Gong Fu Tea — Restaurant in Des Moines

I have just now decided to write about this experience as it really turned me off, but as someone who was a loyal customer, I still believe they offer good products, I believe the treatment I got was completely out of line.

So, here we go. About 1-1.5 years ago we(boyfriend and I) had a negative experience with one of the co owners. We were there on a busy day, and they evidently ran out of tea cups and we're giving people disposable cups instead of an actual tea set. As long time, repeat customers we always got a re-steep which gets a second pot of tea from the already steeped leaves.

My boyfriend went up to ask for a re-steep which we had always done with no problem in the past. They told my boyfriend no and he told them he always did it any other time. Instead of explaining that you can't reuse the disposable cup they just got irritated and re-steeped it.

Then the co-owner or wife of the owner brought the re-steep to our table. She told us off for asking for a re-steep because they had to use new disposable cups, which lost their business money. She did this all while being very loud and it was obvious she was looking around for people to listen to her, which I found so unprofessional.

I have never, ever been treated worse in a customer service situation. Someone has never tried to embarrass me in front of other customers for something they disagreed about. I was extremely embarrassed, as there were people sitting around us, and we left immedately, as I felt uncomfortable, and we have never came back since.

I'm not saying the customer is always right, I don't believe that, but trying to embarrass long time customers was extremely upsetting and I cannot allow myself to go back there. Which is unfortunate, as the tea is actually really good. Buy it on their website instead perhaps

I have had someone else close to me tell me another negative experience they had recently so I felt like I finally should post it, as it may not be a...

I have been practicing Gongfu tea for about a year.. I do not claim to know all the ways tea can be prepared.. I am very Disappointed after coming here today...

When I saw a place called gongfu tea.. I was excited, because I thought it would be a place that followed the same values I did.. short steep times, sharing glass, the whole nine yards.. nope.. its a regular western tea shop.. that sells regular tea supplies.. they get one star because they actually sell loose tea.. but.. they still want you to steep it for 5 mins... 5 mins... are you frikin kidding me...

Want to know what real gongfu tea life is.. you tube it.. dont get drawn in by these Charlatans....

Charlatans with Paper Cups

They call it “Gongfu Tea,” but there’s no Gong. No Fu. No skill. No effort. Just scorched leaves in a wax-lined paper cup, served with the subtlety of a microwave dinner.

No clay pot. No short steeps. No reverence for the dance between leaf and water. Only a name borrowed from masters they’ve never studied, printed in gold above an electric kettle set too high.

Loose leaf? Sure. But when the water hisses like wrath, even the finest Darjeeling weeps bitter.

This isn’t Gongfu. It’s cosplay. It’s fast food in a silk robe.

For those who know the craft— the ones who cradle each steep, who drink with discipline, who waste nothing, not even the first drop— this place is a hollow temple, built for profit,...

Stay Away from Gong Fu!!! I suffer from a genetic disease called hemochromatosis. Essentially it is iron rich blood to the extent that it is poisoning my liver. I was instructed by medical professionals to drink black tea as part of my diet to help block the absorption of iron from other foods (almost ever natural, healthy food contains iron). I went to Gong Fu and asked for some teas that they would recommend that are high in tannins – the naturally occurring chemical in teas and other foods that block iron absorption. The owner of the store told me that teas do not contain tannin. Not only did he do this in front of other customers and his staff, he did it in a very condescending way. When I told him that I was given specific instruction and that I have also read a plethora of medical and scientific information on tea containing tannins, his response was that there is a lot of misinformation in the internet. If you are interested in doing the research for yourself, there are literally hundreds of articles and references to tannins in tea, but trust me when I say that this person clearly didn’t know what he was talking about, was extremely rude in his response, and I hope that he never treats another person like this again. The sad truth is that I have been in the store several times and was one of my favorite places to go. But I won’t...