Hand Blended Teas find a home at Tay Tea in Delhi, NY
Although Nini Ordoubadi has always had an affinity for tea, it wasn’t until 2003 that she decided to leave her career in interior design to pursue her passion full time. By 2005, this third-generation tea blender, was selling her unique blends in over 125 stores across the country. That same year, a desire for an upstate oasis full of exceptional tea, great food and hospitality, led her to open Tay Tea, a quaint tea shop in the artsy town of Andes near the Catskill Mountains. “It’s so important to have a brick and mortar. The online thing is great, but it’s not the same,” says Nini. “I wanted something else. I wanted a building where I could flow into. This has been such a joy.”
In the vein of some of her fellow upstate shop owners, her store has something for everyone – from beeswax candles and tea soaps to vegetarian organic seasonal eats. Spend more than five minutes talking to Nini, and you gain insight into the great lengths she takes to thoughtfully curate every item in her shop. “When people come into the shop, I talk to them and listen to them and that’s really where I get my inspiration,” she says. “It wouldn’t be the same business without the store.”
Photos by Christian Harder, Words by Bridget Bland Bogee