Best friends open BesTea tea and craft bar in Babylon

A quick peek at what’s brewing at BesTea, a new tea bar and craft space in Babylon, lets you know that the proprietors like to have fun. There’s the “It takes 2 to mango” black tea; “Pinkolicious” oolong tea; and the “Hip Hip Hibiscus” floral tea.

In addition to teas, which you can sip at the bar and buy in bags and loose in tins, the cozy shop that opened last month also features DIY crafts, workshops, a book club and other special events. It's also connected to the boutique Hitch for easy browsing and shopping.

“It’s designed to be a one-of-a-kind experience,” says founder and owner Joseph DeBello, 37, who also runs Hitch. “It’s a place where people can connect over a cup of tea and their shared love for creativity and community.” 

The tea shop is the brainchild of his bestie and business partner, Justina Di Maggio, 37, who lives in Massapequa. Her love of teas and his love of crafts, he says, can both be indulged. 

“We want it to be super relaxing,” he says.

The store’s pink-and-green color scheme adds a festive vibe.

“Here’s the beauty of our stores,” DeBello says. “Our shop is connected with a pass-through. There’s a door between the stores. So you can walk through Hitch and walk into BesTea.” After shopping you can relax with a hot cup of tea — “like in a department store,” he says.

BesTea has nearly two dozen varieties of tea. A cup of hot tea is $4.50. A dozen loose tea bags of varieties such as “50 shades of Earl” sell for $15.95. A 35-gram container of loose tea runs $16.50.

DIY crafts available at the shop include macramé, jewelry, paint by numbers and mosaics. They run $35 to $100. Guided craft events such as Bloom and Brew botanical workshop and T-shirt shredding run around $65 to $85. 

BesTea is located at 41 E. Main St. in Babylon. The shop is closed Monday and open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; 516-519-2494, hitchlongisland.com.