"All the Tea in Chicago" - book by Susan Blumberg-Kason

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Comment by Rosie on June 14, 2009 at 5:02pm

Since I watched this video I started visiting some of the locations featured and taking notes. It's been very interesting. She also missed quite a few locations that serve some great tea - mostly in a contemporary environment.

I have to say that I loved Bourgeois Pig and probably wouldn't have found it as a tea place if it weren't for this book. It mostly comes up as a college student filled coffee shop. The atmosphere is very unique - lots of spaces to quietly sip tea and study and chat with friends.

I also would not have realized that Julius Meinl is such a tea treasure (Their coffee drinks are so tempting and can upstage their tea). Their Assam Harmutty is delicious and they offer a nice broad array of tea by the pot or special tea drinks by the cup.

I visited Nada Tea on Fullerton and Ashland. I found the location very odd and the environment a bit sterile, but was very excited to drink a wonderful bowl of Matcha. The Japanese woman who owns it and serves the tea is lovely and the simplicity of the place is most definitely quieting.

The last two I will mention have become family favorites. You may find us there after church on Sunday. Saint's Alp Teahouse has some great tea offerings, both hot and cold with or without tapioca pearls. My sister surprised me when she ordered the strawberry tea and I LOVED it. The Coconut Milk black tea with tapioca pearls is rich and comforting on a cold day. Joy Yee is not really much of a tea place. In fact, when I ordered hot tea they had to go to another shop to get it...But - for a tapioca and a blended tea or fruit drink there is none like it.