High Tech Tea Bar in San Francisco

In the chicest of chic San Francisco neighborhoods has appeared a chic and tech savvy tea bar.   Opened just since June 12th, the Samovar Tea Bar is located on Valencia St. in the Mission district.  This shop combines precision machines and computer technology with high quality teas and a zen-like decor.   I’ve been in three times since its opening and each time had a perfect cup of tea.

Everything about the bar is minimalist - its airy contemporary interior design, the simplicity of its clean white finishes, its natural wood and stone surfaces.  There’s not much seating to be found, what little there is is essentially a stone bench – not exactly conducive to lingering.  There are only 9 tea options, each as single servings.  Even the food menu is concise – just two scone options, sweet or savory.  This minimalism along with the technology used to prepare the tea, heightens the focus on the tea itself.

Innovative tea technology is used at the brewing stations.  A series of Android tablet controlled Steampunk machines by Alpha Dominche line the bar. These machines (a.k.a. crucibles) are sleek, elegant, glass and steel devices.  The customer can watch the precision brewing in action as steam is injected into water from below to heat it to the correct temperature before brewing to the precisely allotted time.  It was fascinating to watch the machines in action.  And here’s a photo of my freshly brewed English Breakfast.

This tea bar should not to be confused with the tea lounges in other parts of the City by the same owner since the Samovar Tea Bar is a distinctly different experience.  While the lounges promote a lingering intimate tea experience with cushioned plush seating, a long list of teas served brewing in pots of several servings, and a food service; the bar distills the essence of a tea moment into a streamlined, single serve, no meal operation that taps into the artisanal yet tech savvy clientele of the Bay Area.

Click here to find a unique Samovar Tea Lounge

organic green tea blend on Amazon.com

Sweet and Stellar at the World Tea Expo 2014

Last weekend I had the pleasure of touring the convention floor at the 2014 World Tea Expo in Long Beach, CA.  There were all kinds of wonderful products related to tea – tea pots, packaging, books, cozies, porcelain tea sets, tea brewing machines, and of course a huge variety of teas.  One sweet idea and one stellar idea caught my attention.

 

The sweet idea was literally icing on the cake.  Just about every celebration includes a cake. How about decorating it with tea inspired icing flavors?  That’s what the folks at ModernTea Girl do with their Matcha Latte, Lady Earl Grey, and Chocolate Chai and more.

 

Then there’s the stellar new concept from JusTea.  Their tea star is a cluster of oolong tea leaves tied to a string and dried in the shape of a star.  Such a clever way to provide loose leaf tea that’s as convenient as a tea bag!  It’s so pretty I think it could double as a Christmas ornament.  It certainly brings attention to their orthodox handcrafted teas from Kenya. I bought some to try at home and found the tea stars make a wonderful cup of tea rich with complex flavors.

Pretty Things for Holding Tea at the World Tea Expo 2014

Part of the fun of exploring the convention exhibitions at the World Tea Expo is getting to experience the plethora of beautiful tea objects. Here are photos of a few that were especially beautiful.

Air tight containers for loose leaf tea by Kotodo Takahashi Corporation [1].  They’re wrapped in handmade Japanese washi paper.  Washi paper is a traditionally made from kozo, mitsumata, or gamp plant fibers [2].  These bold colors and prints in distinctively Japanese style really make a lively statement.

Click image to find on Amazon.com

Grace Tea Ware classic fine china from Coastline Imports. Coastline Imports had delicate bone china tea sets with flower decoration and soft pastel colors.  These tea pots and cups are in a style that I imagine my grandmother, her grandmother, and of course I too, would love to use to serve tea. 

Click image to find on Amazon.com

Heirloom tea sets for children by Reutter Porcelain.  I’ve never had a Peter Rabbit tea set, but somehow looking at these, made me nostalgic.  Reutter Porcelain is of German-made miniature craftsmanship. [3]
 
___________________________________________
 

[1] US contact: Focus American Corporation  http://www.focuscorp.us

[2] http://www.papermojo.com/washi.html

[3] http://www.reutterporcelain.com/content/AboutUs.as

 

Beauty and Serenity at the World Tea Expo 2014

Tea Master Yoon Hee Kim at World Expo 2014

Today at the World Tea Expo 2014 in Long Beach California, tea master Yoon Hee Kim demonstrated the beauty and serenity in the traditional Korean tea ceremony.  Yoon Hee Kim is a certified tea master with the Tea Culture Association of Korea and she teaches and performs the traditional art of the Korean Tea Ceremony.  Yoon Hee is also an instructor for the U.S. Tea Association’s SpecialtyTea Institute (STI). [1]

