Tracy’s story is a tough one. While going through a particularly difficult period in her life, Tea brought her comfort, focus and solidarity. It was something she could pour her heart into, and something she fell headfirst in love with.

Essencha Tea House

Soon, Tracy opened Essencha, a boutique contemporary tea house in the trendy Cincinnati neighborhood of Oakley. When the shop first opened, Tracy concentrated on running it herself. She hand selected the teas and worked hard to build her business organically.

As the shop grew, so did the selection and the offerings. Essencha now offers more than seventy teas and a seasonal list of comfort choices.The food is often prepared with tea and served in correctly sized portions.

I’ve done a great deal of traveling the past three years, but I haven’t returned to Essencha for another review. Until today.

On my last trip, back in 2009, Essencha fared well, but lost a few points on value. Namely the food seemed more expensive than I felt was worth it. Let’s see how Tracy’s shop does this time around.

When entering the shop the first thing I noticed was that the shop was notably busier than it was a couple years back. Nearly every table was open. People were eating, drinking, working, dating, playing and conversational. It’s relaxed, but not the quiet atmosphere which was almost too quiet last time.

Essencha Tea House

The tea menu was up to date as well. Recent high quality offerings from Kenya I reported on in my coverage of the 2011 World Tea Expo are now offered on the menu and as part of an upcoming tasting event.

The staff remain knowledgeable on their teas and informed of recent changes. Something other shops often seem to lack at times.

Some bubble teas are now offered on the menu with some notable popularity. This may have been to compete with a new bubble tea specialty shop near the University of Cincinnati. Or it could simply be because Tracy found product of high enough quality to offer it in her shop.

Some new food offerings for the day seemed like interesting options. A new Lapsang Souchong infused tomato soup in particular seemed appealing.

Kenyan Tajiri Black Tea

Kenyan Royal Tajiri Tea

The infusion was aromatic and clean. The bold copper color of the liquor was inviting and full of energy.

The aroma contained some sweetness with honeysuckle and notes of cocoa and a stone fruit such as apricot or peach.

On the tongue the Kenyan plays with some astringency. It’s not overly bold, but comfortably puckery would by the description I would give.

Lapsang Souchong Tomato Soup

After the description from my server, this soup sounded fantastic. Of course, that could be simply because I am a huge fan of lapsang souchong in general.

The soup is served warm. Its aroma is heavy with roasted tomato. There’s only a slight hint of the camp-firey-ness of the lapsang souchong.

On the palate though, this soup has some spiciness. There’s clear notes of the camp-firey goodness of the lapsang once it hits your tongue. There were a few flavors I was unable to identify.

In short, the lapsang makes an already comforting soup into something I would make a trip back to Essencha for.

Ceylon Wijaya Estate Black Tea

Ceylon Wijaya Estate Tea

This Wijaya is a darker infusion than the Kenyan. The liquor brews the color of a nice dark cherry wood. Inviting and sensual.

The aroma contains leafy notes. Hints of hay and nuttiness. Some hints at a muscatel texture in the aroma are intriguing and exciting.

Once on the palate the Wijaya is lighter and thinner than the Kenyan. It’s softness and lack of astringency is calming. There is a slight drying of the tip of the tongue, but it seems to entice to drink more and not turn you away.

Yunnan Goldtips Supreme Black Tea

Yunnan Goldtips Tea

Yunnan teas are often some of my favorites. The subtleties hidden in the flavor and aroma take you through the bottom of every cup still following the trail of adventure.

Ever so slightly lighter than the Wijaya, but still darker than the Tajiri. The color reminds me of a nice spiced apple cider. Perfect for a chilly Autumn day.

The aroma of this Yunnan Goldtips is meaty and roasty. There are hints of grilled beef with notes of charcoal and autumnal rain (don’t ask me how I caught that one).

The flavor profile is nice and varied. Notes similar to a lapsang roastiness with the more earthy texture of a Pu’erh are front and center. Hints of cocoa and fig are notable with a fresh floral tone in the finish.

