by Cedric
It's nice to have a little tea shop in Des Moines where you can go and have something better than a dried-out Tazo bag. We've had coffee covered for a long time, but now tea lovers can have a good cup, too. The tea here is excellent, and you can have a good time just browsing the shelf of sample teas. Toward the back, they have two Japanese-style tables with mats that you sit on. The experience of sitting on the floor and slowly enjoying a cup of tea can really bring a Saturday afternoon together.
I only have a few complaints. First, there is an obvious yuppie pretention that manifests itself in background music likely taken from some volume of the popular Pure Moods CD series. An hour of this and you will either be really relaxed or really upset. Also, there isn't a lot of table space. There seemed to be enough tables when they opened, but as they get busier, the tables fill up a lot faster. Finally, the hours are terrible. They are only open until six on weekdays, which means you have to work downtown or you are out of luck. Until recently, they weren't even open on Sundays. I think they are now open until four o'clock PM on Sundays, which is a step in the right direction.
