Gotham

New York Breakfast

I love New York. Cliched as that may be, it’s true. It seems like everything you could ever want to do, anyone you could want to meet is somewhere in the city.

Like all kids raised int he 90s, I watched plenty of television and movies. I used to talk about wanting to go to the places I saw onscreen. My parents told me these places weren’t real, but I knew better. I knew New York, at least, was out there. And if it was exciting enough a place to set Seinfeld, Home Alone 2, and Baby’s Day Out, it was good enough for me.

The very first time I went to the city (that’s what the locals call it, because there is no other city), I was a fresh-faced au pair on a bus tour in the middle of January. It was late in the afternoon and freezing, and I loved every second of it. Face pressed agains the window, my eyes drank in every detail. The raging bull statue in Wall Street I’d seen in For Richer or Poorer. The train station with the iconic clock from Men in Black. The Empire State building, from literally every single New York based piece of entertainment. It was real, it wasn’t a set, it wasn’t an illusion, and it wasn’t going to vanish when the tv turned off. If I wasn’t already swept away at the magic of it all, it began to snow. For the first time in my life I was witnessing falling snow, and I was in New York. No matter how many rude people, terrible smells, or delayed subways the city offers up, I can’t possibly hate it after my first experience.

New York hosts the full spectrum of almost anything, all at once, and often within a couple of blocks of each other. Illustrious wealth is tethered to immense poverty. Opulent property juxtaposes tiny, bricked in studios. A luscious, extraordinary park in the middle of bustling, polluted metropolis. And the food experiences only the richest can afford, as well as some of the cheapest food imaginable.

The cheap food is wily. Some of it is disgusting and ought to be avoided at all costs, and some of it is incredible. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between the two before you get a morsel in your mouth. Sure, it might seem like a daft idea to buy doughnuts from a car wash, but they are hailed as some of the best doughnuts in the city.

Picking a diner in New York is something I have struggled with at every visit. One thing you can be sure of though, is that a good diner doesn’t smell like a particular thing. It should smell a bit like everything they make: frying oil, coffee, vanilla, and pastries (pancakes or doughnuts especially). These diners are normally set up so that you can see the people cooking your food. It’s good for keeping an eye on the kitchen hygiene and its good for atmosphere.

Somehow, New York Breakfast tea has captured the essence of the hustle and bustle of the city and blended it with the atmosphere of a New York diner. It’s a strong black base, and a tiny bit bitter (like the air in New York). The overall profile is sweet, like you ordered pancakes at that diner. It’s woody, earthy, musky, and has the slightest bitter dark chocolate note in the aftertaste. This tea is perfect black, and will hold its profile with milk added. For a sweet treat, a drop of maple syrup brings a masked vanilla note to light.

New York Breakfast: 5/5

Enjoy with: heady atmosphere