Teance

The Tea Bar

I finally had tea at a tea bar...

Teance

in Berekely, California. 

Teance is located in one of my favorite shopping areas,

the Fourth Street Shops. 

On a recent trip to Berkeley, instead of shopping all day,

I treated myself to a relaxing afternoon of tea tasting

and learning more about Asian teas at Teance.

 On my visit, Co-Manager, Darius Moghaddam was tending bar.

I was so impressed with his knowledge of tea. 

Turns out,  he has been on 5 tea buying trips all over the world. 

So yes, he does know a thing or two about tea

and graciously shares his knowledge.

Darius and I decided that I should try a tea tasting of their

Flight of Three Teas. 

Flight of Three Teas

 Silver Needle Tea

My first flight was Silver Needle (Yin Zhen), a white tea. 

This prized tea is from Fuding, Fujan, China.

Waking up the Tea Leaves

To enjoy this tea,

you first must first "wake up" the tea leaves

by pouring hot water on them and removing the water immediately.

 Steeping

Next, the tea was steeped for 1 1/2 minutes in a Gaiwan. 

Darius told me "a Gaiwan is an ancient tea making tool". 

I had never seen one before.

 Tranquility

Silver Needle tea is very delicate and subtle in taste

with a pale color.  A tranquil, cup indeed.

 Flower Bouquet

My second flight was Flower Bouquet, a green tea. 

This tea is hand-tied into a heart bundle. 

It is also from Fuding, Fujan, China.

 Flowering Tea

Flower Bouquet tea is steeped in a glass tea pot. 

As it steeps, the leaves unfold and
a beautiful red hibiscus flower is revealed. 
It's magical!

It had a light Jasmin note and I enjoyed it.

 Mochi

Besides tea, Teance also has wonderful treats,

 like Japanese Mochi handmade locally.

I enjoyed a Pumpkin & Lima Bean Mochi along with my tea tasting.

It was beautiful with its edible flowers and
so much better than store bought Mochi. 

 Matcha

My third flight was Matcha.

Teance's Matcha is from Uji, Japan from Koyama En,

the most prestigious matcha company in Japan.

I was most excited to try Matcha green powdered tea

since I had never tried it before. 

 Tea Ceremony Whisk

Matcha is considered to be the healthiest of teas

because you are drinking all the leaves
 which are milled into a fine powder.

Matcha is prepared with a bamboo tea whisk.

I loved watching Darius make my cup. 

 Matcha

Matcha is like no other tea I have ever tasted. 

It is thick and frothy.  Matcha has a stronger green tea flavor and

I think one probably has to acquire a taste for it. 

I plan on doing just that so I can enjoy the health benefits of drinking Matcha.

The Great Wall of Tea

I'm so glad I took a break from shopping around Fourth Street

and enjoyed a break at the Tea Bar at Teance. 

It was a wonderful and relaxing experience. 

Thank you Darius for teaching me more about the world of tea.

I highly recommend Teance Fine Teas. 

If you can't get to Berkeley,

 they have an online store and Tea Subscriptions, too!