A MUST TRY experience if you're visiting Chicago. Started a bit rocky as I did the reservation for 10am but no one was there until about 10:15am. But besides that hiccup, I did the tea tasting on a Wednesday and it was such a great learning experience and peaceful activity. Such a zen ambience. This experience encouraged me to continue learning more about tea and its beauty. Phoenix oolong Tea was my favorite! I've gone to other spots but this one was different because of their willingness to share so much knowledge. If you're thinking of drinking less coffee and switching to tea, this is a great place to start! read more

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I think I need to come and do a tea set here for it to actually make sense. My friend and I came here to catch up and we got the oolong iced tea and the matcha latte. Both were ok. Couldn't really taste much of the oolong tea. They have a self-serve kiosk which we used. The ambiance is pretty nice and minimal and also very quiet. Loud conversations aren't recommended unless you'd also like the whole place to listen. This is definitely a spot for actual tea service vs a sweet and fun drink. I need to come back for that purpose to really get a full vibe. A wfh/study session would be great here though! read more

Living Water Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Definitely more of a tea house than a boba cafe but they do offer boba and it's not bad! They also offer three different tea experiences at the counter, like tea tasting. Seems like a fun experience. I also like the owner made me something option as a fun surprise but also for the indecisive! Oolong No.2 Milk Tea (Da Hong Pao) w/ Boba - boba seems to be made in house but not positive. It's a cube shape like other handcrafted boba rather than the typical round pearls. Great texture, chewy, and slightly bouncy. However, not very flavorful. Tea was rich and delicate, with a splash of milk. I was worried less sugar would be sweet like 70% but it's more like 25% or less which let me appreciate the tea. read more

Living Water Tea House - Da Hong Pao Milk Tea w/ Boba - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had pretty high hopes for this place, given the beautiful decor and ambiance, but was disappointed by their oolong milk tea, which was extremely watery and the boba pearls were mushy. The gelato wasn't too bad and actually had a stronger tea flavor than the milk tea. It seems like this place is more known for their hot teas/tea ceremony, which allows you to taste the pure tea flavor, so if you are interested in that, I would recommend coming. read more

Living Water Tea House - Oolong Milk Tea #3 Ya Shi Tea and Aged Puer Gelato - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friend and I came here for some classic tea, and we loved the ambiance of the cafe! There's a zen garden that you can play with, and their teacup display is very aesthetic. I was tempted to purchase a tea set myself. Great place to study, relax, and enjoy passerby's while enjoying a cup of tea and sweet treat. read more

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Nice, minimalist boba shop to do work. The teas were great quality. Definitely recommend if you like more herbal, traditional milk teas than sweet ones. read more

Living Water Tea House - Inside - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Service was good and you can really taste the tea in their drinks which I really appreciate. Their drinks isn't too sweet which I also appreciated. I would recommend for someone who enjoys tea! read more

Living Water Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Interior: unique. Not the quieter place but certainly not a pretentious place run by hipsters. The owner was in and knows this teas. I witnessed a tea flight and he was very knowledgeable Tea: had the jasmine tea and perfectly brewed Cake: had the matcha cake and it's a small reasonable portion that was delicious Would I return ? EASILY YES ! read more

Living Water Tea House - Matcha cake, jasmine tea and a cute presentation box - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Living Water Tea House encapsulates an authentic Chinese tea culture. Their WiFi password is quite well thought out, John 4:14 which cites to equip others with water to be self efficient. I completely stand by their interior design, the atmosphere to be a great study or work spot. My only critique is that both the aged Pu'er gelato and milk tea have a delicate tea flavor, but do not invest in the quality in boba and cream foam as other milk tea shops. The Pu'er gelato is more of a unsweetened tea slushy. I would pass on the next visit and try just a plain milk tea without ice and whipped cream foam to bring out a more strong flavor. read more

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After being on a search for good and consistent matcha. I've found my favorite. the staff was happy to explain to me the types of matcha they served. Matcha was perfect. I ordered a ceremonial matcha latte with no sugar and it was perfect highly recommend it. read more

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I enjoyed our experience at Living Water Tea House. We had a bar reservation for 2 for a tea experience. It was easy to book online. We were able to taste many varieties of tea and learn about the history and origins of them. The session is to go for 45 minutes, but the two of us were so engaged in conversation that time got away from us. Being that there was no one waiting for the seats, we were allowed to stay at the bar longer. Much appreciated. In the end, it was a bit unclear how to pay, but we figured it out. You pay at the kiosk. Great experience and I highly recommend. read more

Beautiful tea and wonderful service. This is my 3rd time here. Will go back and i suggest you get their Pu'er

