Tafu New York

Just stopping by to say that I miss Tafu. I used to stop by after work every now and then, on special occasions, to treat myself to a few of their lovely macarons. I still think about their lavender macarons sometimes. And I just brewed a cup of their hojicha tea to settle my stomach, and it worked almost miraculously well.
R.I.P Tafu — gone but not forgotten.

so sad that this place closed! :(

Excellent tea and cakes, and the ONLY place you can get Itzy Bitzy Patisserie macarons retail!

On my way to a prepare a venue, I got lost. I took the bus instead of the subway, thought it was on 51^st not 50^th. I was running down, in need of caffeine an searching for a Starbucks. Lo, and behold, my desire for green tea was answered with the most quaint and prefect place possible.
Food:
I walked in and took one look at the staff, the signage and the selection and knew I was going to be happy. I ordered a cup of sencha and, fully expecting to be required to drink it there, I was oh so pleasantly surprised when they offered it for me to go. And this wasn’t Starbucks style, throw two teabags in the cup, put in some hot water and call it day. No, they steeped it, and cooled it, and steeped it again. It was superb! Best green tea I’ve had on this side of the Pacific. And is should be, seeing as the original TAFU was created back in 1850. They’ve had a long time to prefect this, so rock it out.
They also have sweets. I’m not talking like candy, I’m saying daifuku and traditional Japanese sweets. I did not partake, and really, I think my day would have been made if I had. They also had delicious sounding tea-​inspired puddings and cakes and chocolates. I wanted, and eventually I will have. And when summer comes, it will be time for me to try out their green tea lattes. I’m severely doubting that they’ll be powder and milk like Starbucks. Oh no, they’ll be good.
Venue:
What makes this place so awesome is how tiny, quint and hidden it is. Attached to the Double Tree hotel, three of the four wall are glass. There are a few little chairs and one table, but not a lot of room at all. Which makes it great, because people are in and out, they can’t linger and annoy you.
Another fantastic perk is that, unlike most sushi places in this city, these tea gurus are really Japanese. That meant I got to practice my very rusty thank yous and pleases. Overall, I love it, it’s this little quiet place in Midtown that most people don’t see as they walk by. Have some tea, and a sweet, speak some Japanese and sit in peace. I love it!

the friendly japanese ladies are just like the ones i remember from tokyo. however, the prices are not so kind… the cupcakes are dry, but the daifuku was so soft it was like eating a cloud. the kyoto emperor tea was just okay.

I’ve been meaning to go to Tafu ever since reading about their daifuku and matcha shakes in summer 2008. The final incentive came when I heard about Tafu’s endorsement of Itzy Bitzy macarons.
Tafu’s location is semi-​hidden; an indentation inside a metallic building exterior. The only hint was the easel sign on the sidewalk advertising lattes. The space was surprisingly small with only 4 stools at a wooden counter facing the glass wall, which enclosed the hallway exit for DoubleTree hotel guests. Not much of a view, and I’d greatly appreciate a place to put my coat, but service was impeccable (attentive, patient, and polite). One can argue that Japanese service is always such, but Tafu lacked the obligation vibe that I usually feel in other Japanese establishments. The people behind the counter at Tafu seem genuinely interested and dedicated in helping the customers.
The Kyoto Emperor Latte was okay. I imagine it would be better with a sweet, like the matcha macaron (if you’re not yet matcha’d out). I can probably consume a few houjicha macarons in one sitting.

