritto + ramen bowl. I was confused about why something that appeared to come with less cost more. She had no explanation.
I asked her what type of salsa came on the ramenritto she said,“oh I don’t think there is salsa on yours, instead it comes with guacamole.” I was excited for the guacamole, but no guac on my ramenritto, only salsa. I’m not even sure they serve guac here or I would have ordered it as an extra.
I wanted one of the «mont blanc» teas I saw in the picture. Showed the cashier the picture she had no idea what it was. She told me it was a tea latte. I informed her there’s no way it was a latte the consistency of the milk like product was too heavy even to be whole milk. She then pulled something out of the fridge and said «oh I think it’s made with this!» …she had no clue what it was. I’m assuming it was heavy cream or condensed milk but I sure wasn’t going to take my chances with her attempting to make a drink with a product she has no clue about.
Further– I thought they offered a selection of teas but really it’s just green or black tea with shots of flavored syrups.
As for the ramenritto — despite service this was very good and very filling. I got the Asian pulled pork. If you can deal with the clueless service and are ok making decisions on your own without the help of staff then I’d recommend trying the ramenritto.

Move over ramen burger… the ramenritto and ramendilla has a special place in my heart.
Press Tea has got it all. Ramen, burritos, quesadillas, tea, cookies, you name it. Its a rather small location (can sit about 15 people max), and it’s a great study/​work environment or place to catch up with a few friends.
The first time I came, I tried their skirt steak ramenritto — comes with cheese, ramen, greens, pickled cucumbers, and delicious slabs of steak with the original sauce. Please note that this is rather large, and you will get stuffed. Not sure what’s in the sauce, but its addicting. The noodles basically replace the rice you get with a normal burrito. And I’m in love with it — so soft and tasty. My friend got something similar with the ramen bowl if you’re trying to be carb-​conscious.
More recently, I tasted their skirt steak ramendilla — similar ingredients as the burrito but in quesadilla form. I found it a little more difficult to eat since the items would just fall right out. I ate only half of it, and I was stuffed. But still very tasty, and I would definitely recommend.
Come early — I’ve noticed that towards the end of the day, they might run of some items. also please note that the guasabi has wasabi in it. something that I did not think about!
I’ve also tried their cookies and teas, and they’re all amazing. The teas go so well with the burritos/​quesadillas.
They would get 6 stars if they had free wifi.

Update to my last review: love that they’ve stopped advertising free wifi. Their sign now says ‘talk to your friends instead’ which is super witty (although as an introvert, I hate having to be social).
Their ramendilla is still as good as the first time I purchased it. Super filling, very tasty. I recommend the ramendilla with the Asian pulled pork. Yum!
Early Grey cookie is AMAZING as well.
My favorite drink is the warm rooibos tea with lemonade syrup and whole milk.
I go in, order my favorite drink, always expect it to not live up to my memories, and it alwayssss does.
Thanks for being so fabulous, Press Tea! I’m always impressed and happy with my service, food, and drink.

One can always wax poetic about places such as this. When literally flawless desserts are coupled with perfectly crafted tea-​centric beverages, a thousand florid words readily come to mind.
First of all, the Chocolate Earl Grey Cookie is a masterpiece. It is in a virtual tie for best chocolate chip cookie in the entire city with Levain’s. It is that good. Crisp on the outside with a molten, cookie dough center and a subtle herbal essence from the tea, it is just insane. I always remember the King of Unilocal,Mike C., said in his review a ways back that the Earl Grey Cookie could be a serious contender for best cookie in NYC and I was always kind of like, «What?» But it is. It is amazing. He was right.
Also, the hot Jasmine Green Tea here is just out of hand good. I have tried a few of the other beverages in the past and the standard green tea remains my favorite. Honestly, everything here is pretty excellent and it is a surprisingly chill place to camp out in front of your mac for a few hours.
Anyway, the people who work here are super nice, the tea here rocks, and the Chocolate Earl Grey Cookie truly is one of the best you will likely ever eat.

