La Société Du Thé — Restaurant in Minneapolis

There are certain places where it feels like: ah yes, I've made it, I understand what I'm talking about and I can chat at length with someone about it in detail and get what I'm looking for. This is one of those places. I'm giving it five stars because this place had what I wanted and I personally appreciated the owner's forthright nature and ability to answer all my questions efficiently. If you know what you're looking for, you're in a good spot to get some lovely quali-tea. If you're hoping to explore and sniff teas, I'd suggest going elsewhere.

I'm the kind of tea drinker that volunteers at tea festivals so I can learn more about the regions, the craft, and all that other good stuff...so while I do see in other reviews that some people don't think the owner is very friendly, I personally thought he was awesome because it's clear that he knew a lot about what is in his shop. I will say that my friend, who is Very New To Tea, probably would not have survived on his own. So if you're looking for a place that's beginner-friendly, you might want to go somewhere else. But if you're looking for quality teas from someone who knows each region they're sourced from, I personally think it's always great to chat with the person who did the leg work.

I picked up the golden needle red tea and a golden oolong tea from the Taiwan region, both of which are lovely and wonderful to steep multiple times. Not a bad price per ounce. I was looking for dongfang meiren tea and he was like, "Hmm, yes, we usually have that but we're out of it now...that does remind me, I need to get in touch with the suppliers, thank you for the reminder..." and it's like, nice. Supply chain is messed up right now for many reasons, so I mean, I getcha.

PS For y'all expecting Service with a Smile, Customer is King, etc. etc. service -- yes, you'll probably want to go elsewhere, because I cannot imagine the proprietor dealing with that nonsense. There are certainly other places out there that will adapt...

People complaining of the door locked in the store obviously do not live in this Minneapolis area to know how vulnerable an elder can be to any kind of harm, for which I as a young person who lives in this area have experienced first hard being robbed multiple times and all. However, I am here to comment on the tea and this shop in itself has been my favorite for many years. I came a long time ago searching for Jasmine pearls and I found exactly what I wanted. The owner of this store is very knowledgeable and has a wealth of knowledge about tea, which I appreciated because the recommendations he gave me turned out to be really good, and after I ran out of loose leaf tea I have been coming back ever since. As a rule of thumb I think we can all agree that if there is one thing we can take away from the pandemic is that SANITARY measures are necessary, and not being able to smell the tea is one of them just to respond to some of the other comments I have been reading. It's just common sense right ? The gentleman at the store front was super kind to me, when I first visited it was during COVID so he kindly asked me to stay at least 2 feet away from the counter since he is an elder and can have complications with health, like any sane and polite human being he kindly requested for me to take that measure and for which I followed without any trouble. The varieties of tea that this shop has is something I absolutely love. Not all places around have it, you can try Amazon, but I do not compromise in quality so I come here to get my tea bags and enjoy them whenever possible. I absolutely recommend this place if you're looking for quality tea and if you talk to the owner a really interesting conversation learning about tea,...

Lovely store. Nice tea selection. I was greeted, eventually by a person who informed me after questioning that the store had been there for 24 years. I came with a list of 4 teas to purchase. The Elder gentleman who indicated he was an owner was gruff, like I was troubling him. It was an immediately unpleasant interaction. I asked for silver needle which to my pleasure they had. I was then informed that they only sold in 3 oz minimums. $20 for 3 oz. Since I didn't want to invest $80 in tea that day. I began to look at other tea making pots and books. Two people who were having tea at one of the tables paid and left and my grumpy helper went back to clear the table. As I was looking at a nice glass brewing pitcher he yelled from the back that he was closing early that day. The implication was that I needed to leave ASAP. It has been years since I have been so rudely treated by an owner. Sorry to have bothered you. I will NEVER return to this establishment. Who needs to be treated as though they should not be there. Amazon treats me better....