Friend of mine took me to this place. highly recommend the green tea latte if you want something quick to go.
They have a great list of tea you can order to sit around chill with friends.
Definitely a very cool place to go and I wish they have more of those in the city
Price is a little bit on the high end =(

The prices are ridiculous but the two treats I’ve sampled here have been absolutely divine.
And who can resist classic Japanese hospitality? It’s addictive.
I went for the hojicha mac (courtesy of Itzy Bitzy) and the matcha cheesecake stick. Both were carefully wrapped and handed to me in a procession not unlike a coronation.
The macaroon, though not Tafu’s, was delicious and accurate, so kudos to the store for selecting it. The matcha cheesecake was also right on target, though I wish it was as long as a yard stick. Fluffy cheese-​ness mixed with a hint of bitter matcha. Gotta love it.

okay, I did give this place four stars (it may seem like one too many but because of the ambiance and friendliness of the staff it deserves it) ok on to the tea. I was walking around at lunchtime and stumbled across this tea house (to call it a tea shop is an insult). The place is really cute, comfortable and warm. I ordered something I never heard of «matcha tea» although it doesn’t sound good and looked just as unappetizing it turns out the tea was pretty good. I think I liked more that everything was like in slow motion there (they took about 10 mins to make my tea and politely asked that I have a seat to wait while they prepared it. While I waited I ordered two «cookies». Are these really cookies because for me being an American a cookie should be about the size of my palm. These «cookies» were about the size of a quarter. No fun and each one was about a dollar and change (they weren’t worth it). But experience this place (1) if you are not in a rush, (2) if you have some extra money to spend on tea and (3) if you don’t mind trying to find it. LOL Enjoy!

It’s amazing the things you find when you take «the road less traveled». Such was the case with Tafu.
Not wanting to breathe the stifling subway air any more than I had to, I exited the 6 train at 51^st and Lex. Lo and behold, what was this?!? An authentic and premium Japanese tea and sweets store? Peeking in from 51^st St., I find that it’s cute. Cute décor, cute Japanese employees behind the counter, cute Japanese tea sets. I chose the Savory Kyoto Emperor Latte, iced. A medium is $ 6!!! Whoa, more expensive than Starbucks, but infinitely more delectable.
Apparently they have tea leaves and chocolate, daifuku (a marshmallow-​ish mochi dough with creamy tea filling) and cheese cake (tea and cream cheese). They also have loose tea leaves for purchase. Interesting. I must bring back my husband’s Japanese co-​worker tonight. The poor thing has just moved to Missouri, so she’s got to be craving some Japanese food and diverse culture.

I go into this tiny store in a discrete location inside the Doubletree Hotel. The place is tiny. There are only like, four counter seats.
I go to the displays and think of getting Daifukus, since I haven’t had one in a while. A Daifuku is a sweet bean paste inside a mochi covering. They usually go for like, $ 1 each. Tafu’s daifuku’s cost $ 4 each, and they are tiny! I was like, is this worth it???
But, I get two, one tea taste and one coffee taste (they were out of the others, which is also unbelievable, seems like they don’t stock up properly). I go back to my office. I take a bite. OMG!
These are the best Daifukus I have had in my life (and that includes Japan!). I’m not exaggerating. The mochi is soft and melts in your mouth. The sweet been, infused with tea fragrance, is so delicate, sublime. $ 4/​Daifuku? I would pay any day of the week for those!
They also have yummy looking teas and green tea lattes… gotta try that next time.

UPDATE 10÷2÷08:
–Misty Mountain Cold Tea ($ 3.00/16oz) — simply amazing, never thought a tea this light in color could be that bold in flavor, the bitter aftertaste is just right, not bitter enough to turn you off but bitter enough to make the sencha flavor burst in your mouth.
UPDATE 9÷16÷08:
–Wide variety of mini-​cupcakes ($ 1.25 or $ 1.80/ea).
UPDATE 6÷27÷08:
It was as if they read my mind! I was just wishing for them to sell ice cream! My only gripe is that when you ask them for less ice and no whipped cream, you don’t get more tea (MINUS ONE STAR). They also have a stampable punch card for incentives.
New additions to the menu:
— Banana matcha shake ($ 5 for 20oz) — for summer only
— Genmai ice cream (1 scoop $ 3.50)
— Hoji ice cream (1 scoop $ 3.50)
— Matcha ice cream (1 scoop $ 4)
I tried the Matcha ice cream. It was good but Ushiwaka Maru’s is darker, richer, and better. The Hoji ice cream was off the meat hook! Very fragrant. Perfumey even. Okay so I do taste the banana purée bits in the shake, but when asked for less ice and no whipped cream on top, they still disregard my request. blah. Minus one a star. My coworker enjoyed his shake as well. That new menu item in particular seems to be a big hit with the customers. Regardless, looks like I am converting all my coworkers to come here instead of Starbucks now
BTW, I heard Kyotofu supplies their pastries. That would explain why they are so darn good.