After careful consideration, I’ve decided to make Press Tea my 500^th review instead of Shake Shack.
BOOYAH!
This store is normally a brisk walk approximately 3 Manhattan blocks from the 1 train station if you got off at 14^th Street. However, walking in today’s frigid New York winter weather with 19 mph wind blasting in your face made these 3 Manhattan blocks seemed like 15.
Press Tea is a quaint coffee house. But that is not all they serve.
I came here specifically to use up some gift cards that I had and I knew for the most part on what I wanted to order. But let me tell you, these dudes mad nice and friendly. I knew I was going to order the Earl Grey cookie. I knew I was going to order some sort of ramen. And I knew I was going to order a tea of some sort.
The guy behind the counter took the time to explain to me what the difference was between a ramenrito (ramen stuffed in a burrito) compared to their regular house ramen in a bowl. I was dressed for interviews all day so I obviously opted for the ramen in a bowl just because I can be a messy eater persuaded me from the previous option.
The ramen ($ 9.00) was in a smaller bowl than I thought it would be. Even smaller than those served at popular ramen spots such as Totto Ramen and Ippudo. However, the ramen serving itself seemed to provide a decent amount of noodles. I ordered the Spicy Chicken Ramen which also has the option of non-​spicy for those that doesn’t enjoy a good runny nose session while eating.
I DO.
The spicy level wasn’t really that spicy at all. I probably should have asked them to make it spicy for a heat seeker such as myself which would have given them more freedom to play with a higher heat range on the broth. No matter, the ramen was delish. The flavor of the broth was okay but it certainly wasn’t bad.
As I mentioned earlier, I came it for that Earl Grey cookie ($ 4.00). The Earl Grey cookie is as good as people say they are. It was a good handful sized when you pick up the cookie. The density was thick so you know you were getting your money’s worth. I have a different preference than most people on how I like my cookie (s) just like people have different preferences on spiciness or none at all. I like my cookie (s) semi firm on the outside but not firm enough for it to crumble before I can finish biting into the cookie because the crumbs will not go all over myself but also on my clothes and/​or on the tables.
It would be as if a neanderthal or a toddler came and ate there.
I am NEITHER.
This cookie did JUST THAT. Yes, it came on a tiny plate but that didn’t help with all the cookie crumbs. The exterior of the cookie was really firm and forcefully biting into a cookie isn’t my kind of thing. However, the more I bit into the cookie the center is exactly as described by other Unilocalers, soft kind of like cookie dough although I’d like to add the words semi and moist to it. Flavor profile was pretty good. I would have like an even bigger Earl Grey Tea flavor over the chunks of tasty chocolate cubes but that’s just me.
To compliment my ramen meal and cookie craving I ordered the Mango Rooibos ($ 4.00) to drink. Normally, this is a summer drink and thus served cold. However, being that it feels like –10 degrees outdoors the guy behind the counter so nicely told me that they could make it warm. I asked if it would taste weird or off. He replies «you can bring it back if you don’t like it and we will make another one for you.»
This my friends/​strangers is what earned them that extra star equating to 5. I’m not one to bring things back to rectify even if it didn’t match my expectations. But just the simple fact that offer was on the table was enough to make me think, I’m coming back here to try other things.
Other businesses TAKE NOTICE.
The Mango Rooibos served hot was pretty darn good. I think it brought out more of the tea flavor and it definitely was a great choice to warm up on a cold day. It is on the sweeter side which I probably would have them trim on the next visit but other than that it was great.
Space wise this place is small but doesn’t give off that congested feeling. Instead, it was quite intimate and cozy. There are seating by the windows or seating facing the windows. 2 seaters, 4 seaters, a couch and hightop seating for 3 if you want some solo time.
If you are in the area or aren’t in the area, put this place as a visit. Great for meeting up with a friend or even a pre-​date pre-​game.
With tea of course.
FAN.

