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

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.

Talbott Teas is pretty well known now for their involvement with Oprah Winfrey’s television variety show and her magazine “O.” They’re also involved with Donald Trump’s tea line which continues to gain popularity. Still their relative public notoriety hasn’t translated into wider industry acknowledgement. Unfortunately.

The loose leaves for this Darjeeling tea are a wonderful mix of golden tips, light and dark brown with occasional stems in. The leaves are lightly twisted and loosely packed. The liquor appears a honeyed brown once brewed.

The dry leaf aroma is light and leafy with hints of honeysuckle and stone fruits such as apricot or nectarine. Once brewed the aroma remains light and inviting, but turns slightly sweeter with notes honey.

On the palate this Makaibari Darjeeling plays with light astringency. It doesn’t dry the entire palate, just the tip of the tongue. There’s minimal pucker in the finish as well. I did note some sweetness during the sip and a bit of vegetal undertone as well.

Makaibari Darjeeling from Hampstead Tea

This Darjeeling is not a particularly strong tea. Those looking for something with a kick won’t find it here. But those looking for a distraction from your everyday black teas will find something wonderful and nuanced in this package. I’ve had better Darjeelings and I’ve had worse. Your palate is your own. I encourage you to find your sweet spot.

Fans of  other Darjeelings, himalayan teas teas and Chinese Ching Ming teas and keemun black teas may enjoy this blend.

Talbott Teas is pretty well known now for their involvement with Oprah Winfrey’s television variety show and her magazine “O.” They’re also involved with Donald Trump’s tea line which continues to gain popularity. Still their relative public notoriety hasn’t translated into wider industry acknowledgement. Unfortunately.

The loose material for this tea is made of plenty of red South African rooibos, blended with lemongrass and calendula petals. It makes for a rather pretty sight. The liquor turns a nice robust rustic red-brown once brewed.

The dry leaf aroma is subtle and sweet with hints of fresh apple, sweet rooibos and only the slightest hint at a lemony tartness. Once brewed the scents combine to remind me of a light apple cider, only less spicy. There’s a top note of sweetness with notable undertones of nectarine and citrus.

On the palate this Luscious Lemon Meringue offers only slightly more play. The sweetness comes with a bit of fresh citrus notes throughout. The flavor is coated with a touch of spice and hints of honey and apricot.

Luscious Lemon Meringue Rooibos Tea from Talbott Teas

This is not a strong tea. Those looking for a pick-me-up will not find it here. Without caffeine this blend is great for those who need to avoid it, but not ideal as a breakfast beverage. For a sweet touch with an afternoon snack or as a light all-day drink this tea fits well.

Fans of  rooibos, lemongrass teas and dessert teas may enjoy this blend.

52teas is pretty well known for Frank’s creative undertaking of making a small hand blended batch of tea for limited release every week. That’s a new tea every week for 52 weeks a year. And he’s been doing it for three years now. He’s coming up with some spectacular teas!

The loose leaves are decidedly BOP with small broken pieces the only size seen. You can guess whether the tea with be strong or not. Nice sized cacao nib chunks are strewn throughout the blend. Fresh cut pepper mint can also be seen if you’re looking closely enough. The liquor is one of the darkest copper-red I’ve seen.

The dry leaf aroma is remarkably reminiscent of a nice Andes Mint. The brewed aroma is more astringent with unsubtle notes of dark chocolate bitterness.

On the palate the Chocolate Mint Black Tea starts out smooth but quickly dries the palate. There’s little left to the imagination, but I didn’t seem to mind. The dark chocolate bitterness from the cacao nibs comes through well and pairs just about right with the mint.

Chocolate Mint Black Tea

This tea is pretty strong. Astringent almost to a fault it dries the palate quickly and doesn’t let go. You end up drinking more and more to stay hydrated, but it never works. Somehow, you never really mind that much.

Fans of  dark chocolate, andes mints and CTC Black Teas may enjoy this tea.