There is a quiet revolution happening at coffee shops across the country. Not every customer wants coffee. Some want tea -- real tea, not the afterthought teabag that most coffee shops keep in a dusty box behind the register.
Pier 69 Market takes tea as seriously as they take coffee. Their tea program is built around Rishi Tea, a Milwaukee-based company that has spent decades building direct relationships with tea gardens around the world. The quality difference is immediately apparent.
What Makes Rishi Different
Most tea sold in America is commodity-grade -- dust and fannings swept up from the processing floor, packed into paper bags, and sold in bulk. The flavor is thin, one-dimensional, and often bitter. This is what most people think tea tastes like.
Rishi Tea is something else entirely. They source whole-leaf tea directly from growers in Japan, China, India, and beyond. Their teas are organic and fair-trade. The leaves are handled with the same care that a specialty coffee roaster applies to beans.
The difference between commodity tea and Rishi Tea is the same as the difference between instant coffee and La Colombe. One is a drink. The other is an experience.
What to Order at Pier 69 Market
Hot Matcha Supreme
Ceremonial-grade matcha from Japan, whisked into a smooth, vibrant green latte. This is the tea that converts coffee drinkers. The caffeine is gentle and sustained -- no crash, no jitters. The flavor is vegetal, slightly sweet, and deeply satisfying. If you order one thing from the tea menu, make it this.
Earl Grey Green
A Rishi original that blends Chinese green tea with bergamot oil. The result is lighter and more floral than traditional Earl Grey (which uses black tea), with a citrus brightness that works beautifully in the morning. This is the tea for people who think they do not like tea.
Wild Thai Black Tea
A full-bodied black tea from ancient tea trees in northern Thailand. Rich, malty, with notes of cocoa and stone fruit. If you are a coffee drinker looking for something with similar depth and warmth, this is your tea.
Chamomile
Not the pale, flavorless chamomile you find in most places. Rishi's version uses whole chamomile flowers that produce a golden, honeyed infusion with real floral character. Best in the evening, after dinner, when the Bay Ridge waterfront is settling into twilight.
Mystic Mint
Pure peppermint with eucalyptus and ginger notes. Caffeine-free, refreshing, and genuinely soothing. The mint is bright and clean, not the artificial sharpness you find in flavored teas.
Hot Vanilla Chai Latte
Rishi's chai blend is made with real spices -- cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, clove -- not the sugary syrup that chai has become at chain coffee shops. The vanilla adds warmth without sweetness. Steamed milk rounds everything into a drink that is both comforting and complex.
Tea and the Bay Ridge Pace
There is something fitting about good tea in Bay Ridge. This is a neighborhood that does not rush. People sit. They talk. They watch the water. Tea suits this pace -- it is a drink that rewards patience, that changes as it cools, that invites you to slow down and pay attention.
If you are a coffee person, order your cortado or cold brew. But next time, try the matcha. Or the Earl Grey Green. You might discover that the tea side of the menu has been waiting for you all along.
And regardless of what you drink, the Pier 69 Burger pairs with everything.
Ready for a Real Bay Ridge Coffee?
La Colombe espresso, Rishi tea, and the Pier 69 Burger. All at 10 Bay Ridge Ave, Brooklyn.