[1]  http://www.nwteafestival.com/Speakers/YoonHeeKim.php

Chai Mookie

I love chai, so when we passed by the Chai Mookie stand at New York City’s 2014 Coffee and Tea Festival, I had to stop.  It was hard to reach the stand because of the crowd gathered around it, sampling and buying the tea.  My friend and I sampled their Coco Mookie – it was clearly a favorite with the crowds.  In just one sip we both knew why and we immediately bought some to take home and enjoy.  The stand sold out just as we bought the last two bags of the day.

Click here to find a blend on Amazon.com

My Coco Mookie chai tea blend came in a neatly folded and crisp brown bag with the name of the company, Chai Mookie, written in large letters.  Chai Mookie, I soon discovered sells exclusively organic and fair trade chai and has created so far about seven signature blends.  Chai Mookie expands upon the tradition of masala chai from India, which is typically made with black tea and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom.[1]  

I met the founder of Chai Mookie, Martin Fitzpatrick at the festival.  My first question for this striking, over 6’2” inches, dirty blond and blue eyed American man, raised in a small town in Vermont, was:  how did he get into the business of India style tea?  He told me that he grew up with Indian spices because his parents just liked to cook Indian food.  Later, while working in Brooklyn New York City as a barrista for a coffee shop, one of Fitzpatrick’s customers kept asking him for decaffeinated chai, so he decided to make some for her.  She loved it and encouraged him to start selling it.  He launched Chai Mookie in 2011 and mixes his spices in Brooklyn.

Fitzpatrick told me that his nickname is Mookie.  Like his unusual nickname, Mookie makes unusual chai.  The “Dirty Mookie Blend” combines ground espresso beans and chai tea.  “Coco Mookie” has no tea in it at all and instead contains raw cacao beans (the chocolate bean) ground to a fine powder.  Even though traditional India chai has black tea, Chai Mookie’s “Classic Mookie” version as no tea in it at all but does have the traditional chai spices.  “Wake Up! Mookie” has Assam black tea in it, for those traditionalist chai drinkers. 

______________________________________________

[1]  http://coffeetea.about.com/od/teaandtisanebasics/a/Masala-Chai-101.htm

The Amish Drink Tea, Too!

Amish Buggy in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA,  Author: TheCadExpert

The oldest and largest Amish community in the United States, numbering about 30,000, lives in bucolic Lancaster County. [1]  This April I spent an afternoon there as a tourist in the town of “Bird-in-Hand”.  Visiting the Pennsylvania Amish is like visiting a bygone era as the Amish community avoids the modern world and lives like it’s still the 18^th century when their ancestors first came to Pennsylvania.  The Amish are a distinctively conservative Christian group who limit their interaction with outsiders and shun modern conveniences such as electricity and machine made clothes.  In fact, their modest handmade outfits reminded me of the television show, Little House on the Prairie. 

 

Author:  Ad Meskens  Kick Scooter

The Amish don't drive cars or ride pedal bikes.  The horse and buggy is the most recognizable Amish icon.  But I also saw these unusual kick push scooters everywhere.  Even though the Pennsylvania Amish church placed a taboo on the bicycle, these non-motorized, non-gear scooters are allowed. [2]

Aunt Ruthie didn't mind me sharing a photo of her at work at her kiosk.

Because the Amish are well known for living a simple and humble life, I wasn’t expecting to meet an Amish tea vendor with exotic and creative tea blends.  I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a kindred tea spirit, despite the technological divide and the religious and cultural chasm. At the Bird-in-Hand Farmer’s Market, I met Aunt Ruthie, the owner of Aunt Ruthie's Specialties - Spice, Herb & Tea Haus.
 
Aunt Ruthie has a wide selection of teas, which she buys in bulk and repackages. Her tea includes exotic blends like her Passion Fruit Tea and Mango Green Tea.  She said her favorite is the Queen Elizabeth Tea, which is a black breakfast tea.  She also recommended her Pear Tea, particularly as a cold drink.  I purchased the Pear Tea and tried it at home – it was as good as she promised! 

_______________________________________

[1]  http://www.padutchcountry.com/towns-and-heritage/amish-country/amish-history-and-beliefs.asp

[2]  http://www.padutchcountry.com/towns-and-heritage/amish-country/amish-lifestyle.asp#Style%20of%20Dress