Big chocolate chip walnut cookies, lord have mercy! Those alone give Presstea a bump. The tea sans bag and freshly pressed is still, well, tea in a fancier outfit.
I just can’t fall in love with this place. The staff here are of the rude, eye rolling, hurry-​up-​with-​your-​order-​already variety. I don’t need a bougie barista, thanks.
Only sell Perrier and no flat bottled water when it is 1000 degrees inside regardless of the season.
No bathroom for customers? Come on. I know you don’t want to encourage people to loiter over their $ 4 beverage, but that is weak.
I’ll be taking my cookies to go.

I love ramen to death so I naturally thought I would fully embrace a ramen burrito. The place was packed on a Sunday afternoon and the glass windows were all fogged up with the wonderful aromas that filled the restaurant. As I was picking up my order, the gal at the register warned me that it was sitting there for a while. They had prepared it right away when they received my order, which was 1.5 hours before the actual pick up time I set. So you mean, my order is going to be a soggy, lukewarm burrito accompanied with a lukewarm tea? Props for being eager but there is a reason why we set pick up times.
Anywho, within a few bites into my pulled pork ramenritto, I was sadly sick of it, especially of the noodles. It seemed like it weighed 5 pounds but none of the ingredients stood out. It might have been a better experience if it was shared. My tea machiatto with passion fruit syrup was good though. Eat24 had an option to choose your type of milk and I was initially confused at first. Later, I realized the drink doesn’t contain milk. (I had selected soy milk that was an extra quarter. Whoops.) My bf got the same lunch special but got the white chocolate apricot scone while I got a cranberry one. His was good! It was sweet and had a nice bite to it. I found mine to be bland and a little under baked in the middle.
I came to the conclusion that I was glad I tried it. Nothing more.

Ramenritto with scallion ginger sauce, pulled pork, and guacasabi. I am not a very adventurous eater, thus I am not super comfortable with this new food concept. BUT! It’s all very tasty. For something on the bizarre side of the food spectrum, they did a good job. The flavors are all there, the quality, check. Emphasis on it being flavorful. The ramen itself is coated in the sauce that makes it go well together, for lack of better term, with the rest of the burrito. I’ll admit it’s quite a bit of carbs so it’s very filling but got kind of boring to eat after a while… One ramenritto is definitely enough for two people. About $ 14 dollars depending on extras.
Apricot chocolate scone is like a Big Crunchy sugar cookie. Not sure where the white chocolate was, but it was still good.
Chocolate chunk/​pecan/​earl grey cookie was a disappointment. Not very sweet and not very flavorful. But it was large at least? Very expensive pastry items at about $ 4 a piece.
I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t get to try the famous Mont Blanc drink thing, as it is a spring/​summer item. Jasmine green tea was good. Quality, Brewed just right.
Friendly staff, no bathroom from what I can see, small seating area. Empty on weekdays afternoons so a great place to just chill.
Interesting to try, but I am not dying to eat this again. Expensive, but worth a try!

Finally. After two failed attempts to this West Village to visit this café, I finally was able to experience the Ramenritto. I’ve tasted some pastries and their drinks at Unilocal events previously, and have been wanting to visit the place itself. I ordered the pulled pork ramenritto with passion fruit green tea. The ramenritto itself is HUGE and is enough to share between two people. It’s filled with corn salsa, greens, cheese, and caramelized onions. The ramen was actually really soft and worked well in the flour tortilla. I’ve never had this combination before and would love to try the other meats next time.
It didn’t take more than 5 minutes for both items to come out. Seating is a bit limited and I wish they had a restroom available for customer use. It’s a really cozy atmosphere with sofas and mini tables. Perfect place to study or catch up with friends.

