Samovar Tea

Rosie Palmer is my favorite ! It’s so good! And the staffs are super nice! Too bad they don’t serve coffee :(

As someone who recently had to quit coffee, this place makes tea exciting. Not only is the tea bar ridiculously well-​designed and serene, it’s really fun watching the baristas (is this the right term??) make drinks with all the glass contraptions! I feel like I’m in a hipster chem class!
I’m particularly partial to their matcha tea latte and turmeric spice tea. I’m also grateful for all the gluten-​free goodies they have behind the counter — especially the matcha mochi cake.
All in all, a great rest stop while wandering around the Mission!

The chai is amazing, I cannot attest to anything else there, but it’s a chai bar so that’s what should matter.

Their avocado toast is heaven!!! The place itself is also pretty cool with a very modern vibe. I got my toast to go but if I am ever in town I will definitely return to try some of their tea selection!

I like this place. I think it’s fun and pretty darn neat. Whenever I’m in the area, I make it a point to come here. Even if tea isn’t your thing, they have other items (drinks and food) on the menu. Not to mention, their set-​up and lab display is awesome.
I’ve gotten the classic chai but it’s nothing I get excited about. If you’re a true chai fan though, their spicier chai might make you fall in love. I usually just opt for their black or herbal teas which are always just as unique and delicious.
There is some seating but not really a place to hang out in. Cool place to drop in on a cold/​rainy day and impress your friends/​family. Workers are friendly, helpful, and knowledgable.

This place is a one of a kind. I’ve never seen a plush boutique that’s catered to Chai, teas, lights snacks, etc. This place is like high end jewelry shop but with these items. The design and feel of Samovar is refreshing and calm. There are people lounging against the back wall, sipping their drinks and just having a relaxed time.
I ordered their famous Masala Chai which is extremely tasty. It’s full of the chai spice bite and has an excellent silky smooth texture. I love how the chai is scooped from this copper material type pot. It’s super fancy!
Their masala chai is the best I’ve ever had. It was nice and spicy in the beginning with a rich hot chocolate base towards the end. Nothing like it.
I’ll bet definitely coming back for more and often. I love this place!

They have a great selection of different teas, albeit other than teas, not much is noteworthy. The selection of pastries and desserts are limited and overpriced, although the presentation is cute.
Go in for the teas, stay for the atmosphere, and plan to lunch somewhere else.

I don’t really know what real chai tastes like but this place has me coming back time and time again, especially on chilly days when a cup of hot, hot chai is all that you want. Milky, spicy, not overly sweet.
I recently discovered they serve food as well — whatever that truffle egg on toast dish is looks delicious, and all their other options really look too beautiful to even touch. Check out some of the photos and you’ll see what I mean.

Been here twice for Chai.
The first time, after we purchased Chai tea, we witnessed 2 female employees trying to figure out how to get rid of flies in the pastry display case. They didn’t throw the pastries away. Barf. Out.
Decided to give these guys a second chance. My friend had Chai tea and got crazy bad food poisoning. On her birthday. That’s all sorts of foul.
Never again.

Wow!
This place is fantastic!
Great trendy & modern atmosphere. Nice people working here. Free samples. Small menu but looks for real as well… What not to like!
My husband & I got the traditional chai tea… Amazing! It was full of flavor & spice, just what we need with this cold weather that is upon us!
There were 4 samples available also. We tried the oolong, monkey picked tea & it was one of the best I’ve ever had!
They have a small but decent sized area to sit & chat or read a book.
We will definitely be back & will try one of their food items, the avocado toast looked great!
They also sell a limited selection of their loose tea leaves.

I realized while writing another review I had never reviewed one of my go-​to tea places when I’m in Valencia.
To start off with, I pretty much love everything about this place. The wait line is never exceedingly long, the service is always friendly, and their bathroom is just gorgeous — though that seems like a strange thing to rate them on.
And their tea. Because that’s what they do. Tea. It’s the perfect drinking temperature, perfectly steeped and perfectly served. The flavors are such a nice bouquet that you want to sit there drinking forever. But you can’t… because… Life.
Honestly, I also really love their bench system. It’s very spa like without the crowded noise of chairs or tables. It adds to the relaxation I find in this place. Simply drinking a cup of tea.

I’m a fan of this Samovar location, which is different from the teahouse/​lounge Samovars around the city. While I enjoy the tea and the ambiance that Samovar lounges offer, I always thought they were overpriced.
Enter Samovar Tea on Valencia Street. I love the sleek, urban décor of this location, coupled with the lab equipments they use to make the tea. Sure, it’s likely a marketing strategy, but it doesn’t detract from feeling like a fun space.
The price of the tea here is also lower than other Samovars, and they recently started offering «Eggs & Things» as part of their menu, which includes delicious options like sous vide eggs, avocado, toast, and oh-​so-​hip mason jar rice dishes. Healthy, delicious, and more reasonably priced than other Samovar lounges.
There aren’t that many places to sit but you can still grab a seat by the wall and watch the tea masters craft your drinks and food. All in all, I love it.

