Fly Awake Tea Garden - Jennings Lodge

The person who served me (skinny guy with long hair) was extremely smug and condescending. It also seemed like he didn 't really care to talk about tea or to sell the product. I asked him, What kind of tea is that? he answered, Oolong. Then I asked, What kind of oolong? he replied, Taiwan. I asked, Where in Taiwan? He said Anxi. Asking for more details was painful so I just stopped there. Also Anxi isn 't in Taiwan at all. I feel like most tea experts would have loved to share all their knowledge about tea. I didn 't think this was that bad though since maybe he just did feel like talking, I ordered a raw Pu 'er tea. After I got the tea, I asked him if he could brew my tea for a few seconds longer because I preferred it a bit stronger (this was the second infusion of a gong fu style brew). And he smugly responded I don 't take requests. Which was kind of baffling since all I asked was for him to leave the tea in the gaiwan for a few extra seconds, I don 't think it was that big of a request. The annoying part is that he later went back to dig for some ice someone else had requested for their tea, so clearly he does take requests. The guy clearly had a clique of friends/regulars with whom he was very nice and chatty with, telling them about the various teas, asking about their lives, and *taking requests*. He was also bragging to his friends about being the tea shop guy when visiting other tea shops. Overall it was not a welcoming environment and it didn 't seem like he wanted to serve anyone but his friends. The tea was decent but I saw a few Yunnan Sourcing packages in their trash and bathroom, which funnily is where I order a lot of my teas. It was $12 for one gong fu session. I also couldn 't help but notice I was the only non-white person there and all of the customers he was nice to were white. So maybe if you are a POC you should stay away from this place or when that guy if he is working. Hopefully that guy isn 't the owner and other employees there are nicer.

Unique spot off an alley that feels like your quirky friend's slightly industrial loft. Great selection of Chinese tea, knowledgable staff, and they steep it for you so you don't have to worry about timing your extraction. A bit loud/echo y on a Sunday afternoon, so not the most tranquil but definitely a fun environment to hang out with a book or a friend.

Great tea. We are having the Nani tea and puffed lotus seeds. Both are delicious. I'm feeling renewed and revived which I needed.

The vibes were immaculate! Really nice live atmospheric music, they also just kept refilling my tea cup. No wifi but they didn't mind me working there with my hotspot. Everyone was super kind and relaxed and it felt like I was in someone's home. I will definitely come back.

This neighborhood gem has survived for seven years while I’ve watched four other “tea” places start and end on Mississippi in that same time period. This is an unpretentious place but they know and love tea and have wonderful puer and white teas. What I love about this place is only people who want to be there find it because it’s the only business in the neighborhood that literally is off an alley. I’m super grateful this place exists and hope the community can treasure it for what it is: a labor of love and a fantastic place for work dates, meeting up with an old friend, and study. One thing I’d say about the environment is it is very echo-y. So when there is music and people talking it can get a bit loud