House of Tea

Good place to purchase loose leaf tea. I found a good selection of Yunnan teas including several varieties of Golden Yunnan tea. Worth a stop.

House of Tea is not a tea room, but a place to buy loose-​leaf tea to take home. You may want to look at the list of teas online because it’s large enough to be a little overwhelming, even to a connoisseur — there are, for example, several first-​flush darjeelings, several second-​flush darjeelings, and several more regular darjeelings. Also a darjeeling oolong and a darjeeling earl grey. Getting the idea? Yeah, and the rest of the selection is like that too — far-​ranging, varied, and delightful. I ended up with a golden monkey, Keemun mao feng, green with dragonfruit and rose, bi luo chun, and perhaps most exciting for me, a black tea scented with blood orange. This is, if anything, even better than it sounds. The woman working at the shop was patient with me and let me smell a bunch of things, offered me a sample of the Keemun mao feng when I wasn’t sure about it, and was generally extremely helpful. The flavored green teas are all sencha-​based, which is an interesting change from the mao jian-​based teas I’ve been getting from other shops. Prices are extremely reasonable for the quality.
This is the best place to buy loose-​leaf I have ever been, and I buy a lot of loose-​leaf. I’d get sent to tea rehab if that were a thing, but since it’s not I’m going to keep sending House of Tea my money and visit in person whenever possible.

over 300 teas and a funky fun woman who doesn’t try to intimidate you. What more could you want.

House of tea has a great selection. I was first introduced to their teas via Chabaa Thai Bistro in Manayunk, who serves their selection. Then again, by Ants Pants Café who also serves House of Tea.
My favorite was always the Blue Eyes tea, a blend of hibiscus and rose hips, so sweet without even a taste of sugar. and it makes the most beautiful purpley blue color in your cup. Their teas are high quality and all that i have tried are delicious.
I more recently went to their shop just a few blocks away from South street, and was in awe by the selection. I bought some tea for a friend as a gift and he enjoyed it just as much as i did. You have a lifetime customer with me, that is for sure.

Extensive variety of teas, excellent quality matcha that is also very affordable. The owner is as knowledgeable as it gets when it comes to tea. The peach green tea is fantastic

I have been buying tea from the House of Tea for 25 years, most recently by mail. Overall I’ve been quite happy with their tea. Recently I ordered several bags of tea, as I have done 3 – 4 times a year for a long time. The box arrived in dreadful shape. It looked as if it had been mauled and ripped open somewhere in or by the US Postal Service. Two of the three bags to tea were missing. So, I called House of Tea, got the familiar proprietor whose father had started the business, and nicely explained my plight. I didn’t ask for anything special and noted that I supposed that I would place another order for what had gone missing. Her reply was succinct, «well you can get shipping by UPS but you’re going to have to pay for it.» That was that. Not even a kind word about the problem. It’s very disappointing after all these years. When I clicked on «customer service» on the House of Tea website it came up blank. I think I know why. I also think that, with regret, I’ll find another tea supplier. Fortunately there are quite a few. From a customer service standpoint, this interaction was a textbook example of how not to treat your customers, old or new.

Great selection, but the service is awful. The owner didn’t smile, didn’t care that I was trying to be friendly, just seemed in a hurry to get me out of there. She was carrying on another conversation with her assistant at the same time, too, which I found quite rude. I was so excited to learn there was an independent tea store in Philadelphia, since I love supporting local small businesses, but I don’t think I’ll be back. The owner should know that there is too much competition out there to provide such awful service.

I am a sucker for businesses that have been around for 20+ years. A sucker for pretty packaging. A sucker for good customer service. This store has all that going for it.
I searched high and low for a place to purchase loose leaf Rooibos tea and finally found it here. Not only did they have six kinds of it, but it was organic too. Their selection of teas is gigantic and the person behind the counter was able to make good suggestions based on what I usually like.
The place is pricey, and I have yet to do drink the tea, so I will update my review once I can speak to the quality.

My friend and I walked in here while fabric shopping. The woman working was on her cell phone. This is literally what occurred.
Us:walk in shop
Woman:(to person on phone) hold on someone just walked in but it doesn’t look like they want anything. (Note:this was right in front of us)
Us: (almost in laughter because of this weirdness) «hi I’d just like some tea do you make cups here?»
Lady: «oh nah» then tells us some place that does close by and returns back to her cell phone.
I feel sorry for the owner of this place for having someone in there with such disregard for his/​her shop. I read a lot of reviews that talk about someone’s who’s friendly and knowledgeable, so this clearly is not the norm. Maybe next time ill have a different experience.

I love coming here — every time I ask for a tea, there’s usually three varieties to choose from. I always think of it as the candy shop from Willy Wonka, except for tea.
The person running the shop (owner?) knows, well, basically everything about tea. She sometimes makes me feel dumb for asking, but she knows everything. A really great deal — there are samples of teas on the counter for $ 3 (If I remember correctly). I love it as a way to try new blends, but without committing to a full 2oz. That’s how I ended up with some awesome lychee green tea I have now. Highly recommended.

