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Susan Blumberg, author of All the Tea of Chicago, reveals her top five loose leaf tea spots.

Monday Aug 07, 2006.     By Kate Rockwood

Travel + Tourism Feed

It's no surprise that Susan Blumberg, author of the guidebook All the Tea in Chicago, grew up drinking tea, mainly tagging along with her mom to afternoon teas while on family vacations. But it was in the five years after college, while studying and working in Hong Kong, that Susan's tea habit really flourished. She learned (and learned to love) both Chinese and British teas, drinking as many as 20 cups a day during the winter.

After a two-year transition in San Francisco, Susan returned to her native Chicago and wasted no time hitting the pavement in search of the best tea vendors, afternoon tea spots and hidden cafes. We talked with this tea guru about her five favorite places to score a fantastic cup of loose leaf tea:

Kopi Cafe I love Kopi Cafe because of the atmosphere; it feels so warm and inviting. You can sit down with a cup of tea and not feel any pressure to leave. And the traveler's theme, with the guidebooks and travel gear, really brings me back to my days of traveling. They also serve delicious, healthy food, which is great with a cup of tea. My favorite is the salad with pears and nuts. It's clear that the owners take great pride in their loose leaf: It shows on the menu and in the quality of the cup.

Julius Meinl Julius Meinl can seem big and bustling, but it's also easy to relax and slowly enjoy a cup of tea, especially if you snag a seat outside on the patio. It's right down the street from the Musicbox, so I love meeting friends here for a cup of tea before or after a movie. There's a large wall of huge containers of teas, and if you want your tea to go they'll put the tea leaves in a long thin bag that's made from the same material as a tea bag so you don't have to worry about strainers. Julius Meinl wins hands-down for tea presentation, with each order served on a tray with an individual teapot, a glass of cold water and a square of chocolate.

Urban Tea Lounge There's a strong neighborhood feel to this cafe, and if you come more than once you'll see a lot of the same people, though everyone's made to feel welcome. The front of the tea lounge has standard tables and chairs, but I prefer the back, with its padded benches and sofas and pretty paper lanterns. A husband and wife team runs the tea lounge, and they're really proud of their tea. I've gone in and told them what flavors I'm interested in and, based on what the weather's like outside, they'll make a great recommendation. Tea here is served in large pint glasses, which means I never have to worry that I won't get enough or bother with asking for more water later. They also serve sandwiches and salads, but the chocolate-covered strawberries are the best.

Argo Tea Argo reminds me a lot of Starbucks; it has the same decor and the same type of food and there are always people inside working on their laptops. But Argo specializes in tea and it's a Chicago-based company that's slowly expanding. I love the location at Randolph and State the best, because it's near my work, which makes it convenient, and because it has seating upstairs, which a lot of people don't know about. Being off street level instantly makes me feel more relaxed, and the walls are also covered with paintings by local artists. Argo has a great seasonal tea menu, such as special iced teas in the summer and bubble tea.

Ten Ren Tea and Ginseng Co. This is the best place to get a cup of loose leaf Chinese tea in Chicago, though I really like Ten Ren's Genmaicha tea, which is actually a Japanese green tea with roasted brown rice. Ten Ren looks more like a shop then a cafe, with hundreds of different types of loose leaf and bagged teas, as well as teapots and herbs for sale, but it's been serving brewed teas for more than 20 years. There are only five small tables in the shop and the snacks on hand are really limited, maybe a few rice crackers, but the tea is fantastic and the selection is overwhelming. I'd recommend any of the oolong teas, which are great for digestion and have a taste somewhere between green tea and black tea. My favorite type of oolong is shou mei, which doesn't get very strong even after it's been steeping a long time.

Each month Centerstage Chicago finds out the five favorites of a local expert. If you know someone whose brain we should pick, let us know.