Situated off off the corner of Wornall and 81st terrace, lies Centered Spirit – Cultural and Holistic Center, and inside lies Emilie’s French Teas. Opening less than a year ago in June, Emilie’s French Teas offer a large variety of tea goods from DAMMANN Frères, a French company Emilie has always been familiar with.

When I first entered Centered Spirit, I’ll admit, I was a bit confused, walking in I was greeted with an array of different teas, but not until I turned the corner was I greeted by Emilie. With her thick french accent she introduced me and told me a bit about herself. Raised in Paris, she moved to Kansas City and opened her shop after meeting her husband in Mexico whilst doing international business.

Prior to my visit I set up a tea tasting with her, so she lead me over to the wall of teas. She briefly went through each one, having me smell the leaves and educating me on where they are from. Her extreme hospitality relaxed me and stood out to me. You could really tell she was happy you were there.

After asking me a variety of questions of what tea I think smelled the best or what type of tea I like, Emilie picked three teas, The Blanc D’Anji, Quatre Fruits Rouges and Caramel Au Beurre Salé. She then lead me over to her station that laid a kettle and various tea brewing gadgets and whilst brewing the tea Emilie explained to me different ways of brewing tea, and how everything down to the type of water is extremely important in getting the most perfect cup of tea.

After brewing, Emilie walked me over to a table with the three small tea pots and two tea cups. One of the many things I enjoyed about my experience there was how welcomed Emilie made me feel. She was either teaching me about the teas, telling me about her, or simply asking me questions.

The first tea Emilie had me try was Thé Blanc D’Anji, a white tea from China. This tea had an extremely faint flavor, yet was extremely refreshing. Since it is a white tea, the color was extremely faint and Emilie explained to me how most people can’t even taste the tea since the flavor is so faint.

In Quatre Fruits Rouges, various dried fruits such as strawberries, red carrot, raspberry, and cherry were infused in the light white tea. In contrary to the first tea I tried, this one `acquires a milky texture, almost like silk. Similar to Thé Blanc D’Anji, the color of this one was also quite faint, yet the smell was a stronger smell of dried fruit.

Lastly, after expressing my love of black tea to Emilie, she had me try Caramel Au Beurre Salé, a black tea. This tea was blended with caramel, making it an extremely sweet treat. Unlike the last two teas, the flavor of this one was a lot stronger and the color was a lot darker, making it one of my favorites.

Through the amazing, relaxing atmosphere of Centered Spirit to Emilie’s extremely welcoming personality and wonderful array of teas, Emilie’s French Teas is a place I will definitely return back to and recommend to anyone looking for a relaxing tea shop.