Steep Chic: Esoteric Teas

By Elaine Glusac

Fermented, aged and sometimes quite steeply priced, the best p'uerh teas from China's Yunnan province are pushing the level of tea connoisseurship at restaurants to a new level. NoMI at the Park Hyatt Chicago has six vintage p'uerh teas, including a smooth, full-bodied 1985 that goes for $250 a pot; Wing Lei restaurant at the Wynn Las Vegas resort sells a nicely mellow 30-year-old p'uerh button tea for $14 per serving.

Published February 2006