Gong Fu Tea

I don’t have much to say about Gong Fu. It’s a great place to get tea! If you are a tea connoisseur, you should probably check it out. You can purchase hot or cold tea on site, or you can purchase leaves to take home. They seem to have a pretty good selection. Plenty of space to sit and have a cup with a friend. Quite and zen.

Tea is great, but if wannabe hipsters and loud pseudo intellectuals aren’t your thing — take your tea to go.

My personal favorite is the Moroccan mint tea. I have been to Morocco & I have had mint tea in Morocco. Gong Fu has them beat! Fantastic!

I have lived all over the world and this tea store has THE BEST selection of tea anywhere! Each time I am in Des Moines I make time to swing in & stock up. Spice Tea for my mom, Siberian Ginseng for my boys during exam season, Cherry Blossom for work, German & Irish blacks to get my day started & countless others that bring us enjoyment throughout the year. I especially enjoy working with Taylor — He is patient, helpful, & very knowledgeable. The ambience is peaceful, the facilities clean, & parking available on the side of the building. I just wish I could give this place extra stars

We love Gong Fu Tea. Not only can you get a cup of wonderful brew, you can get plenty to take with you. The staff knows their stuff and can help you find what you need based on a few simple questions of what you like. My wife says they have one of the cleanest restrooms in town, she keeps track of these sort of things.
Whether you’re up for a relaxing cup, a small break or some delicious options to take with you (in great foil containers so they stay fresh), this is the place!

Not friendly, no convenient parking, and the quality of tea is not all that great.

I remember when this place opened, and sadly shortly after that we had to move out of Des Moines. I’ve been to several states and this place is by far the cheapest, friendliest, and best selection of teas I have found. (unless you’re talking about say teavanna but ugh). The quality is top notch and I make a point to stop by when I can.
I recommend lapsang souchong for an interesting tea experience or cream assam for something more relaxed. The serenity now is great for those who can’t handle caffine.
Heck even just going here for the free smells makes it worth it. Oh and make sure you try the snacks they sell also. Very yummy!

I’m jumping on the bandwagon of people just loving the holy hell out of this place. It really is a great asset to Des moines. It’s sells tea and tea accessories. I usually get the chai masala, which creates a figurative party on my tongue.
I have been here 2 or 3 times but have driven here about a dozen times (I don’t live downtown). The reason I say I drove there so many times is because I routinely forget that this place closes kinda early on Saturday. Well, not EARLY early — 5 pm — but by the time I haul my ass down to Des Moines on a Saturday it’s usually past 6. But I realize that 5 pm is not an early closing time for a Saturday, so I forgive Gong Fu Tea.
I love the atmosphere, very clean, tranquil and classy. In my experience the staff has always been very friendly and helpful.
Besides getting tea to drink, one of my favorite things to do here is to smell the samples of tea before buying some. Usually I smell about 15 jars of tea before I actually buy one. I also usually have to resist the urge to take a loud, slow sniff followed by immediately looking over at the closest stranger and saying «this is the good s*** right here.»

I’m still relatively new to the Des Moines area, about 3 years or so now? I still remember seeing Gong Fu Tea downtown and reading about how awesome and unique this place is. I always thought to myself, I have to find some time to come here! Well ladies and gentlemen, finally I was able to find that time to come!
You can either choose street parking or park in their private lot just south of the building (It’s a small driveway, so once you see the building, keep driving South and turn at the driveway/​parking lot connected to the building, NOT the big parking lot). There are limited parking spaces!
Once inside you definitely feel like you’ve entered a unique shop. It almost feels like a miniature tea museum of sorts with tea in glass jars on the wall and various tea pots displayed. There were a few tables in the front for comfortable sitting and drinking tea. If you don’t know what you’re doing for your first time (like me), approach the counter and let them know it’s your first time here and ask how the ordering tea process works for drinking here. You could also ask about the purchasing tea leaves process to-​go if that’s what you’re here for.
The staff member was very friendly and helpful right off the bat. She showed, us a small menu/​pamphlet that showed prices for different ways the tea could be served (hot, iced, to-​go, etc). She also gave us a pamphlet that had ALL the tea they carried and stated a good majority of them can be prepared for enjoyment in-​store, the others can only be purchased as a loose leaf. The list was HUGE and there were a paragraph description for each, so I just asked her what is the most popular. She stated it was the Ancient Happiness, she gave me a smell of the loose leaf and it smelled amazing! We went with the hot tea Ancient Happiness for our first time.
We were informed there was also additional sitting in the back, we saw it was Japanese style seating (I don’t know the proper term) with a few flat tables on an elevated ledge where you remove your shoes and sit next to the table. It was very comfortable! The tea came quick and the staff member did a great job serving, the whole process is very quiet, relaxing, and smoothing.
The tea tasted great! There was a sweet light peach flavor that I really enjoyed, I am not really a tea drinker, but I had a good experience. We took this time to read more about the various teas they had and now I want to come back and try all their different teas! Also, the prices? Yeah it’s far cheaper than anything you’ll get at Starbucks that’s for sure, great prices! They unfortunately do not serve food, they have a few bags of snacks for sale, but it’s just like nuts/​dry food.
The atmosphere, the tea, the staff, the prices; all these are reasons for you to come and see what they offer!

This place was amazing!!! I love the quiet and simple atmosphere and can’t wait to return!
We had the Serenity Now tea and it was some of the best tea I’ve ever had. And there were so many options that we didn’t get to try!