Tafu is a cross between a coffee shop and tea house. I haven’t come upon another place like this in NYC yet — so it gets 4 stars for meticulous service, great ambience, and authentic Japanese teas and cakes.
It’s located in the Doubletree Hotel, and you can either go through the hotel entrance (51^st and Lex) or enter from 51^st and 3^rd Ave entrance. It’s a tiny place with 4 bar seats — so it’s a good place to catch up with 1 or 2 people at most. They have a nice variety of Japanese teas (hot and cold) and treats (mainly daifuku and cheesecakes).
I tried the maacha hot tea (kyoto emperor) which was very strong and foamy — delish! If you aren’t a fan of strong green tea flavor, Tafu also has milder teas. My friend and I tried two different cheesecakes and both were yummy.
Check out their website for more info on their offerings!

This place is like a coffee shop that sell tea rather than a «tea house». Great selection of teas and fantastic daifuku (it’s just a pity that they are imported from Japan and not made inhouse… that’s a lot of food miles for such a small desert that could be made by the café).

While small, this new tea shop on 51^st st. delivers excellent tea in a rather elegant (if cramped) setting.
As is expected from Japanese establishments the customer service is exceptionally polite and attendant. The tea selection is rather small by american standards, this shop specializes strictly in traditional green teas variants from Japan… Matcha, houjicha, sencha, kukichai etc. They also offer excellent tea-​flavored daifuku mochi cakes and small cheesecake confections, as well as a few samples of high end tea-​ware.
During my visit I sampled the matcha tea, which was well presented in a nicely selected bowl. Thje tea itself was delicious… actually the first time I’ve ever come away from a matcha tasting with a smile on my face… nicely frothy and slightly sweet to just compliment the bitterness of the tea. I also sampled two flavors of daifuku (Houjicha and black tea) both were delicious.
The only detraction is the seating… a 4 seat bar only… a little cramped. Tables would be much more welcome for this type of environment. Alas, they simply do not have the room for them.
I’ll definately be back to this shop soon! Seeing how nice their Matcha was I HAVE to try the gyokuro.

In the typical Japanese fashion, this little tea store is sophisticated and so very niche. I haven’t tried their teas but I did have their mochis — they come in matcha, houjia (roasted green tea) & coffee! They are incredible! They come in these little pre-​packaged wrappers and they must be eaten by the end of the day!
An excellent place to bring visitors for tea!
**note: limited seating ie. 2 seats at the bar.

New Japanese tea specialty store! It officially opens this Tuesday September 25, 2007!
My brother’s GF was invited through her job for the press release event today and what a treat!
They genuinely care about the quality of tea they serve. And they also have Japanese sweets!
They have like 6 different types of authentic Japanese teas and they also have sweets sent directly from Osaka such as daifuku, truffle (Incredible!), roll cake and cheese cake all offered in Matcha, Genmai, Houjicha, Coffee, and English Tea flavors. They also have sweets from Kyotofu such as the cookies and financiers. All the sweets are light and delicious. YOU MUST TRY TO MATCHA AND GENMAI TRUFFLES! THEY ARE INCREDIBLE!!!
You can get the teas either hot or cold. They also have a few different kinds of lattes including a ice cream float latte which sounded delish!
Ill definitely be back to support this cute little tea store!
Also, they are eco-​friendly… so join the cause and get a «TUFF MUG»!!