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SOFT HOURS TEA HOUSE 柔時閑堂

@softhours.world

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Chinese Tea & House Made Confections
Walk-ins Welcome | Tue–Fri 12–8 | Sat–Sun 11–8
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soft hours feature in @tmagazine

soft hours began with a desire to create space for smaller moments. inspired by seasons, gardens, and the quiet rituals of daily life found in song dynasty literati culture

thank you to @ang.koh for capturing the spirit of the space so thoughtfully 🤍 by @softhours.world

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5 months ago

thank you @eater for including soft hours in a thoughtful conversation about where tea culture is going next.

matcha and boba have opened the door for a new generation to discover tea.

we hope what comes next is an understanding of tea as something much larger, diverse, seasonal, and shaped by thousands of years of culture. taken in New York, New York by @softhours.world

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2 months ago

a thoughtful feature by the @scmp_style on soft hours

the piece reflects on the song dynasty idea of living with the seasons. how tea, incense, flowers and changing weather once shaped the rhythm of daily life

soft hours was built around that same feeling
a small retreat within the city
where time slows through tea, shifting light, and seasonal rituals

grateful to @thats_tso_gloria for capturing the spirit of the space with such care 🫶 by @softhours.world

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5 months ago

few fruits feel as closely tied to fall in china as the persimmon.

as the weather cools and the leaves begin to thin, persimmons remain suspended from bare branches in shades of gold and orange, glowing against blue skies. across the countryside, their arrival marks harvest season and the transition into colder months.

ripe persimmons are intensely seasonal. depending on the variety, they can be crisp and honeyed or soft enough to eat with a spoon, with a sweetness that deepens as the fruit matures. the flavor is rich, mellow and almost jammy, with notes that can feel somewhere between honey, apricot and brown sugar.

in traditional chinese culture, persimmons also carry an auspicious meaning through the phrase 柿柿如意.

the word for persimmon, 柿, is pronounced shì, the same sound as 事, meaning matters or affairs. through this wordplay, 柿柿如意 echoes 事事如意, a blessing that means “may everything go as you wish.”

because of this, persimmons often appear in seasonal paintings, festive imagery and still lifes as symbols of good fortune, abundance and wishes fulfilled.

for many people in china, the memory of fall is inseparable from this fruit.

#persimmon #fall #harvest #china #chineseculture taken in Beijing, China by @softhours.world

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a day ago

our fall tea and confection pairing for an after work catch up at soft hours

starting with wuyi dahongpao, a charcoal roasted oolong from the wuyi mountains of fujian. deep, mineral and warmly roasted, with a lingering woody character, it is one of our favorite teas as the temperature begins to fall

paired with our sichuan peppercorn parmesan sablé diamant, a buttery, savory cookie with the richness of parmesan and the citrusy, gently numbing fragrance of sichuan peppercorn. the peppercorn gives the cookie lift and warmth, while the parmesan brings salt, umami and depth

alongside our osmanthus sablé viennois, delicate and crumbly with a soft buttery texture and the floral, apricot like fragrance of osmanthus, one of the defining scents of autumn in china

in traditional chinese dietary thought, osmanthus is often associated with warmth and comfort as the weather cools, while sichuan peppercorn is considered more yang in nature and traditionally used in warming foods to encourage movement and circulation

together, the pairing moves between roasted, floral, savory, buttery and aromatic. the dahongpao carries the deeper flavors of the parmesan and peppercorn, while the osmanthus brings a softer floral note that keeps the tray balanced

a pairing made for cooler days, slower afternoons and the beginning of fall

everything on the tray is prepared in house at soft hours by our pastry chef Janice Sung, available at soft hours, a chinese tea house on the lower east side of new york city

@softhours.world
📍119 Hester St, New York, NY 10002

#oolong #chinesetea #osmanthus #cookies #teahouse taken in New York City by @softhours.world

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5 days ago

chrysanthemum season

in traditional chinese culture, the chrysanthemum has long been a flower of fall, associated with endurance, integrity, longevity and the ability to remain in bloom as the weather begins to cool.

it also became closely connected with the life of the scholar and recluse. poets and painters returned to the chrysanthemum again and again, drawn to the way it flowered late in the year, when much of the garden had already begun to fade.

chrysanthemums exist in an extraordinary range of forms, from compact pompons to broad incurved blooms and long, threadlike varieties.

this cultivar is known as 盤龍卓越, a large chrysanthemum distinguished by its exceptionally fine, elongated petals. hundreds of slender strands curl, twist and fall from the flower head, creating a form that recalls the movement of a coiling dragon.

from a distance, the bloom appears almost weightless. up close, each petal becomes its own line.

a flower of autumn, rendered in hundreds of gestures.

