Essencha Tea House & Fine Teas
3212 Madison Rd
Cincinnati, OH
513-533-4832
visit website
#4
of 87in OH
Hours
Mon-Fri: 11:00am to 6:00pm
Mon-Fri: 11:00am to 6:00pm
Sat: 11am to 7pm
Sun: 10:30am to 6pm
Overview
Awarded 'Best of the City' in its category by Cincinnati Magazine, Essencha is a contemporary tea cafe and tea store whose goal is to provide the very best the tea world has to offer. Passionate about tea, Essencha actively promotes fine teas and tea cultures while providing the freshest, highest quality teas and exceptional service in a friendly, relaxing, attractive environment. At Essencha, we find joy in the celebration of the mundane, believe in the simple, natural beauty implicit in tea culture, and are eager to share this with you!
Reviews
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Food:  This is by far my favorite teahouse and I drive just over 50 miles to get there! I'm somewhat of a regular with the added bonus for myself that Tracy (the owner) started the business as her opening day on my birthday so I have a special affinity for this particular location. The variety of teas offered are quite excellent as is the knowledge and preparation of the teas by the staff. One of my favorite times I was in the shop I'm always looking for her 'new' items so I asked the counter attendant what he'd suggest. He asked if I was into puehr and I jumped at the chance to try one different from my own collection. Ii had a gaiwan of I believe a 1998 raw that offered at least 15 infusions with a chance to just sit back, relax and really savor the subtle nuances of this tea. While that'... (more) |
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- Patrick McMullen 10/08/09 |
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Food: Five stars, everything! I love going to Essencha, partially because I can get delicious miso soup and crepes in the same meal! Not to mention the teas are fantastic. The servers have always been exceptionally nice, and I always look forward to coming back. |
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- JLR 08/16/09 |
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Food: We took our friends here one Sunday for their pancakes & quiche, and fell in love with the place. Everything was perfect, from the care & obvious enthusiasm for their teas, to the friendly servers (sorry I can't remember names, but thanks to all!), to the outstanding food. The decor was warm, modern, and sophisticated without being snooty. We'll be back! |
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- Sarah & Greg 08/09/09 |
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Food: I reviewed this teahouse on my blog not too long ago. http://www.tea-guy.com/2009/02/essencha_teahouse/ It's one of my favorite local places to go. The decor and music are relaxing. The staff is pretty knowledgeable and the tea offered is in a good variety and quality. The food I had was a bit simple, but it was pretty tasty. Overall, I think Essencha is a bit pricy for what you get, but it remains on my list of favored venues as its the ONLY contemporary (non-victorian) teahouse in the area. |
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- Chris Giddings 03/12/09 |
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Food: I've only been once so far, but on the day I visited, the service was very poor. There seemed to be only one person serving, and service was slow, she forgot to put in one order, then brought the wrong thing to someone else, and just consistently messed up. That said, I will definitely give the place another try because the food and tea were amazing. I'm hoping that was just a fluke. The day we were there, the sample tea was the Spring Gala, which I don't think I ever would have tried based on the description, but which I ended up buying to take home with me because I enjoyed it so much. The samples are a great idea - we can taste new teas without making a commitment. |
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- Sarah 02/05/09 |
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Food: Updating my prior reviews of Essencha during my December 2008 visits (3 times in one week) and once again marking it excellent. Had a wonderful Darjeeling Muscatel- the organic 2nd flush (2 pots on 2 different visits) and my favorite mango bubble tea. Bought jasime green, darjeeling, wildblueberry and pacific breeze green to take home. I was so glad to see it busy, yet still with the nice restful atmosphere that makes me grateful to come here with my book on a break from my 2 yr old. I don't know what to say about the few service complaints on this board except that no one can please everyone all the time, I suppose. I just cannot imagine a nicer place to visit. I'll be back in Feb, my next viist to Cinti! |
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- Kristen 01/11/09 |
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Food: This is a wonderful place. I have recently discovered it and have been there to eat and drink tea and to purchase tins of tea. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. I felt very comfortable asking questions about the various items for purchase, even when I wasn't sure what they were. I had a tuna salad sandwich that was out of this world. I would highly recommend this tea house. They're going to start serving breakfast this Sunday. Can't wait. |
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- NW 01/09/09 |
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Tearoom Response
Thanks, so much NW, and everyone else taking time out of your busy lives to write some kind and thoughtful words! I'll ignore the dubious reviews that keep the consistent theme of someone being on a phone call or whatever, but everyone should know that we do have to take guest calls from time to time when we make reservations! :) Please join us Sundays for breakfast--it'll be fun!
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Food: Seeking a warm drink on a cold winter day I stopped in with my husband. Although we were the only guests we were not greeted for at least 5 minutes, the staff on duty was more concerned with their personal phone call then our experience. We left about 10 minutes later after she didn't return to take our order. |
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- Kenya 12/07/08 |
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Food: I have been twice and both times had a '93 Pu-erh that was excellent. I also had a lapsang souchong and the masala chai, both of which were good. The food is ok. I do wish there were more 'normal' food options. |
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- Rigdon 11/24/08 |
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