Oolongs is a great alternative to the many coffee shops of New Haven. Since many of us think of tea as twinings, lipton, or celestial seasonings, it's a fun treat to go to a shop with a prodigious menu that's almost exclusively tea! Ranging from affordable to extravagant, I've enjoyed every cup of tea that I've had at Oolongs. More importantly, though, the owners have paid great attention to details designed to make your tea time a special experience - there are quirks, like the tea timer that buzzes when your tea has hit its ideal steeping duration, and the rock crystals of sugar they hand you for sweetener, and then there are the solid business practices - like friendly and charming waitstaff that let you linger over your tea and make you feel at home, and a high level of aesthetic sensibility from teapots to decor. I recommend slipping in to warm up and relax with a pot of lychee red or lapsang souchong in the winter, or grabbing a bubble tea and sitting at one of their outdoor tables during the summer.
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