#chrysanthemum #flowers #fall #china #chineseculture taken in Suzhou, China by @softhours.world

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13 days ago

our fall tea and confection pairing for an after work catch up at soft hours

starting with wuyi dahongpao, a charcoal roasted oolong tea from the wuyi mountains of fujian. deeply aromatic and full bodied, with roasted, mineral and slightly woody notes, dahongpao has a warm, lingering character that stands up beautifully to richer, more savory flavors

paired with our white miso triple corn oatmeal cookie, made in house with three expressions of corn: cornmeal, sweet corn and crunchy corn nuts. white miso adds savory depth and umami, creating a cookie that is buttery, toasty, a little sweet and a little salty, with layers of corn flavor and texture in every bite

followed by our dark chocolate terrine, dense, silky and deeply chocolatey, served in a pool of fragrant osmanthus crème anglaise and finished with maldon salt. the floral, apricot like aroma of osmanthus softens the intensity of the dark chocolate, while a touch of sea salt brings everything into balance

everything on the tray is prepared in house at soft hours

together, the charcoal roasted depth of dahongpao meets the savory sweetness of miso and corn, followed by dark chocolate, osmanthus and sea salt. rich, roasted, floral, buttery, sweet and savory, with the tea carrying you from one bite to the next

made for clocking out, meeting a friend, ordering something sweet and realizing you still have a lot to catch up on

and now there’s a little more time for it. soft hours is open until 8pm every day we’re open

available at soft hours, a chinese tea house on the lower east side of new york city

@softhours.world
📍119 Hester St, New York, NY 10002

#oolong #dahongpao #chinesetea #chocolate #teahouse taken in New York City by @softhours.world

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24 days ago

fall in huangling village, wuyuan

in the mountains of jiangxi, fall arrives in color.

ripe persimmons remain suspended on nearly bare branches, glowing orange against the whitewashed walls and dark tiled roofs of huangling village. the contrast is characteristic of traditional hui style architecture, where pale walls, black clay tiles, timber structures and enclosed courtyards create an almost monochrome landscape for the colors of each season to enter.

many of the historic homes here date from the ming and qing periods, preserving the architectural language of the old huizhou region. narrow lanes move between tall walls and layered roofs, following the contours of the mountain rather than imposing themselves upon it.

and then there are the persimmons.

after many of the leaves have fallen, the fruit remains on dark branches like small lanterns against the old walls. sweetened by the season and ripened by cooler days, they become one of the simplest signs that fall has fully arrived.

for a few weeks each year, the entire village seems painted by the harvest.

#fall #persimmon #china #village #harvest taken in Jiangxi, China by @softhours.world

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5 days ago

dine in or take it with you

every tea at soft hours can be enjoyed in the tea house or ordered to go.

for dine in, hot teas are served in ceramic cups, iced teas are served in glass. if you are heading somewhere else, the same teas can be prepared in our takeaway cups so you can bring soft hours with you through the rest of your day.

hot tea, iced tea, tea lattes and seasonal tea drinks are all available to go.

available at soft hours, a chinese tea house on the lower east side of new york city

@softhours.world
📍119 Hester St, New York, NY 10002

#tea #chinesetea #teahouse #nyc #takeout taken in New York, New York by @softhours.world

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7 days ago

golden ginkgo at the Temple of Heaven

in Beijing, late autumn arrives in gold

around the Temple of Heaven, rows of ginkgo trees turn from green to luminous yellow, their fan shaped leaves catching the light against red walls, dark roofs and ancient cypress. the effect is almost architectural, a corridor of gold appearing for only a brief moment each year

this is the season often described as 金秋, golden autumn

the phrase captures more than color. it suggests the fullness of autumn itself, when the air sharpens, the light becomes lower, and the landscape begins to glow before winter arrives

ginkgo has long carried a special place in chinese cultural memory. admired for its longevity and resilience, it also entered poetry as a symbol through which writers could speak about character, endurance and the passage of time

the song dynasty poet Li Qingzhao wrote of the ginkgo in Shuang Yinxing, praising its refined bearing and using the paired fruit as an image of dignity and constancy even in displacement

perhaps this is why ginkgo feels so at home in the literati imagination

#gingko #fall #beijing #china #chineseculture taken in 天坛公园 Temple of Heaven by @softhours.world

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8 days ago

another chrysanthemum for the many of you who have been following this series

I wanted to share another mum I love: 鹅毛粉黛, a large pink chrysanthemum known for its soft, feathery texture. 鹅毛 means goose feather, referring to the fine, downy texture of the petals, while 粉黛 is a classical expression associated with rouge and face powder, evoking a soft, powdered blush.

the petals are densely layered and edged with fine, almost velvety tips, giving each bloom the appearance of being dusted with frost. its blush pink color develops much like the natural “blushing” seen in certain rose varieties, deepening softly across the petals as the flower matures.

from a distance, the blooms feel cloudlike and full. up close, every petal carries a delicate texture, somewhere between silk, feathers and snow.

in traditional chinese culture, the chrysanthemum has long represented resilience, longevity, integrity and refined character. it blooms late in the year, often as temperatures begin to fall and other flowers have already faded, which is why it became such an enduring symbol of strength without display.

this quality is also visible in the way chrysanthemums grow. they are remarkably adaptable, willing to flower in rich soil or poor, in full sun or partial shade, and sometimes even in the smallest spaces.

perhaps that is part of their appeal.

delicate in appearance, but extraordinarily resilient in spirit.

#chrysanthemum #flowers #fall #china #chineseculture taken in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China by @softhours.world

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6 days ago

our new white miso triple corn cookie, made in house from start to finish

built around three expressions of corn: cornmeal folded into the dough, sweet corn throughout, and crunchy corn nuts on top for texture. white miso brings a savory depth and subtle saltiness that balances the natural sweetness of the corn, creating a cookie that’s buttery, rich, a little sweet, a little savory, and full of corn flavor in every bite

best paired with yunnan dianhong, our chinese black tea from yunnan. its warm, malty character pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the corn and savory richness of white miso

baked in house at soft hours, a chinese tea house on the lower east side of new york city

@softhours.world
📍119 Hester St, New York, NY 10002

#miso #corn #cookie #glutenfree #teahouse taken in New York City by @softhours.world

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24 days ago