Dream About Tea Edit

I have been looking for a place to enjoy a good cup of tea in the Chicago area for quite a while. I went to visit Northwestern with some friends and just happened to find Dream About Tea while walking near campus. The owner was very friendly and openly let me examine and smell all of the teas that he had to offer. I ordered a Milk Oolong and was decently surprised when I was delivered a thick glass with the leaves themselves in the bottom and already steeping. The atmosphere was very relaxing, and throughout the store there are various yixings, gaiwans, all part of a large variety of western and eastern tea utensils that the store sells. I greatly enjoyed my time to take in my oolong and reflect in peace. I also thought the quality of the tea here was not bad at all, and am proud of this place presenting whole leaf tea to the community in such a manner.

I adore this place. About as charming a tea shop you can encounter. While the selection is limited to mostly Chinese teas, they have a very nice collection of pu-erhs and high quality teaware. Classical music playing softly, friendly service and plenty of things to look at and purchase. You can sit at a quiet table, read from one of the communal books and be served just about whatever tea you want. This place is worth a trip out of the way to experience. An ideal Chinese tea room.

I am not sure why a review has not been written in a couple of years for Dream About Tea. After returning to the States from China I have been in search for an authentic Chinese tea place and Dream About Tea comes pretty close for the Chicagoland area. It is run by a Chinese guy from Shenzhen, China and his family also owns a shop in Mainland China. We spoke Chinese for a bit and he shared his personal yixing teapot collection with me. He has a pretty good collection of tea ware for sale: gongfu tea tables, yixing ware, gongfu accessories, etc. (although a bit pricey). Ambiance was good and somewhat reminded of Chinese teahouses which is extremely rare…

His loose leaf teas are pretty good too. I had a 1997 aged Sheng Pu’er that was fantastic! Not too bitter, smooth earthy and well balanced flavors. I also tried his 2007 Shou Pu’er from Menghai Tea Factory of Xishuangbana, Yunnan Province China. I have a 2011 from the same company and they were really different. It was interesting to try these side by side and see the difference. The 2007 had the same barnyard aroma and flavor but at first sip was very mellow and mild and then slowly increased in flavor. The 2011 was strong and bold in flavor from the start and the aftertaste stayed with you. Color was intense for both teas with an almost dark red wine color!

I also tried the Monkey Picked Oolong, Osmanthus Oolong, Feng Huang Dan Cong Oolong and his Silver Needle White Tea. All were good and pricing was fair to purchase and bring home to add to my collection. I recommend this place if you enjoy tea and are looking for a unique experience.

I have been buying tea here since they opened. I like Yunnans, Keemuns, Pu-erhs and blended black teas. For greens I prefer Japanese green blends like: Gyokuro, Sencha and Genmaicha. His quality is really amazing, but his pricing is extremely fair. I love his Earl Grey blend as it is very high quality leaves that hold up to 3 sometimes 4 steeps. If you are a regular purchaser of high quality loose leaf tea you will be very pleasantly surprised with this little gem. You will enjoy your tea immensely, you will make a new friend and it won’t break the bank.