This is maybe some of the best tea I've had, which is saying something when you consider how much boba / milk tea I've consumed. I definitely recommend the classic pu'er milk tea and the oolong tea. It's also such a cute space and has pleasant cafe energy to catch up with a friend or study (I think we saw some people doing that when we were there). I still want to go back to try their tea-flavored gelatoes. Definitely a high-quality tea spot. read more

This tea place is really incredible! Was looking for tea tasting spots to go in chicago, and so glad I found this one. My friends and I came for the "open bar", where you sit at the counter and the staff make you whatever tea they feel like making. We got to try jasmine, aged white, raw and aged puer, tieguanyin, and several oolongs. Everything was delicious, especially the puer. Also loved the unique teacups they gave us to drink our tea in, and plenty more cute cups were placed around the room as decoration. The space in general was really nice, and the staff are really cool. On top of it all, this is an amazing deal, currently priced at $9 for 30 minutes of open bar time. Lots of their teas are limited procurements, teas that may not be available anymore next time you go, and some of them are very expensive - but they let you taste them for such a great price. It's a one of a kind experience! read more

Living Water Tea House - tea tasting! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This tea shop just reopened a week ago after being temporarily closed. Since then, their menu is different and has gotten smaller in terms of the teas offered. There are four milk teas to choose from. I tried the phoenix dancong milk tea and the puerh milk tea. The phoenix tea was really nice, a smoky oolong with a smooth taste. I think the puerh was a little to tannic and bitter for my taste. They also serve tea flavored gelato now, which I sampled and really liked, the jasmine milk tea gelato in particular. Also sampled the puerh gelato which was also nice. Overall, I'm really interested in the future directions of this shop. The owner said he's interested in developing more tea gelato flavors, which is very exciting! read more

Living Water Tea House - Lavender Latte - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's been many years since I've come here and how it has changed. I am sonot.liking what it had become. I came in and had to wait, which is not a big deal, but to wait for a drink that is bitter? I thought the pearl bo ba would help bit it didn't. Mind you, I ordered this drink here and there in other locations, and this was the first time I didn't like it. Can a drink be "too watery"? This one was just not good. Coming here is nice as far as just sitting a spell and enjoying a tea, but to pay almost $9 (including tip) is not good. In the past I was really excited but now I'm just disappointed. The small store front with chairs and tables again is nice for hanging out, but the tea is not what it use to be. Sorry, but I can't rate it higher. read more

Living Water Tea House - Iceland Pu milk raw. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great tea! We did a tea bar service and tried a variety of teas! Some I liked better than others but it's always fun to try different ones to see what is more my flavor profile. The employees were nice and friendly. A good way to spend a rainy afternoon! Will take some fellow tea lovers when they visit Chicago. read more

Living Water Tea House - Tea tasting - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here for gelato and upon ordering 3 flavors were out of stock, including matcha which is a popular flavor. I ended up getting the green tea ice cream in a cup (no cones available) and paid $9!!! My ice cream was a small scoop when it took 10 minutes to have ready. Flavor was not even enjoyable or memorable. Guess that is why this place is called tea house, all in all don't buy ice cream from here you'll get ripped off read more

I visited for the first time this week and absolutely love the atmosphere and the owner is very kind. I was able to enjoy my drink and mochi while getting some work done. Even more so I didn't have to deal the chaos and noise like you would see at the cafe across the street. I will be back! read more

Living Water Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

P good tea, love the actual tea options and the mini tea show! Super aesthetic interior. The owner is a really chill guy. Would go again, though its slightly out of my way read more

I went to the tea house yesterday (4-26) with a couple of friends for Tea at the Bar (5PM reservation). We made the mistake of not getting our server's name, but he was patient, friendly, and quite knowledgeable. We tasted three different teas while he explained how the leaves had been processed and answered all of our questions. The tea tasted great and we really enjoyed ourselves in the laid-back atmosphere! The taro tea cake was also delicious. read more

Great tasting milk tea. Got the Pu' er milk tea, can taste the tea flavor. Rich tea flavor which I enjoy most. Drinks came out fast . Atmosphere is very calming. Got the pu' er gelato as well, wish it was more creamier but overall good. One of the better boba spots in Chicago if not the best. read more

Living Water Tea House - Classic Pu-Erh Milk Tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Probably the best bubble tea place in the US! The interior design and decorations are intentional and artful. It's a peaceful place to enjoy some really nice tea drinks. You can also rent this place for private event, or come here for a tea class. I appreciate that they use the premium tea leaves for their drinks, and some varieties here are rarely seen in any other places, such as Phoenix Dancong and Puer. If you like durian, the durian with sticky rice is a wonderful option that doesn't contain caffeine, otherwise I'd recommend to try mango sticky rice. I really enjoyed the Phoenix Dancong bubble tea and Puer Latte too, though they are on the stronger side in terms of caffeine. The cheesecake is lovely too. It's the Japanese style light cheesecake, which is pretty different from the American cheesecake. It's softer, with a mild flavor profile, but still tasty and delightful. I wish they offer soy milk (or other plant-based milk). They currently only have regular and non-lactose milk. Overall, I'd highly recommend this place! It's worth a trip, even if you don't live close by. read more

