Imperial Tea Court
1411 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(800) 567-5898
11AM - 6:30PM, Wed-Mon
Many purchasers of fine teas will be familiar with Roy and Grace
Fong's products through their informative web site. My sister and I wanted
to sample their products onsite, so made the pilgrimage to their tearoom at
the edge of San Francisco's Chinatown this past weekend. We heartily
recommend that you do likewise.
Imperial Tea Court's tearoom is unobtrusive from the outside but
serene on the inside. Roy designed the one large room solely for the
enjoyment of and education about fine Chinese teas. All of the materials
and craftsmanship were imported from China. The careful attention to effect
shows in expanses of highly polished wood walls and shelving, with seating
that's comfortable even for extended tea tasting.
Tea, not food, is the focus. ITC provides a choice of only three
light, but excellent, snacks. The Fongs reserve their variety for an
extended menu of fine greens, oolongs, blacks, and a few whites and herbals
- each served in the fashion best suited to bring out its finest qualities.
Ah, but you'd like details? ITC uses two basic approaches to
brewing tea. The first (primarily for greens) uses the covered handleless
cups with saucers called gaiwans. Once a tea is chosen and measured, the
dry fragrance and appearance is briefly appreciated. A small quantity of
hot (not boiling) water brings out the initial layers of scent and unfolding
of the leaf. The remaining hot water for the first steeping is then added.
We were shown how to manage the three parts easily and gracefully so as to
enjoy the tea without a mouthful of leaves. Hot water can then be added
repeatedly until every bit of the essence of the leaf has been extracted.
At all steps of the process, we were given tips, advice, and background as
to the whys and hows.
The second method - gongfu -- can be more complicated but, in its
simplest form, uses more leaf for less time and is often used for oolong or
black teas. Typically, a small teapot is filled halfway with dry leaf. The
first layer of water is usually poured off quickly before any tea is served.
As with the gaiwan, multiple brewings are possible. Because of the quantity
of leaf and relatively short timing, the tea is often poured off into a
pitcher so that the different results blend for the enjoyment of all at the
table. Roy demonstrated how even a small change in water temperature or
brewing time could produce different, but equally lovely, brews.
Lest this sound entirely too complex, the key to drinking tea at ITC
is enjoying fine conversation, sometimes about the tea, sometimes about tea
history, or about anything else best discussed at leisure.
Over the weekend, we sampled as many teas as we could distinguish
without dulling our taste buds. We focused on greens and oolongs, many of
them superb representatives of their types and most selected personally by
Roy on his yearly trip to China. Many of the teas are imported only
partially processed and are then hand-fired by him to the taste that he
prefers. By visiting the tearoom, we were even able to try a few teas that
had arrived but not yet been fully finished.
