America Discovers Tea Isn't Just Iced Black, Decides To Slow Down Dramatically
KEY POINTS
- •In May 2024, Los Angeles's Tea at Shiloh opened to offer late-night herbal tea and jazz to create 'soft spaces.'
- •Chicago's Han Cha launched a British-style high tea inspired by Korean teahouses, partnering with the artist Theaster Gates.
- •Kansas City's Tian Tea House opened in late 2025, thriving on matcha’s popularity while promoting a diverse Asian tea culture.
Since May 2024, tea spots like Shiloh Enoki's 'Tea at Shiloh' in L.A. are redefining late nights with unlimited herbal teas from 7-11 p.m., jazz sets, and 'soft spaces' with plush cushions to replace the usual nightclub clamor of 'being perceived by guys.' Meanwhile, Chicago's Han Cha offers grown-up British high tea featuring Taiwanese black tea with quince notes combined with Korean pickles, thanks to Heiji Black and artist Theaster Gates's partnership. On the East Coast, Juno Shen launched Manhattan's 'Soft Hours' shunning TikTok-worthy matcha whisks and boba for peaceful Song dynasty vibes. Kansas City's Tian Tea House basks in matcha popularity but boasts gongfu tea classes representing Thai and Chinese legacies, according to co-owner Saranya Hubbard. This tea renaissance arrives as Americans finally import hundreds of millions more tea dollars compared to 30 years ago, especially as millennials get serious about sitting for hours, spilling existential dialogues over mochi caneles while judging each other's watercolor skills —all under dim lantern light promising no laptop or TikTok distractions in sight.
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(1 of 3)Americans finally admit tea is more than iced black and booze, now we’re all pressured to meditate over lattes and Korean pickles instead of scrolling on phones.
Tea shops say 'no laptops,' but have watercolors, games, and jazz, because apparently realizing life’s too loud requires imaginative distractions.
Millennials revolutionize tea by sitting for hours surrounded by plush cushions, fermented pu’erh, and suspiciously painless silence about their existential dread.
Source: Eater | Published: 8/20/2026 | Author: Bettina Makalintal
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