As a new member of the community in the vibrant commercial core of Newton, Tea22 provides customers with an authentic and nostalgic experience of Thailand through its sentimental atmosphere and refreshing tea.
The experience of Tea22 begins when you lay your eyes upon the cream-colored storefront and a small logo of a teapot pouring tea into the number 22. The red air dancer, chalkboard sign, and large windows displaying the menu help to hook passersby.
The exterior of Tea22. (Leon Gopaul / Heights Staff)
“I try to bring in, kind of, the vintage-inspired, classical, old-days tea house, that when you step in, you step into a different experience and atmosphere,” said co-owner Kumarika Maiden, who goes by Fai. “So most of the stuff we try to bring back from Thailand.”
The interior is decorated with items from Thailand that remind Maiden and fellow co-owner Arunee Tanampai of their childhood. Vintage tea tins, old posters, photographs, childhood toys, and other Thai memorabilia lined the walls.
According to Maiden, the process for creating the original menu took about a month, putting a lot of care and thought into crafting each drink. Since the tea house’s opening in June 2026, the menu has already expanded, including the new hot drink menu.
“We have passion about making Thai tea,” Tanampai said. “Thai tea can be so many different other drinks too. We can have many flavors of Thai tea.”
For first-time customers, Maiden would recommend the signature Tea 22 Thai tea. The Tea 22 is an orangish sweet drink, and only one out of a plethora of rich, creamy, spiced options to choose from.
“What are like the most common drinks?” Tanampai said. “Tea 22, our signature drink. They love it. The coffee is good. Matcha, you know, people love it. Oat milk is another top seller because some people don’t like regular milk, so they go with the oat milk version of Thai tea. Also, rose—it’s like a house-made rose syrup.”
Tanampai and Maiden emphasized the experimentation and research they did to put together the menu.
A drink being made at Tea22. (Leon Gopaul / Heights Staff)
“Sometimes it’s not too easy to find a good recipe for a drink,” Tanampai said. “We just like trying new things. Let’s try this, let’s try that.”
As a relatively new restaurant, the only direction to go with the menu is expansion. Tanampai explained that as a new business owner, you learn a lot about how tedious it can be to run a restaurant, with permits and approvals.
“I’m trying to maybe get a license to sell wholesale bottled Thai tea bottles,” Tanampai said. “You need to get a license for that, so after all the events have passed, maybe in the winter I’m going to work on getting that.”
For Maiden, it was hard to find local Thai tea that reminded her of home, so Tea22 was an opportunity for her to be proactive and do it herself.
“I love Thai tea, and I would have it like every day, and it’s hard to find the one that kind of reminds me of how I enjoy it back home,” Maiden said. “Then I was like, okay, why don’t I just like make it myself?”
The love and passion for Thai tea brought both Maiden and Tanampai together. Tanampai found the Newton Centre location through her work as a real estate agent and then decided to take a chance on the shop.
“After I got this one, I went back to Thailand to do all the research,” Tanampai said. “When I came back from Thailand, I met her, my partner. Then we were like, let’s do it.”
Maiden and Tanampai highlight big plans for the future as they continue to find their foothold and establish an identity in Newton Centre.
“I wanted to play with kind of like a whole co-space, and then we have a seating area and create like a community, that would be in the future,” Maiden said. “You know, we just started.”
Dining and Cooking