What Chicago’s tea enthusiasts taught me about boiling leaves and nurturing community
Published October 15, 2025
Nestled in an unsuspecting storefront in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, De Duallè is an inviting, eclectic space that includes a retail store, plant shop, event room, ceramics studio, and of course, a table for their tea club.
I always thought of tea as one of life’s little luxuries.
I enjoy the practice of trying new teas, steeping them with care, and exploring new varieties. The organizers of De Duallè’s tea club take this practice to a level of reverence. Their knowledge of tea from years of personal study and experience draws you into a world of heightened appreciation for detail.
Each cup carries nuanced flavor profiles and varied expressions of caffeine, and many were made through historical tea practices, namely Gongfu Cha. Gongfu Cha is a Chinese style of brewing using a gaiwan (tea vessel), fairness cup, and tea cups much smaller than the Western style. Gongfu Cha honors all that tea has to offer through meticulous craft and thoughtful practice.
I always thought of tea as one of life’s little luxuries.
I enjoy the practice of trying new teas, steeping them with care, and exploring new varieties. The organizers of De Duallè’s tea club take this practice to a level of reverence. Their knowledge of tea from years of personal study and experience draws you into a world of heightened appreciation for detail.
Each cup carries nuanced flavor profiles and varied expressions of caffeine, and many were made through historical tea practices, namely Gongfu Cha. Gongfu Cha is a Chinese style of brewing using a gaiwan (tea vessel), fairness cup, and tea cups much smaller than the Western style. Gongfu Cha honors all that tea has to offer through meticulous craft and thoughtful practice.
In the past few months, I learned more about tea than I could have imagined:
1. The shape of tea leaves influences their flavor. These shapes include rolled, balled, pressed, powdered, spiraled, and more.
2. Different types of water—
spring, tap, mineral, distilled, bottled, etc.—impact the
tea’s flavor.
3. Some tea can be left to age
for decades.
4. You can get “tea drunk.”
1. The shape of tea leaves influences their flavor. These shapes include rolled, balled, pressed, powdered, spiraled, and more.
2. Different types of water—
spring, tap, mineral, distilled, bottled, etc.—impact the
tea’s flavor.
3. Some tea can be left to age
for decades.
4. You can get “tea drunk.”
The best part of tea club is the people. Gathered around a wood table tucked near the plant shop, organizers, regulars, and first-time attendees sit among tea cups, boiling kettles, and a variety of brewing vessels. They share their personal collections of tea from across China, Taiwan, and Japan alongside local farmers market snack finds (peep the Chinese Mom Kitchen scallion crackers) and homemade baked goods. They speak of travel stories, and recommendations for books, media, shops, and Chicago events. I always tell myself I’ll stop by for just a bit, but hours pass like minutes in good company.
Since recently moving to the neighborhood, I’ve been exploring avenues for belonging, and De Duallè’s tea club has provided the foundations for that. I now know the names of several neighbors, employees of a local business, and people I may have never otherwise met in my day to day life. I’m hopeful to meet many more, and am thankful for this third space for restoring my faith in genuine gathering.
Held most Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., De Duallè’s tea club, part of the Chicago Tea Collective, is an underground fixture of Logan Square life, growing into what the community makes of it. No prior tea knowledge is required. Come, sit down, and enjoy the exquisite simplicity of cultivating connection over leaves and water. You can find more information @dedualle.tea and @chicago.tea.collective.
Sangmi Yoo
(WEB)
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