While in the Des Moines area my friends and I stopped into Gong Fu Tea. I have been here once before about 10 years ago, right soon after it opened. Two buddies opened this place in 2003. I love hearing the stories behind people who start tea places. Check out the website to see their story.
I am ALWAYS on the hunt for tea, so we stopped in while we walked around the area.
I am not sure what the crate/top box says, but I know it is something about tea, lol. The tea symbol in Chinese is the extent of my Chinese symbol knowledge. My goal is to get some tea crates like this. I want to have some in my shop I have some day.
茶 tea in Chinese Characters
The staff was really knowledgeable about the tea. Several of my friends did not know what to get, so she did a good job of asking them questions about what they like. She made several suggestions and did a good job of helping. She also knew what she was doing when making the tea. I have been to some places that even though they call themselves a tea place they don't make it correctly.
She measured it correctly, had the correct water temp, and steep time. It takes longer but it is so worth it!!
They had lots of nice tea supplies.
Lots of things to pick from and look at.
They do have a few places to sit, so you can sit there with friends and enjoy a cup of tea.
The only thing I did purchase this time was a cup of tea to go. I love Oolong, so that is what I went for.
Milk Tea- This semi-oxidized tea varietal has a very distinctive "buttery" characteristic to its liquor that is the result of a unique combination of harvest-timing coupled with processing technique. The leaves are selected from tea plants growing in the mountains of Fujian province, China at elevations between 1600 and 4000 feet above sea-level. The plucking must then occur only on a morning following a precipitous drop in temperature in comparison to the day before. The hand-picked leaves are then removed to the tea factory where they are carefully oxidized in climate controlled rooms, steamed and rolled, then dried and packed for the enjoyment of the lucky few tea enthusiasts that have access to this rare treat.
I enjoyed the Milk Oolong tea. It had the Oolong flavors that I enjoy. There is no milk in this tea, it just has a smooth milky, buttery note. There was also floral aroma with the tea. I was really happy with this tea. The price was good, the staff was friendly, and the shop was clean. I would recommend this place.
We walked around the east village stopping in some of the shops. It was cold out, so it was nice to be holding a cup of hot tea.