Organic Keemun Breakfast Black Tea

Keemun Breakfast Tea

Keemun’s are some of the the more nuanced Chinese black teas. There’s a lot to love about Keemun’s, and this one didn’t disappoint.

This Keemun Breakfast is clearer than the previous three teas. A nice red amber to pull you into the experience.

The aroma contains notes of chocolate with a very light roasted scent and a smooth impression of nuttiness. There’s a hint of baked apples.

The mouth feel is smooth. There’s the slightest of astringency in the finish. The same notes of chocolate and roasted flavors come through in each sip. The hint of baked apple recedes as the liquor lingers in the mouth.

Organic Pu’erh Preferred

Pu'erh Preferred Tea

With this Organic Pu’erh the server brought out a nice gaiwan set with a pitcher of water, a sand timer (three minutes) and an assortment of other tools.

Pu’erhs are always interesting to have while out at a tea house because the preparation can be so diverse. Some pu’erh fans prefer shorter steep times. 15 to 30 seconds per round perhaps. Essencha’s house recommended timing is three to five minutes, which is what I went with for this review.

Pu'erh Preferred Tea

The loose aroma from the pre-steep (ten seconds for wash) was deep and earthy. Hints of a fish scent on the top with a mossy finish were intriguing.

The liquor was prototypical pu’erh. Nice and deep. Near opaque.

The brewed aroma was very smooth. A touch of chocolate, hints of a deep mossy fragrance and just a touch of floral undertones were a few things I caught.

The mouth feel has a smooth finish with some initial astringency. The flavors range from a grilled fish to a smooth mossy flavor. There’s a touch of chocolate in the finish.

Conclusion

The service, atmosphere and product remain high quality at Essencha. The staff remains very knowledgeable on their offerings and enthusiastic as they go about their business, and it shows.

The food shows marked improvement. The portion sizes seem a bit more appropriate than a few years ago and the quality remains high.

With this updated review Essencha is one of the best tea experiences I have had anywhere in the country to date. Congrats to Tracy on the fantastic shop she has going here in our home town.

And here are a couple Instagram shots.

Essencha Tea House

Essencha Tea House

Morning Cup is a new daily segment where I’ll post what I am drinking this morning with a quick image of my beverage and some initial thoughts. These posts are not thorough reviews, and haven’t been put through my standard review process.

A little late posting this morning.

I’m trying something new today. A powdered instant Ginger Chai hot tea from Girnar.

The cup is brews fragrant. There’s plenty of ginger in here. I know it before I even take my first sip. Aside from the ginger taste, this cup is smooth, with no astringency or bite..

Morning Cup #9

What’s in your cup?

Morning Cup is a new daily segment where I’ll post what I am drinking this morning with a quick image of my beverage and some initial thoughts. These posts are not thorough reviews, and haven’t been put through my standard review process.

A little late posting this morning.

I’m finally able to touch some whole leaf tea again! This morning I’ relaxing with some Citron Oolong from Davids Tea.

The cup is notably filled with the scent and flavor of oranges. The finish is smooth without astringency. Subsequent steepings seem to fade quickly.

Morning Cup #8

What’s in your cup?

Interview with Tyler Gage of Runa Guayusa

http://www.runa.org/

What was it that first drew you to Ecuador? How was it you came across Guayusa and the Kichwa people who have traditionally cultivated it?

Originally I went to Latin America to research native languages, but while I was working with indigenous communities in Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil I witnessed firsthand the tradeoff indigenous communities face: while they want to preserve their cultural heritage, they also experience an immediate need to feed their families and earn cash in an increasingly globalized world.  The indigenous communities also shared an ancestral tea they consume every morning while sitting around the fire as a community: guayusa.  Together, we began imagining how a Fair Trade business could share this rich-tasting tea with a global audience, and pioneer a proactive and culturally valuable way for the Kichwa people to participate in the global economy

What does Guayusa mean to you?

Discovery & Hope.

Discovery in the sense that guayusa allows consumers to discover a new tea-origin and a new culturally heritage around leaves in hot water.

Hope that indigenous traditions will not be lost and that our global communities appreciates and enjoys this rich tradition.

