New Dobra Tea Location Closer to WWC
Emily Cobb | March 23, 2023
Dobra Tea East had just opened up on Tunnel Road, roughly 10 minutes away from Warren Wilson College (WWC). There are two other locations close by, Dobra Tea and Dobra Tea West. All are located in the Asheville, N.C. area.
Upon entry, one is greeted with melodic and calming music. The lights are dimmer in the seating areas, and the chatter is low. One can find menus a few steps in, as well as a guidebook to the different types of teas available to order. I found this particularly helpful because I often have a lot of questions when it comes to teas. Like where it comes from, what it is made of, what the taste is, etc. The staff is friendly and willing to help with any questions that are left unanswered by the book and menu.
Dobra Tea East offers green teas, black teas, bubble teas, white & yellow teas, oolong teas, pu-erh teas, special teas, herbal teas and iced teas. For food, they have light fare options which include things like hummus plates and miso soup, which I found both to be filling and flavorful. They have three sides: hummus, bread and flatbread. The counter also sells sweets and treats, a few of which are mochi daifuku japanese, vegan cashew cheesecake slice, paleo sesame tahini cookie and a pistachio rose cardamom cookie.
The shop's surplus of options allows one to try something new every time if they wish. The teas are usually very affordable due to the large quantity allowing one to pour multiple cups. Though, the food is often a little pricier.
Sitting is limited in comparison to its Dobra Tea location, but luckily, Dobra Tea East has fewer customers. When talking about this with some of the employees, they mainly just chalked it up to the location being newer. After an hour of sitting there, I noticed that there was a rush of people around 3 p.m. This resulted in a few customers having to order items to go, but most were able to find seats.
There was also a small room in which strangers could sit together at a table, pay $6 and taste and try teas together.
When I went, there were quite a lot of employees, allowing for food and drinks to come out fairly quickly. Additionally, due to the large number of staff, they usually have time to answer any questions one might have. What I enjoyed was like its other locations, customers can see their drinks and food being made. It made the experience feel a lot more communal and personal.
They do have a recommendation of buying an item every hour when using the wifi. Due to the limited seating they have, it seems that they want to maximize the number of customers they can sit, rather than having people sit and do things like study. I recommend aiming to go for an hour or two, and mainly go out for pleasure rather than going to study or work. When staying, especially during rush time, it can get a little loud and busy.
Overall ratings:
Atmosphere: 4/5
Customer Service/Employees: 4/5
Drinks: 5/5
Food: 4.5/5
Affordability: 3/5