So I am not asking but if you want to or have already read previous tea reviews you will know I allowed those sales chasers at that mall tea place that must not be named to catch me a few years ago; commence the famous upselling and ever since I have been a tea drinking fiend.
Spent a lovely #shopsmall this year discovering all the sites of small independant local shops. And, I found my tea place!
Gong fu has snared me! I went not once but twice in one day. The staff is engaging, knowledgeable, and welcoming. Whether your a tea afficianado or fledgling like me their staff adapts to your tea needs and desires. I came away with a cup of tea and some great loose leafs (2). I especially enjoy how knowledgeable they are on the benefits of different teas and the questions they will ask to get you to your tea of choice. No aggressive upselling going on here. Gong Fu is a lovely place and one I plan on returning to for most of my tea needs.

Associates (baristas?) were very helpful in guiding me to a tea that fit my described wants. Something earthy, seasonal, and rich. I left with a tea that made me feel warm and comfortable. Excellent job, Gong Fu!

Sometimes a business deserves multiple 5 star reviews– as is the case with Gong Fu Tea. My recent visit to this peaceful tea haven in downtown Des Moines’ East Village kicked off with a mini lesson in Japanese teas by the owner, Mike. (Thanks for prepping me for my upcoming trip!)
I can’t help but keep ordering the 22 oz pot of dragon pearl jasmine tea — it’s both flavorful and fragrant. The darling sweetener section offers a cherry on top with crystallized ginger, honey and more.
Definitely well worth the visit of you find yourself in Des Moines or nearby.

This is such an excellent place and a staple in the east village. Their tea selection is outstanding. Their atmosphere is calming and comfortable. Their staff is incredibly knowledgable. A+ for every aspect of this local establishment.
My personally favorites are jasmine dragon pearls and cloud nine. Loose tea is available to go to be brewed at your own convenience as well as brewed by the wonderful staff to stay-​or go.

Excellent tea selection. Courteous service. Modern eastern décor. Soothing music. Order your tea to dine in and stay to enjoy this little oasis!

I’ve been going to Gong Fu for about 4 years for my specialty tea needs (yes, needs) and the staff is so helpful! They will let you sniff any teas you want and they listen to me talk about teas like I know what I’m talking about.
All in all, it’s been a place I can go to push myself to try new things.
Also a great place to have tea service and waste a few hours hanging out (they have free parking on the south side of the bldg that they share with Eden and the bridal store and free street parking Saturday).
Current favorites: organic mint Yerba Mate, organic Symphonic Splendor, and yellow tea.

Gong Fu Tea is a beautiful store, with a great location in the east village. With a very modern setting, and over 50 teas to choose from this is a great spot to relax after Christmas shopping all afternoon in the village. I’m not a huge Tea guy, mostly coffee drinker so the first time I came and found that I would not be ordering coffee since all they have is tea I was a little scared, but every tea I have had here has been interesting and worth the experience.
This might not be the best place to have a private meeting since the open seating seats are very close to each other and you might not have the most privacy ever, but they do have a couple tables where you can take your shoes off and sit on pillows in a private setting.
They do have a few munchies that are made to order, but if your looking for a meal you might want to head some place else. All in all this is a wonderful spot to try something new, pick up a new tea pot, or just relax in a modern clean setting.

I hadn’t been back to Des Moines in over six years. I drove through the East Village and couldn’t believe how developed it is now. I used to frequent Gong Fu Tea before this part of downtown was cool. Mike and Rusty used to be the only employees. It’s so nice to see this business is still going strong! The layout and products are very similar to what I remember. I ordered a small silver needle white tea to go and it was great.
Antioxidants flowed through my body for the next hour beating, torturing and eventually killing any oxidants they came across. Then I peed the little guys out.
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Best place to shop for loose tea leaves in DSM. They have the widest selection of white, yellow, green, black, oolong, herbal, and puerh tea in the area. I like that the staff are really knowledgeable about their products. There is also a great selection of teaware, though I find it cheaper to buy these elsewhere. Staff will allow you to sample brewed tea prior to purchase. Prices are reasonable for the quality. There are seating areas that you can sit and sip on brewed tea.
In the past I have gotten: green loose leaf puerh (health benefits), masala chai black, white peony, lavender sencha green tea. I would like to come back for their tasting events in the spring time.

Looking for a gift set for my mom’s friend. Leaving Des Moines in a few weeks time. She loves tea so much and of course… I Unilocaled «TEA» and Gong Fu Tea just came out to be the best place. Gong Fu Tea sounded like KungFu Bubble tea in NYC… NO THAT’S not what it is!!!
So I stopped by this morning… first step walking into the shop… Nice relaxing place. You can simply order a cup of tea by enjoying your morning time/​afternoon/​evening… anytime during the day with a book/​newspaper… isn’t it great???
They have a variety of green tea/​oolong/​black/​herbal/​white. and yellow tea. I have a hard time in choosing… The bamboo wrap gift set looks nice as a gift… with your choices of 4 different kinds of tea. Under their recommendation… I chose their best selling green tea, white. and 2 herbal tea… They really know it!!! They recommend it according to seasons. well. It’s whole year summer back in my country… so season doesn’t really matter. but everything looks good to me because I LOVE TEA as well.
I might come back to buy another gift for my mom!!! :)