Clean, crisp and pure — everything you want in a good cup of tea. The ambiance is the perfect compliment, and really sets you up to anticipate your crafted brew.
The only caution I would give is that the teas are distinctive, and if you’re not familiar you may find you either love or hate your choice. It just depends on your predisposition, your background and prejudices.
The politics of tea are infinitely nuanced.
If you’re a lover of sweet snacks to partner with your tea — the selection is limited and by mid afternoon you may find your favourites have all been snatched.

Whoa.
I like my Masala chai tea with a side of swank please.
The beautiful, all white environment is cooling to the senses. Your eyes will zero in on the big copper pots simmering with Masala chai and since we’re in SF, you can even have almond milk with it.
Test tubes containing loose leaf, single origin, organic teas appeal to the science nerd in me. Try the traditional English Breakfast or a caffeine free version like Spearmint Sage.
Unlike other Samovar locations, this one is more of a to-​go place rather than a lounge. However, the set-​up fits the Mission and I’m happy to have an alternative to the coffee shop dominated stretch of Valencia st.

This place is a unique tea house. Everyone there seems really «cultured» and hip. They have comfy front booths that you can reserve. However, $ 14 for some almond milk and matcha powder?! Tasty but ridiculous. I’m very surprised this place can stay in business, I guess that’s San Franciscans for ya!

You’re drawn to the smell of chai from down the street.
You see the beautiful beard of a worker from the window.
But you stay because the tea is damn good.
That’s pretty much all I can say about this place. There are so many coffee places nearby but I’m more of a tea drinker. I LOVED the Ryokucha, it was the perfect green tea for the morning. The chai here is NOTHING like the Chai at Starbucks just by the way. Prepare your body for some real quality chai and tea.
Pricey but you definitely pay for qualiTEA.

Only in the mission can you get a green tea shot, then upon exiting immediately run into a woman who hands you a sunflower (I kid you not, see the pic), says you’re cute, then runs away giggling like a teenager.
Just like that random sunflower, I didn’t know what to think when I saw this place.
It looks like Beaker and Bunsons laboratory from the Muppets.
Except they make high quality tea here.
Glass beakers, whisks, vats of liquid chai tea, it’s an interesting set up for sure.
The matcha shot was very strong, and though it didn’t wake me up (I’m not a morning person), it did taste healthy.
I felt very distinguished drinking here. I felt like I was made of money. Well, I guess maybe I am since it costs nearly $ 5 for one shot of matcha that doesn’t have any alcohol in it.
And afterwards I walked out onto crazy mission street where that girl gave me one sunflower from her batch of flowers, and ran away.
I wanted to ask her what she meant by «cute.» I had a Joe Pesci in Goodfella’s kind of moment where I wanted to ask her, «cute as in a puppy cute? Cute, as in funny looking? What do you mean by cute?»
But, I never got the chance since she ran away.
Only in the mission I tell you, can this type of thing happen…

This pretty cool tea lounge is heaven for chai tea lovers. Along with other teas, such as matcha, they handcraft their drinks to perfection. I heard the chai tea was popular so I had to order one during my first visit. It was delicious. It had various notes of spices and it was warm and comforting. You can also have it with whole milk or almond milk.
One star off for the awkward bench seating. There’s no place to really sit and enjoy your beverage or pastries at a table with a friend. With such a cool interior, they should definitely make room for a table or two.

Hmm I felt a little overwhelmed, but perhaps this was my own fault since I’m a bit of a tea purist and I got the Velvet Cacao which had so many things going on it, I’m not even sure what I really ended up drinking. So yeah, feeling a little meh about it but very possible that I ordered the wrong thing.
That being said, the vibe here is pretty cool. Samovar makes tea cool the way that all the hipster cafes in the world have made coffee cool. They’ve got a scientist vibe going on in the store that reminds me a lot of Boba Guys — lots of test tubes and beakers, etc. Although I think they might have predated Boba Guys but ANYWAYS I digress. They’ve got a menu that tells you what the teas are based off of, so I got a tea that was based off of pu-​er because normally I like that stuff and then I chose the one with the word «cacao» because you know I like chocolate. Maybe it’d taste like chocolately tea or something.
But no. I got… a mixture that tasted like coconut tea. Very confused. Maybe that’s just what happens when you fuse things together.
Anyways, not hating this place since obviously these people take their tea seriously and I’m kind of a noob and underappreciating their craft, but that being said, I wasn’t a fan of the Velvet Cacao but would love to try a different variation in the future.
tldr; fancy af tea. if you know your tea you’ll be impressed. if you don’t (like me), you might mess up on ordering, so may tell the barista (do you call tea making people baristas?) your preferences and get something you like

I would totally decorate my future home in the style of Samovar on Valencia.
Aside from that, I’ve burned my mouth on hot chai lattes to the point where it blisters and have been disappointed by lukewarm matcha lattes.
Taste — perfect. Not too sweet with well, the flavor of tea. Masala chai is fantastic.
Consistency? Completely lacking. In regards to service, temperature, AMOUNT of drink in my cup…
If you do stop by, do yourself a favor and don’t order the Hong Kong tea. Literally your typical milk tea with a jasmine green tea blend that you could easily replicate elsewhere.