The Tea Smith — Restaurant in Omaha

This place is pretty cool. It is owned by the family of a friend, but I hadn't gone there until recently. They have many, many options for tea, and there are always samples to try. A loyalty program provides you the ability to earn discounts. I originally went there because we were close and I figured I might as well try their boba. It is absolutely better than going to the bigger chain places in town, by far!! I've also had their tea, but it was provided as the refreshment at a spa I went to once... To give you the idea of the quality. This spa was certainly high end and they choose to provide The Tea Smith as part of the experience! Anyway... Now I go in every time we are close by. The only reason I have 4 stars instead of 5 has to do with people. Both the staff and the other patrons. While everyone is perfectly nice, service is a little slow, and I've had occasional difficulty receiving timely attention. One visit took us nearly an hour to get two drinks because we were the third customer in line, and those in front of us were definitely insisting on attention. While I know the staff cannot control the social choices of others, I do feel that these situations could be handled better... One time, I was having to wait an exceptional amount of time because the customer in front of me was jokingly insulting the staff to show off to his date, to prove he was a regular. Why he was entertained with this behavior for so long, I don't know. Thus, if I had any feedback to give, it would be to be more assertive with customers. We now will walk out if we see more than one person at the counter because this time situation has happened more than once.

Anyway, with the multiple tea gifts, the snacks and the tasty drinks, I still certainly recommend it and I do hope that with time, we will be able to create a 5...

I mostly go to the Tea Smith for their high-quality looseleaf teas to make at home; we go through a lot! There are options for every budget; many are comparable if not better prices than bagged teas. We stock up on those and drink large amounts each day, and we love them! Others . . . not so inexpensive. I wait for people to gift them to me, or buy small amounts for a very special treat.

There are multiple options for popular teas like chais and Earl Greys and Darjeelings; healthy herbals, florals, greens, blacks, oolongs, matcha, pu-erhs, whites, things you've never heard of---you name it, they have it, either pure or flavored.

If you want to have a drink in-store or to go, I love the bubble milks and bubble teas. For their specialty hot drinks, I usually prefer more sweetener than they use, so I'll ask for an extra shot or two of flavoring. The environment is great to sit and chat with a friend, or to spend some time alone with a full pot of tea.

Staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and know their products well enough to ask you questions and give recommendations that fit you. They will take the time to let you see/smell teas. Be prepared for a little extra wait time than some other places--but you'll get all the helpfulness that the people ahead of you do. The owner, Tim, is present, involved, and passionate about teas.

And if you're the socially conscious sort--this store not only searches for teas worldwide and directly supports high-quality farms in third-world countries who might not otherwise have a good market, but they are always giving back to the Omaha community through promoting organizations and community events, or even running their own events (go get free soup on Black Friday and support the Open Door Mission!).

Yeah, I love this place, and no, I'm not being paid for this. ...

I wanted a cup of tea after eating dim sum- puerh helps aid in digestion. I wanted a cup of tea to go, which the server had a hard time understanding.First I ordered Orange puerh and even told the worker what I was wanting, but because I didnt say tangerine she had no ideal what I was talking about... I don't know of any other puerh served that would come in the citrus peel (though I would be willing to try it!)! Since she had no idea what i was saying, i said that's fine I'll take the puerh toucha. I watched her get the tea down, start it steeping and I paid for my tea and water. As I was waiting I noticed the tangerine puerh on the bottom shelf and pointed that out to her... when my tea was done She handed me the cup and I left. Neither she nor I noticed what she had fixed me was Berry puerh. which was totally not what I ordered or wanted. I am not recommend the tea Smith because of poor communication with the server and poor organization skills on the establishment (putting berry where the toucha was- which the server should have caught).

The tea. heavy in berry flavour with the puerh taste almost non existent- it reminded me more of an herbal tea than puerh. I am sure there is someone out there who loves this, but it is not for me. I do not recommend this tea.

and I'm irritated because this was supposed to be a quick cup of joy while I drove around with my toddler, but the whole order was screwed up...