Living Water Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I'm surprised this place doesn't have more reviews! I've been here a few times, but once I start being out and about near UIC's campus again, it will definitely become part of my regular rotation. Milk tea: I recently ordered the Osmanthus Oolong Milk Tea with Boba (70% sugar). What I like about this place is that the milk tea actually tastes more like tea than it does milk! They've got the ratio down! One might say that it's "tea forward" (!?) Anyway, I def want to come back and try their other types of tea. They have a lot of options and I haven't heard of some before. I also have tried the taro milk tea, several months ago, and it was really good! Usually I avoid taro milk tea because many places use a powder and it doesn't taste like real taro, but this place seemed to use more natural ingredients--at least that's what it tasted like to me! Boba: Soft and chewy goodness! Not hard or too chewy at all. Also a good amount of boba--about a quarter of the cup. Service/COVID: They have a large touch screen to order your drink, and it's very user friendly. You can customize your drink's sweetness level and they have a variety of add-ons besides boba. All the staff were wearing masks, and they came out with the drinks within 10 minutes. Space: A great place to grab a drink and catch up with a friend! Which is exactly what I did, sitting on a woven cushion on the ground across from my friend, with a low table in between us and cute decorations. Very cozy and quaint vibe! There are also cool accordion cardboard chairs outside in the front where you can sit and chat if you don't want to be inside. I forgot to take a photo--my description doesn't do it justice. Parking: Went during a weekday during lunch and found some paid street parking a few blocks away on Taylor street. Most of the residential streets nearby are permit only parking so it's not even worth trying to find a spot in the off streets. Excited to come back! read more

Living Water Tea House - Osmanthus oolong tea with boba - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love what they did to the space because it looks...eh on the outside. The tea cups they use for decoration are super cute. They have some seating available. The ordering system was nice since you didn't have to talk to people and you can browse their menu, then they text your phone when it's ready. They do Kpop related raffles and events. I ordered the supreme Pu'er hot milk tea drink and it was just like drinking strong tea. I really couldn't taste the sugar and it was 100% sugar. Maybe I just ordered the wrong tea for it. However, with the iced oolong milk tea, it was a lot better and I could actually taste the sweetness. The boba is chewy and not hard but flavorless. I would probably skip this place next time because the line is really long and the milk tea is just okay. It's just not my cup of tea. read more

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I'm not a hot drink person, nor a coffee drinker, and I'm not entirely sure what the bubbles are in the tea, but my friend and I were having a nice walk around this Taylor Street neighborhood and needed a place to rest and chat. We found this tea shop and I was able to get a delicious cold lavender green tea. My friend got a bobo latte, I think. Something with the bubbles that looked like cold coffee. It was pretty. The contact-free order & pay station is awesome. You just scroll through photos of each drink, order, pay with a credit/debit card, and enter your cell number. They text you when your order is ready. You can customize your order- like "less sugar", or "add xyz" and your drink will be made your way. There is outdoor seating where you can enjoy your tea. There is also a beautiful space indoors, but I didn't look too closely as we'd planned to sit outdoors. It looked peaceful though. All very new and super duper clean. Great COVID precautions. Masks required. Social distancing enforced. Loved this place. I'll totally be back. read more

Living Water Tea House - Enjoying a cold lavender tea outdoors! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here to get some boba, saw black rice on former menus but they no longer have it, sadly. Got the pu'er with boba because I've never seen pu'er used in bubble teas before. Had it with fresh milk and wanted no sugar but was given sugar with it because apparently it's too bitter without it. Tea honestly didn't have much flavor, just a bitterness. It was almost like drinking bitter milk in a sense. Bubbles were really chewy and cooked perfectly, owner was really friendly and invited us back to sit and drink tea so he could show us around. read more

Such a unique and authentic tea spot with friendly and knowledgeable staff! I sat down at the tea bar and had a 30 min, $9 tea "omakase" where the owner of the tea bar freshly brewed and poured different fresh teas from all over China and explains each tea down to the mountain from where they are sourced. We also got to pick our own tea cups, all of which were sourced from ceramic studios in China. The tea was not too sweet and perfectly brewed, and I really enjoyed the experience. We also sampled some tea gelato which was excellent and so well flavored. I'd highly recommend the tea session and gelato read more