The Ramenritto sounds beautiful, and guess what? It tastes just as it sounds. I’ve been here twice so far and tried both sauces; both which are great, but I leaned towards the ginger flavored one more. I chose the Asian pulled pork as the protein, which tasted fantastic. With the Ramenritto I’ve had the passion fruit tea and the peach black tea. Both tasted refreshing, like a cool breeze on a warm day! I still have yet to try the mango and I’m pretty excited for that.
In total, I didn’t have to wait any longer than 5 minutes to get my Ramenritto and tea, and I’m very satisfied with that (especially since there are usually only 2 – 3 people working at one time — one person made the Ramenritto, the main cashier makes the tea). It’s never ridiculously busy when I go there and the ambiance is casual so it’s a great place to show a friend or two and catch up. The furniture and everything is very laid back, and the couch has a feeling similar to that of Central Perk from Friends.
Great place for ramen/​tea fans, or for those who want to catch up with an old friend.

Really good ramenrito bowl — got it with pulled pork. Pork was tender, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and tangy. Got the bowl without cheese — didn’t need it! Good flavors and a fun concept. The peach black is off the chain. Both things took a while to prepare — not sure if they were backed up because of to-​go orders but no one else was in the shop waiting for food when we ordered so not sure why there was a delay. That’s why they didn’t get five stars from me. Also, they weren’t as friendly as it seems they have been to other guests (according to other reviews) — maybe they were tired from New Years Eve?

While waiting for a reso at a nearby resto, I decided to recaffeinate since my dining friend was a talker.
Walking into Presstea, I felt at ease since it was not a bar. The seats were all taken and the patrons were busy on their laptops. I asked if they carried a white tea, they did not.
I perused the rest of the tea selection and went for a tea cocktail instead: a coconut chai latte. The option of having if dirty was turned down, though the two baristas were very convincing.
The cookies here look amazing!
While waiting on the order, I noticed the owners browsing sign designs for the menu aka Dos Toros. I wanted to urge them to not do it. The chalkboard menu design would be better if they went to a wet marker board. Less chalk dust in the drinks and food.
When I got my drink, I struggled with the plastic cap. And then the lovely barista tried to sleeve me, but ended up shooting the crimped cardboard into my chest. i took another one and picked her failed attempt up with a smile.
The chai was just the right hint of sweet and not scalding hot. A comforting warmth on this drizzly night.

Eat this Chipotle and Starbucks! –Ramen Bowl! Awesome!
Ordered the skirt steak ramenbowl. Really great twist on ramen, without the oily salty greasy soup broth. Great combination of a fresh salad and perfectly balanced flavor between the meat and ramen.
Press Tea is the best place to get my fix on everything tea. Mango rubioos iced is recommended.
The Earl Grey cookie is to die for (warm it up as recommended by George the owner) Nuke it in the microwave for about a minute or so and you’ll think you died and went to cookie heaven.
Wifi password is on the reciept, great cozy seating. If I can work from home, I would come here and hang out all day.
Staff is awesome and friendly, and very knowledgable on everything about the tea and the food they serve.
Location is a bit confusing especially due to the slanted and twisted streets of Greenwich Village, but to be honest I kind prefer this be a hidden gem before everyone comes hunting down for this place.

I trekked out here for the ramenrrito, and it was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a while. This new hybrid food was something I didn’t know I needed — yes, NEEDED, to eat. The finished product was definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Who knew substituting ramen for rice could be such a wonderful creation? Plus points for being neatly wrapped and not falling apart. Oh, and be sure to add the umami egg.
I sipped a green tea mont blanc and bf had a pineapple chai. I dislike chai and the flavor was very strong, so if you’re like me, don’t get this. The green tea mont blanc was good, but I don’t think it was worth $ 4.50. The cream cap was interesting and unlike anything I’ve tasted before.
We finished with a gigantic $ 4 chocolate earl grey cookie. It was a wonderful cookie. The edges had a slight crunch while the interior was rich and soft. It wasn’t overbearingly sweet, but I wish I hadn’t finished my tea before eating this.
I also loved the friendly staff and fantastic décor. The inviting couches and open space with lots of natural light filtering in made it feel like we were visiting a friend’s house. I can’t wait to be back!

