New York Tea Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to facilitate gatherings of tea enthusiasts to assist in the growth of the tea community. 

 

Anyone bitten by the ‘tea bug’ can attest that the more they learn about tea, the more there is to learn about tea.  Each answered question opens up many more unanswered questions.   

 

New York Tea Society's membership consists of tea enthusiasts on a never-ending quest to learn about tea, teawares, and tea culture. We gather to taste and discuss green, white, oolong, black, and puer teas from China, Taiwan, Japan, and India. We visit tea houses, tea events, road trips, and have tea socials at each other's homes. 

 

Whether you are very new to the tea world or have been learning about tea for many years if you enjoy tea in any way, and spend some time in New York City, then New York Tea Society welcomes you. 

 

New York Tea Society is also working on getting group discounts from tea-related businesses for our members.  If you own a business and would like to create a special offer for New York Tea Society members, please Contact Me.

 

The only requirement for membership in the New York Tea Society is a genuine passion for all things tea. 

We hope to meet you soon.

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The members highlighted below have all demonstrated true team spirit in helping to build the tea community by volunteering in the roles designated below their names.  They are the core support team behind New York Tea Society's success in growing the tea community.

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ROY LAMBERTY

President

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I am the proud founder of the New York Tea Society.  Tea has become an unexplainable obsession in my life which I have ceased to try to explain long ago.  I have been a successfully employed chef since 1989.  As a chef, flavors, textures, and aromas have become my second nature.  Cooking and tea came together in 1994 when I became a chef's apprentice who enjoyed using tea as an ingredient in his recipes.  Admittedly, at the time, it was more tisanes and herbal teas such as chamomile, earl grey, mint tea, and jasmine tea, which were more common on the market. However, it did begin to open up my world of tea knowledge.  I soon explored on my own and discovered other green, red, and oolong teas. 

 

It wasn't until  2011 that I was introduced to pu'er tea by a friend, and my world would never be the same.  My taste of a 35-year-old aged sheng pu'er led to a trip to China, where I discovered other teas such as longjing tea, da hong pao, sheng, and shu puer, and most importantly, I discovered gongfu cha! I spent my time there in tea circles enjoying the wonderful world of gongfu cha. 

 

Upon returning to New York City, I quickly realized it would not be easy to find others to share tea, teaware, and tea stories with.  I decided to open a Meetup group, expecting to find maybe 12 or so members to geek out over tea with.  Surprisingly, I quickly found myself surrounded by the wonderful NYC tea community and am now introducing myself to you!  I hope to meet you very soon and share tea together.  

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KINGSTON LAM
Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kingston Lam owns Orchid Tea House, where he sells, trades, and collects antique teaware from the Song Dynasty thru to the Chinese Republic Era. His passion for tea and tea culture has led him to gather a large collection of teaware in NYC. 
 

Kingston is currently the Executive Director at NYTS. This role keeps him busy expanding the tea community by planning, organizing, leading, and hosting the many events and gatherings NYTS offers.

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VICTOR LEUNG

Recruiting Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victor Leung is a Native New Yorker who grew up in New York City’s Chinatown since the late ’60s.  As a child, Victor’s parents often brought him to Chinese restaurants for dim sum or yum cha, where he enjoyed drinking cheap pu'er (po lay in Cantonese).
 

In 2010, Victor’s interest in tea led him to become a passionate and active member of the tea community after an IT colleague, who was also a member of the original NYC Tea Club,  invited him to a tea gathering,  where Victor was introduced to the Chinese gongfu tea ceremony.  At the tea gatherings with the NYC Tea Club, Victor met Kingston Lam, owner of Orchid Tea House and Executive Director of NYTS, and the rest, as they say...is history.

 

Victor is currently the Recruiting Director at NYTS and is known as the ‘Chinese Loose Tea Evangelist’, a title he earned because of his love of connecting tea people worldwide.  Victor is the driving force behind connecting tea professionals, tea educators, and tea vendors as guest speakers for the NYTS’s weekly International Tea Discussions.