Te House of Tea Edit

I went to Te House of Te for the first time on Labor Day 2012, around 2pm. Thought I would have a late lunch and sample their Formosa Silk.

The place was so crowded I decided to forget lunch. I asked for Formosa Silk and was told, “Oh, we don’t have that any more.” Then a moment later the young woman taking orders said, “oh, wait — we have this.” And she pointed on the printed tea menu to an oolong that seemed to have the same description, by another name. (By the way – Formosa Silk is still listed online as available, and the tea I bought is not. I have tweeted Te House of Tea to ask the name.)

I agreed, was offered a choice of pot sizes, and I said, “Small, but could I just get it to go?”

I waited at the counter and after a moment the second young woman behing the counter brought me a big plastic glass of what looked like green tea, filled with ice and a straw, and said brightly, “Here’s your tea!”

“Thanks,” said, “but that was supposed to be to go – and not iced.”

“Oh,” she said, turning in confusion to her colleague. After a moment’s consultation she said, “Black coffee?”

“Nope,” I said, thinking, Not Even Close as they consulted again in hushed voices.

Finally I got a Styrofoam cup with hot water and a cloth teabag. It’s tea, but God knows what kind of tea it is. I didn’t get to see the leaves dry, and it doesn’t taste or smell very milky/creamy. I have no confidence that it’s what I actually ordered. It isn’t bad, but it’s nothing special.

Based on one visit I would not say “Don’t both,” but I am giving the place a “meh” rating. I’ll give it another chance later, but no promises on how long it will be before I go back.

I love Te. Their tea selection is never ending, the food is delicious, they have free wifi, and they are well versed enough in tea to make a recommendation to cure what ails you. They are very accessible through their twitter account: @tehouseoftea. On top of all this, there is the Chai. There have been times this semester that their Chai is the only reason I made it through. The seating may not be the most fashionable, but it serves to hold tea, computers, and school books. Te FTW!

The service is pretty perfunctory here – the tea is loose leaf, but they put it in the paper filter bags and bring it to you without timing the steep. Also do not give you anything to drain the teabags on. The last time I was here I had quite a wait behind a couple ordering lunch, and it took so long I decided to leave and make tea at home.

I had a really nice pot of Darjeeling here. The place is pretty basic – sprung couches, a bit shabby. That’s OK. The people behind the counter don’t seem to have any special knowledge of tea.

I have not tried the food.

Nice environment, plenty of ambiance. The pastries are amazing, but the tea can leave much to be desired. Not bad, though. I wish there were more places like this in Houston.

I really enjoy going to Te House of Tea. A teahouse with an asian feel with customers from all over the world. The teahouse not only boast a friendly, helpful staff they also have a decent array of teas. I have only eaten here twice and once was for dessert a coconut bar which was a great compliment to my Formosa Silky Oolong which has quickly become one of my favorites and I go back all the time to restock up on the Oolong! Lunch was good and I love that they support their locals buying making a sunday brunch from produce/cheeses from Houston Area farmers. Way to go Te House of Tea!