Living Water Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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***3.5 I've tried the lavender latte, oolong milk tea, and original milk tea so far. The sweetness and tea quality are well balanced but both similarly subtle. As a result, the drink becomes diluted quicker than other business's tea drinks when the ice melts. The boba's consistency is good but flavor needs to be sweeter. Their menu screen does not give you the options to add boba to smoothies and adjust ice levels. When they opened, they had free strawberry cream dessert cups. These were flavorless and not good. Edit: my ice adjustment comment may not be accurate. It was a friend's drink and I agree it wouldn't make sense to be a smoothie. This was not included in my grading. read more

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We stopped in for boba around dinner. They have a machine to the side of the bar for ordering, and I requested iced tea with less sugar. Unfortunately, my tea was veryyy sweet. I would go back to try their traditional hot teas, but would not recommend for iced milk tea. read more

Living Water Tea House - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My wife and I did the tea tasting experience and we absolutely loved it. Very chill way to learn about tea and a great value for money. Clean / understated decor with a lively vibe...this is the neighborhood tea / coffee shop you have been looking for. Service and knowledge of teas was beyond reproach. Go! read more

i went here over the weekend with my friend and i really enjoyed it. the place had a really nice feel and look. we got two drinks and mine did come out a little cold, it was a milk tea, and my friend's came out very hot. obviously neither are the biggest deal. the workers do not talk a lot to you especially considering you pay a kiosk. id say they came out within 10-15 minutes. overall it was enjoyable but every element of the experience was a little less than perfect. but still amazing and i would go again. read more

Pretty average boba. We got the ceylon milk tea with bubbles. The milk tea and the boba were both decent, but the prices here are all a little high for average tea. Their location is a little unfortunate, as it's a block or two from Gathers Tea Bar which is hard to beat. If they were located somewhere else, maybe I would go more often. They do have a really aesthetic interior, though! read more

Living Water Tea House - Ceylon Milk Tea with boba - Tea Rooms Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We got a reservation for tea at the bar and had a wonderful time. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly, and the space was very peaceful. Will definitely be returning in the future! read more

Nice small shop with good boba. The boba is fresh and has a good chew to them. The drinks allow sugar adjustments which is great for people like me who sometimes prefer it less sweet (or more sweet). Drinks are good and there is a huge variety of teas. The milk tea cake was good. Soft, fluffy, and sweet. read more

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I just dropped by since I parked in front of the store. I got an oolong milk tea with oat milk and the flavor was amazing. I had oolong tea before but for the first time I was able to appreciate what the flavor should be and I was impressed. I will be back the next time I am in the neighborhood. read more

This place is pretty new but I like the vibe inside. Absolutely beautiful little cups that u can buy and good COVID protocols. They have a boba touch screen machine that you can use to order to limit your contact with the staff. They have this cheese foam that not all boba shops have! I like it. It's a go to for me on Taylor street. Will be back for sure. Their desserts are crazy beautiful too. My only concern is that a lot of days they open at 1pm so they deff missing people who would want their boba fix before then! read more

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Takes Credit Card. There's contact less ordering at the Kiosk Uses real tea leaves to make tea. Oolong Bubble Milk Tea- hot or cold options. ($5.75) can choose level of sweetness which is perfect. As a native Californian that drinks authentic boba, it's the same quality- nice and soft bubble balls. read more

TLDR: great community spot with events and experimental tea gelatos. Solid spot for gong fu tea and someone who understands Chinese teas and tea brewing. If you're looking for standard boba tea, their menu is smaller on that front. Friendly service with a generous owner/barista who is knowledgeable about a lot of Chinese teas that can be served in the gong fu style (so no matcha). He kindly let me try some of the teas in Dancong variety that I enjoyed. They're a cool community spot as well with a jazz event happening the day after and a Communitea event that allows people to pay as they can to enjoy a communal gong fu tea experience with an experienced tea server(?). He had some experimental tea gelatos that they sell. The jasmine green tea was incredibly fragrant. Puer one was def worth trying. Excited to see these mature more this summer. Ambiance was open and light. It was a great spot to chill and hang. There was a book club happening when I went - again testament to the community aspect of the place. read more

My mom's birthday was on the 11th so I stopped in a day before wanting to purchase a cake that's a bit different from any my mom would have had before- I am so glad that I did. The Cotton Cheesecake was soft enough to melt in your mouth and was not too sweet but sweet enough. I really enjoyed the fruit on top as well. The Uji Matcha Pudding cheesecake was also a fan favorite. My only regret is that I didn't eat it right away because the pudding spilled out everywhere but that's also user error. That being said, the matcha was decently sweet, and the pudding in the middle was a very unlikely but surprisingly good pair and waiting a day didn't ruin any of the taste of the cake. The Grass Jelly balls on top were also a great touch on top of the cake. I can't wait to repurchase this cake for a different event and try it in its glory! Highly recommend trying this place out! The inside is very aesthetically pleasing and packaging was very bougie as well which I appreciated. read more

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