Would you mind sharing a story or experience with the Kichwa people you feel describes their cultural personality?

About a year ago I was with Carlos Mamallacta’s family and a group of our investors who came to meet the farmers and better understand Runa. One of our particularly socially conscious investors, Patrick, asked Carlos, “I understand extra income is nice, but what do really you [sic] think about a bunch of white dudes coming and taking your guayusa, exporting it, and having random white people who might not care about your culture drinking this stuff?”  Carlos thought about it for a second, and simply responded, “Everyone should drink guayusa.” Obviously unsatisfied but what he perceived to be Carlos’s PC response, Patrick poked further, “Riiight, but your people appreciate guayusa in a certain way, and now these stupid white people are drinking it in tea cups. That doesn’t bother you?” Carlos thought about it again, “Well, everyone should drink guayusa.” Then they both smiled.

“Everyone should drink guayusa.”

Carlos actually understood the question quite well, and his answer reflects the fact that sharing and exchang[ing] our core tenets of the Kichwa culture, and guayusa is seen as a gift for all of humanity. They see guayusa as being healthy for people’s bodies and minds, not just Kichwa people’s bodies and minds. Moreover, part of what it means to be Kichwa to them is to know and appreciate other cultures, and guayusa is now serving as a new point of contact to spark these kinds of exchanges.

Tell me about the motivations behind the non-profit Runa Foundation?

While our for-profit companies provide the supply chain a market for guayusa, our non-profit arm, Fundación Runa provides tools and resources to indigenous communities and farmers’ associations working towards their vision of sustainable development in the Amazon. We focus on three core areas: social empowerment, community development, and environmental management.

We provide technical assistance to small farming families to grow guayusa in organic agroforestry systems, and by purchasing guayusa at a guaranteed minimum price, creating economic incentives for sustainable management of natural resources and rainforest conservation.

Aside from Guayusa what would you say is your personal standby tea?

I drink a good amount of Taiwanese Oolongs in the afternoons, in addition to silver needle white tea on the weekends.

Do you look up to anyone in the tea industry?

Tom Lisicki, the CEO of Stash, has been an incredibly generous industry friend to us, and I’m very impressed by how he has built Stash and continues to run their company.  He’s helped bring more premium tea to the masses, and maintained great quality products as a big company.

Are you drawn to the personality of the Ecuadorian people in particular or do other cultures interest you?

The Amazon holds a big part of my heart, but I would also consider myself of student of world cultures at large. I’ve always been fascinated by the dreaming traditions of Aboriginal and Tibetan peoples as well, and hope to travel more broadly as I “grow up” J

A Huge thanks goes out to Tyler Gage of Runa for spending the time to answer my questions!

Do you have any questions for Tyler? Would you like a followup Interview? Post your questions in the comments below!

DAVIDsTEA has been growing pretty rapidly these past few years. They’re one of the largest brick and mortar retailers of tea in North America. They offer hundreds of teas across a wide variety of cultures and types.

The loose leaves for this Coffee Pu’erh are loose, not caked. They’re a dark grey/black and brew the typical dark maroon/bergundy brew with copper edges and hints of honey yellow.

The dry leaf aroma is light and clean with overtones of coffee with creamer or milk and some light sweetener. Once brewed the aroma suggests hints of vanilla and hazelnut.

On the palate DAVIDsTEA’s Coffee Pu’erh plays nice. Not too astringent, pucker or strong. The flavor comes through well, but doesn’t overshadow the pu’erh itself. I could still taste the gritty earthiness of the brew which was reassuring. Some undertones of chocolate are easy to taste as well.

Upon the second, third and fourth steepings, the undertones turn more heavily toward a mossiness and of darker chocolate than earlier steepings.

Coffee-Puerh Tea from DAVIDsTEA

Pu’erh teas are a love it or hate it breed for many people. This one I find isn’t overly strong in any one area. In fact it’s remarkably well balanced and easy to drink regardless of whether you’re a tea drinker who enjoys pu’erh or you’re a coffee drinker.

Fans of  pu’erh teas as well as chocolate flavored teas, keemun teas and coffee may enjoy this blend.