CDMX Roma Norte tea tour

How the afternoon unfolds

Roma Norte has quietly become a pocket for Chinese tea in Mexico City — not through loud branding, but through the dedication of a few small tea rooms and importers who value craft over commerce. This half-day tour, led by senior tea expert Chen Hui Yi, connects you to that emerging world in a single, thoughtfully paced walk.

We gather in the dappled morning light at Fuente de Cibeles, a landmark that feels at once European and unmistakably chilango. Chen Hui Yi will greet you with a brief orientation — who she is, what brought her from Guangdong to this corner of CDMX, and how the next four hours will unfold. From there we set out on foot, covering roughly three kilometres of leafy, art-filled streets.

Our first stop is a traditional tea house hidden behind an unmarked wooden door. The owner, a long-time importer of Yunnan teas, will welcome us into a space lined with bamboo trays and clay jars. Here, Chen Hui Yi leads a comparative tasting: a young shēng pǔ’ěr (生普洱) from Bulang Mountain, bright and slightly astringent; and a decade-aged shú pǔ’ěr (熟普洱) that has mellowed into notes of camphor and dried date. She explains the role of wò duī (渥堆) fermentation in the latter, and why both styles matter to the broader pu’er world. A small plate of Asian-inspired snacks — rice crackers, pickled plum, candied ginger — cleanses the palate between infusions.

The second venue is a modern tea bar that feels more like a specialty coffee shop, except that the barista is preparing gongfu cha. This is where we explore oolong. Chen Hui Yi draws out a Mí Lán Xiāng (蜜兰香) Dan Cong from her home province of Guangdong, its honey-orchid fragrance filling the room. We taste through three steeps, noticing how the floral top notes give way to a warm, roasted length. Talk naturally turns to terroir, oxidation levels, and the craft of the tea master who made these leaves.

A short walk brings us to a tiny shop whose walls are lined with jars of loose leaf, porcelain gaiwans, and handmade yixing teapots. There’s no formal tasting here — instead, Chen Hui Yi encourages you to handle the wares, smell the dry leaves, and ask questions. It’s the kind of place where you might leave with a 50-gram bag of moonlight white or a tiny kyushu you didn’t know you needed.

The tour concludes inside a serene back-room tea table, where Chen Hui Yi performs a full gongfu cha ceremony using a heritage cake of wild arbor shēng pǔ’ěr. The session runs unhurried, with ten or more infusions, each inviting a moment of shared silence. By the time the final steep has faded to a whisper, you’ll have witnessed the quiet discipline and deep hospitality at the heart of Chinese tea.

Throughout the afternoon, Chen Hui Yi weaves in practical tips — how to shop for authentic tea, common pitfalls with storage, and what to look for in a first yixing pot. As the group disperses, she’ll hand each participant a digital map of recommended Chinese tea spots across Mexico City, along with an invitation to continue the conversation on tea.community, where a post-tour Q&A thread will be opened. For those eager to learn more, tea.school offers a structured path into gongfu cha fundamentals.

What you get

• A guided walk through three distinct Roma Norte tea venues

• Three curated tastings: raw pu’er, honey-orchid oolong, and a rare white tea

• Light Asian-inspired snacks paired with the teas

• A 5-gram sample of the day’s featured sheng pu’er to take home

• A digital map of recommended Chinese tea spots in Mexico City

• Access to a post-tour Q&A thread on tea.community

• 10% discount on tea.school courses for all participants

Practical details

• Meeting point — Fuente de Cibeles, Plaza Villa de Madrid, Roma Norte

• Start time — 10:00 AM — the walk lasts approximately 4 hours

• Dress — Comfortable walking shoes and light layers; November days are mild but evenings can cool

• Food & water — Light bites included; bring a reusable water bottle — a full lunch is not provided

• Accessibility — The route covers about 3 km with some steps and narrow doorways; not suitable for wheelchairs

• Language — English and Mandarin (Chen Hui Yi is bilingual)

• Kit included — Tasting cups, a porcelain gaiwan for use during the walk, and a small tote for your tea sample

• Weather note — November in Mexico City is typically sunny and 18–22°C; hat and sunscreen recommended