I feel silly admitting that I’m a sucker for trying the latest food fads, but the Ramenrrito is what drew my attention here. While it was ok, this 5-​star review is mostly earned by the insanely good Chocolate Earl Grey Cookie.
This place is so much more than just a spot for tea and coffee. I thought it was pretty random when I read about the Ramenrrito, which is basically just a burrito with ramen instead of rice. They also have it available in bowl form if you don’t want the large tortilla it’s wrapped in, which is probably a better idea since the tortilla wasn’t that great and you will have more room left for the ridiculous cookies.
Ok, let’s just talk about those first, since they are the real reason I felt compelled to write this review and are the thing that will force me to come back here repeatedly. When I saw them bringing out trays of these softball-​sized masses of dough, I knew I had to try one. I never expected though that these cookies from a random tea spot would be as good as the legendary Levain cookies.
Yeah, I said it. Levain levels of goodness. For the same price of $ 4, you get a cookie of roughly the same size (maybe slightly smaller here), with that same amazing, overwhelming, practically raw cookie dough center that we all know and love. We tried the Chocolate Earl Grey flavor (they also have a Jasmine Green Tea cookie), which had so much gooey chocolate in the middle and was so soft that it all just began to fall apart into a chocolatey mess about half way through it. If they perfect the structure and possibly make it not look like a pile of feces, it would be a serious contender for best cookie in NYC. Any self-​respecting cookie-​eating person must go here immediately to try this amazing creation.
And if you don’t want a pound of cookie dough, there is a lot more great stuff here too. Let’s go back to the Ramenrrito, which like the cookies, is not getting nearly enough attention, especially when compared to the mass hysteria that was introduced with the Ramen Burger.
You can choose among 4 fillings for your Ramenrrito: steak, chicken, pulled pork or ratatouille. Also, if you don’t want the typical Hawaiian noodles, you can get «noodled zucchini». They also upsold me on the meal deal, which is $ 14 to add a small drink and any pastry of your choice (except for the giant cookies). The little Chocolate Croissant was buttery and delicious and the Strawberry Chai Lemonade was very refreshing.
The Ramenrrito was really massive. As mentioned above, the tortilla was a little too thick, so it was tough to taste the pulled pork, ramen and other great ingredients as much. It was quite tasty though, and I would probably consider trying it in bowl form next time.
One thing I do know for sure is that I will be back again any time I am in the general vicinity — maybe not for the Ramenrrito, but always for that addictive, amazing cookie.

In a perfect world, Press Tea would simply be my extended living room.
I first stumbled across this West Village gem after passing the empty storefront several times on walks to and from my apartment. When the shutters finally came down, my friend and I were one of the first visitors to the venue, and we immediately fell in love with it. The interior is one of the most welcoming I’ve yet to find, especially on a sunny day when the floor-​to-​ceiling windows let in as much sunshine as you could ask for. Plenty of tables are spread throughout, suitable for working independently or holding a meeting among a larger group, especially as they offer free WiFi. There’s a lone sofa against the wall dotted with a few pillows, perfect for the times you just need to sink into a comfy seat. One of them proudly displays the message, «Let us press your tea and rock your world». Yes, Press Tea, you can do just that.
You come to Press Tea for, well, the tea. You start off with a tea base: Black, Green, Chai, or Rooibos (their only decaffeinated option) and can choose a flavor of your preference, which spans across Peach, Mango, Passionfruit, Vanilla, and the like. My personal bias goes towards the Iced Passionfruit Green Tea, which is one of their most popular options. I’m not much of a tea person, but it’s almost impossible not to like it; light, fragrant, and with just the right amount of sweetness, it’s the perfect drink on a warm, summer day. Press Tea also has an ever-​changing variety of savory and sweet bites. I’ve tried the Matcha Cake as well as the Chocolate Cookie/​Cheesecake Bar, which are compactly sized to sate the sweet tooth, but Press Tea also offers more filling options if you’re looking for a lunch or a light dinner.
I’ve wiled away several afternoons here, indulging in good tea and good conversation. The staff has always always friendly and welcoming, the availability of seating was just right, and the Pandora station was spot-​on. Yes, you know where to find me from now on.