This is probably the coolest tea shop I've been to. Now, for someone who likes tea so much, I admit that I haven't been to many tea shops. Hopefully, once I am in Evanston, that'll change. But right - the reason it is great is because it is a local shop owned by a tea enthusiast. Now, the shop looks very sleek and nice, it looks like it could be a big franchise or something. But anyways, what sets this place apart:
* Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. The owner, John, is really great and will tell you anything you want to know about the tea that you are drinking. All the employees know how to correctly make each kind of tea (water temperature, infusion time, which pot to use, set-up, etc.) and can tell you about the teas as well.
* High quality teas. Goes without saying - this is a crucial factor! John has been to China and Japan quite a bit (his wife is Japanese so they visit family a lot) and he personally selects the teas from the harvests that he wants to sell and has them shipped back to London.
* The tea bar. In addition to being able to go into this little shop and buying various quantities of dozens of varieties of loose leaf tea, there is a "tea bar" which is basically that. You sit on a stool and order from a menu of various teas. Then, they make the tea in front of you (so it's an educational experience too because each tea requires different preparations) and serve it. Depending on the tea, the leaves get re-infused several times, usually 3-5 times. I had an oolong infused 6 or 7 times a few weeks ago!
This tea bar is really one of my favorite things ever. It is the perfect place to try different high quality teas that are prepared just right. For instance, I don't think I ever made Gyokuro correctly- you are supposed to use twice as much leaf and half as much water as you would a typical Japanese green tea. The Gyokuro John gave me at TeaSmith was enlightening. After several infusions, he gave me the leaves on a plate with a fork and I ate them. It sounded bizarre to me too, don't worry- but it was really swell. After a few infusions, the gykuro leaves are a good texture and slightly sweet to the taste. Talk about getting my money's worth! For £10, you don't want anything less.
Prices for the teas at the tea bar range from £3.50 to £5, £10, £15, and even more for some of the really rare oolongs and pu-erh teas that were hand selected from the last season. I highly recommend trying any, if not all of their teas. I am slowly trying as many as I can. I go there on Sunday afternoons to chat it up with the employees and just enjoy as much tea as I can handle.
This is my cup and plate of infused gyokuro leaves after I finished drinking the tea.
Check out the TeaSmith website. You can even order online.
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