It’s nice to have place you can go for fresh, fine quality, loose-​leaf tea. I’m an advocate for taking the tiny extra step for a better cup of tea. While yes a bag of 4oz of tea (jasmine $ 10) costs more than a box of 20 bags at the store, the quality is better and keep in mind it also will often get you 40 – 50 cups of tea. This place has a huge variety, knowledgeable staff, and all things considered, fair prices. You’ll also love the old world feel inside.

Huge selection of teas. Everything smells so good. I love the sales girl. She was very knowledgeable about each one and spent some time explaining them and letting us try different kinds.
We bought a couple of jasmine blends that smelled pretty fruity

I love House of Tea. The only reason I don’t have it at 5 stars is because it’s pricey… but maybe after I go back tomorrow I won’t be able to help upgrade the rating.
The shop owner is a knowledgable, adorable little runner named Jessica Litt. She’s enthusiastic about her inventory, teas, and running, and offers discounts to those that make online contributions to her causes. You’ll also find that she has an incredibly awesome father by reading all the shtuff on the walls about him being an architect and a clown and a tea enthusiast and a jelly maker. :)
They have a ton of tea here… a ton. Like a wall and a half of huge bins, and smaller bins on the counter— I love opening these up for a surprise. I find Jasmine pearls, Sassafrss, Blue Lady, and 4 Red Fruit to be the most intoxicating of all. She does not specialize in Herbal Teas, but does have some mint vareities (the incredible Witch’s Brew!)
Whatever is marked on the cannister as the price per _​_​oz is the minimum, and possibly the interval you have to buy it in. Ex: 4 oz — $ 5.00, then you must buy at least 4 oz, and it may be a 4−8−12… scenario. Not sure.
They also sell tons of tea pots and infusers, and they’re really not overpriced for most of them. I think the tall tea presses are a little steap (haha, get it, like tea steap vs cost steep!) but the glass teapot is about 15 – 20 dollars under that of teavana. They also have these baller mate gourds I want to try out!
Try a prepackaged $ 3 sampler if you can’t commit to $ 13/​oz or whatever, and pick up a menu— they ship free for the month of December if you order online :)
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These ladies were lovely at letting me sit and ask all the questions in the world today, and I can’t wait to go back for a tea spree! Let them tell you the recommended steaping for each tea, and also note which teas can be re-​infused for maximum use (such as oolongs :))
Note: They do not sell tea by the cup here.

I really like House of Tea. There are a great many varieties to try. Get your loose tea here, is what I’m telling you. It’s a nice little place and good-​smelling too. Take heed, fans of good smells. There are shelves of many teapots that I’d like to have. I like a tea pot.
I sometimes feel a chill of horror imagining an accident where I unwittingly knock them all over. Nooooo! Ah but these are the worries of many a common oaf.
This is the place for all your tea needs, Philadelphia.

Huge variety of high-​quality loose teas and a nice range of steeping equipment. Their Monk’s Blend (black tea blended with flavorings) is the best, better than Tealuxe in Boston or Upton Tea Imports online. If you’re serious about your Assam, Darjeeling, or oolong, this is the place for you. The only thing to be cautious of is that their hours do vary seasonally. Learn from my mistakes and check before you drag a visiting friend on a hike across town in the swelter of a Philadelphia summer!

Fantastic variety of loose tea in a nice shop. Great aroma and helpful staff. Check this place out in Queens Village.

Okay, the owner (the woman who is always there) is a tea NAZI! I mistakenly referred to an «herb» (chamomile) as a tea, and she not so kindly told me so. I am no tea connoisseur, I just needed some tea as a gift. On the plus side she was extremely knowledgeable and they have a wide selection of tea. I also bought beautiful tea set.

House of Tea has hands down the best loose tea (white, green, black, flavored) at the best prices in the city. The flavored teas are all natural and imported from Germany. The owner is extremely knowledgeable and no-​nonsense and more than willing to allow you to smell any of the teas and take your time making a selection. I’ve been a return customer for many years and don’t know where else I would go!
They do keep a varied schedule, so be sure to call ahead be sure they are open if you are making a special trip.

my ice cold jasmine tea was made just right. sweet but not too sweet. just what i needed running around philly for the day. =)
they didn’t have boba ready at that time. didn’t matter to me cuz i didn’t want any in mine… but if i did… i would have had to wait.

What do you get when you cross an architect/​clown (not a joke) with a /​tea store owner… HOUSE O TEA! They have a tea to cure whatever ails you. The walls are adorned with clown college class photo, Time mag cover (both of which feature the owner!) and over priced tea pots. You will not find a better selection of loose tea outside of Asia… Whatever you do DO NOT BRING YOUR CELL PHONE INTO THE STORE… Trust me.