24262 Wed May 21 23:34:10 -0700 2003 5 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 94264 Last night driving down Pacific well after 10pm, I noticed what looked like a contemporary tea shop with some seating closing up for the night near the corner of Hyde. A sidewalk sign offered traditional Chinese teas. Have any of the tea hounds checked this out yet? Wed May 21 23:34:10 -0700 2003 0 Melanie Wong 1 94308 yup. it's a great little spot w/a number of rare oolongs. the owner, may, is very excited about tea. Thu May 22 13:29:43 -0700 2003 94264 0 shocker 2 94389 Thanks - are tastings offered? How's it like to enjoy a cuppa there? Fri May 23 00:07:52 -0700 2003 94308 0 Melanie Wong 3 94398 Melanie, Thanks for the tip. I had a pleasant two hours at Dynastea this afternoon. There is a free tasting, but from what I saw it is not along the Celandon lines. There is a counter in the center of the room where I assume you can do tastings. This place has been open two months. May and her husband always dreamed of opening a tea room and when rents started to drop in the city, they took their chance. It is an absolutely lovely room decorated with Asian antiques that are for sale (at pretty reasonable prices). Comfortable amd beautiful rose wood tables. Couches and comfy chairs. There is a room in back that looks like someone's living room. I asked three times to see if I was accidently walking into their living quarters. The sunny window seats have pink velvet cushions with gold borders. Tea music plays softly in the backgroundd. Most tea is in the $4 - $6 range with the most expensive pot of tea, Scarlet Robe, $10. Lovely tea service with a pot of hot water on the table with a warming plate, or whatever those electrical water warmers are called. May buys her tea directly from the Chinese government and most of it is from Fujian. Sorry, I can't tell you the price per pound of these teas as my kitchen cabinets are starting to sprout tea leaves. I have to back off on buying for a while until I use up my major stash. May has an interest in educating people about tea. I think, and this may just be me, that her interest is providing a comfortable and beautiful place to drink tea. Tea snscks are available and include vegan tea cookies along with other snacks like pumpkin seeds. If you want a place just to kick back and relax, this is it. Much better than the North Beach coffee houses. There is even a major magazine rack that seems to aim to appeal to everyone ... Real Simple, PC World, Popular Science, Details, Readers Digest, Classy (Japanese fashion magazine), and the Shanbala Sun (check that one out for some contemplation with your tea). I only tried three teas. I started with the Shui Jin Gue. May gave me a comlimentary taste of Tiguayin (Iron Goddess). And being a fan of Pu-er type of teas I had a pot of the Lu-an, an aged 13 year old tea. I could only find one reference to it on the web, so it may have another name. May said that there is some sort of dried flower in this tea as well, but she only knew the Chinese name. The Lu-an was an excellent aged tea. The other two were very nice, but to me, didn't match some of the fresh green teas I've had at Celadon lately. However, as I said, I only tried 2 so far. Going back to my pot of Shui Jin Gui, after the Lu-an gave the former a honied flavor. It was a lovely amber tea. I have found my tea room in SF. I love Celadon, but it's on the wrong side of the Bay for me. I'll probably run through the tea menu at Dynastea. I look forward to spending many a sunny day there. I want to try the Gui Hua which is described a flower tea with a hint of apricot. If you don't like strong tea, ask for a fair pot (that little pot to pour the tea into after it has brewed). It was a very nice experience. Also, I'll post this separately, but I have never been on this block before in SF. It seems it has it's own little restaurant row. Dynastea is open from noon to 10 pm daily with one day that it is closed and I'm sorry but I'm blanking on the day. You can call at 415 931 8620. It's on 1390 Pacific in a neighboor hood where parking is tight, but the Hyde street cable car runs past it and there are a number of buses. Always learning something new, May suggested for the teas served in the gaiwan to smell the lid, like a tea snifter. Good tip. It's a good beginners place as well as May will talk about the tea and how to drink it if you are unfamiliar. I find it a little more friendly, relaxed and informative than Imperial Tea although the selection isn't as extensive with about 20 - 25 teas. Link: http://www.goldenbough.co.uk/f/cj_feature195.html Fri May 23 01:56:15 -0700 2003 94389 0 Stanley Stephan 4 94413 I was hoping you'd rise to the bait. (g) Thanks for checking it out and reporting back. I'm glad it was worthwhile. Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/23/cat23.htm?842 Fri May 23 04:13:40 -0700 2003 94398 0 Melanie Wong 4 95285 I've got to think that the gui hua tea is made with osmanthus flowers (the only gui hua my limited knowledge of Mandarin brings to mind). If that's the case, that could be a fabulous tea! Tue Jun 03 20:12:23 -0700 2003 94398 0 Peter Yee