August was the driest month on record and then this week, in one-day, we got rainfall equaling over eight inches per day. What a way to welcome in September. With the rainy weather that left most of our area thoroughly drenched this week, I can bet that many locals like myself were looking for a hot cup of something to chase that rainy chill away.
The new tearoom inside the New Moon Gallery is a good place to find your hot (or cold) cup of comfort. The New Moon Gallery has been around for 21 years as one of the Chattanooga area’s most intriguing shops, first located on Frazier Avenue and now at 2 Northshore. Locally owned and operated, the New Moon Gallery offers a wide array of fine handcrafted artwork including pottery, jewelry, stained glass, wooden boxes, candles, musical instruments, fountains, wind chimes and much more. A diverse selection of books, music, cards, clothing, incense, gem and mineral specimens and other imaginative gifts all add to the magical mix.
Tea snobs will not be disappointed with the 40 different kinds of loose-leaf tea to choose from at the new tearoom. Hot tea prices start at $1.50, and any of these teas can be served iced. These teas are also sold in bulk for those who want to take home a bag of tea for brewing. Black tea choices include: organic Earl, bolder breakfast, organic Irish breakfast, organic chai, organic blackberry, organic passion fruit, Tropicana, decaf English breakfast and decaf organic Earl Grey.
Green teas include: organic gunpowder (with a mellow taste, lightly smoky, not vegetal, easy to enjoy), Genmaicha (mixture of Japan bancha green tea, popped corn and toasted rice), organic makaibari long leaf India Green (Darjeeling green, floral, not vegetal, naturally sweet), organic Pu’erh (earthly, aged tea), organic citrus green (ginger root, orange peel, peach and safflowers) and evergreen (orange peel, apple, almonds, and cinnamon).
Herbal teas include: organic herbal chai, rooibos Africana, red rocks (naturally caffeine free rooibos with vanilla and almond bits), Yerba Mate (medicinal and cultural drink of South America), Mate Lemon Chai, organic Chamomile, organic peppermint, Elixer (ginger root, orange peel, mint, eucalyptus, ginger/orange), Agni Ayuvedic blend (chrysanthemum, saffron, caramom, hibiscus, mint, tulsi, sarsaparilla flowers, lemon and peach flavor), Vayu ayurvedic blend (chamomile, saffron, licorice, ginger, fennel, rose, spearmint, rosehips, natural orange flavor), Prithvi Ayuvedic blend (ginger, saffron, black pepper, licorice, mint, clove, cardamom, fennel, safflowers, sambuca flavor), and South pacific fruit tisane (berries, hibiscus, papaya, orange, currents, passion fruit).
Also, there is a selection of white teas like Meditative Mind and Pai Mu Tan White. I visited the tearoom on a muggy day before all the rain hit and requested a cup of organic makaibari long leaf (India Green) tea over ice. I was pleasantly surprised that this tea translated well to the iced version, and imagined how rich and flavorful it would have been hot. Adding a little Agave nectar that the tearoom had on hand, the tea had a pleasant lightly sweet taste. There was also vegan friendly sugar to add to drinks.
For those who have trouble deciding, there are three different pre-made teas that the tearoom makes daily. The selection when I visited was Boulder Blues (a green tea with mellow flowers and safflowers), Black tea with peach and apricot, and a sweet Tropicana tea.
If you are not a tea fan, they also serve coffee and French press. New Moon has their very own brand of coffee through the Blue Smoke Coffee Roasting Company. It is called the New Moon Blend and is an organic and fair trade product that is available by the cup or in bulk at the tearoom.
There were also pastries and food items to go along with the drinks. Cheesecake brownies, gluten-free cookies, sweet breads and fruit tarts were a few of the items that the local Rembrandt’s Coffee House had contributed to the tearoom’s bake case. The Hot Chocolatier, with their new Southside storefront, also featured their truffles and a few other sweets at the tearoom. On the New Moon Tearoom menu was cranberry pecan chicken salad, traditional chicken salad, a Greek hummus plate, and a pimento cheese plate. All dishes come with a croissant and grapes and the hummus plate comes with pita and veggies.
The tearoom seems like a nice place to relax after visiting the local shops of 2 Northshore with its ample seating, a chess set and free WiFi. The word is already out about the tearoom as well. A couple with a British accent was in the tearoom when I visited. That’s a good sign for sure, since the British do know their tea, and it seems like the New Moon tearoom does, too.