A lot of people would say 2020, during the pandemic lockdown, was a terrible time to buy a food business. But for Ryan Zen Lama, who was already running a small Nepali import shop next door, the opportunity to acquire East Village Cafe was a gift. The cafe had been a meeting point for him over years, the place where friendships were made or solidified. Even though he took over on the day of a new shutdown order and was limited to to-go only in his early months, he know that it would again become a gathering place. “The name says it: It’s a village,” Lama says. “I’m like: I can bring a little bit of real East into it.”
That flavor from the East comes from a chai tea blend Lama makes, based on what he grew up drinking in Nepal. The black tea (with caffeine, but a subtler buzz than coffee) is organic Assam. The spice blend is cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, star anise and a little bit of nutmeg, ground and blended in-house. It’s served frothy and warm, particularly smooth with oatmilk, and a generous dusting of the spice blend as garnish. It’s sweetened with just a touch with brown sugar – not overpowering, but enough to mellow the heat of the spices, making it warm but not punchy. “I use nutmeg since we are a cold area, and it warms you up,” Lama adds.
Lattes with espresso remain the best-seller. “We sell a lot of lattes,” he says, “but oatmilk chai is up there.”