Taste

A true gem of tranquil lounging tucked in a quiet tree-​lined street. Sit, steep, and sip while listening to meditative soundtracks. Every town should have a place like this. I want to run a place like this, but with secret yoga classes happening in a back room.
Please happen again. In every town in the world. Please please please

NOOOO WHY’D YOU CLOSE. Please tell me you’re just relocating?
I only went to Taste Tea once but it was going to be my new go-​to. The tea and snacks were delicious. Service was great, and the place had such a comfy and peaceful atmosphere, especially compared to the overstimulation at neighboring cafes. Plus, I got SO much work done– seriously I’ve never been so productive! I just loved sitting back, enjoying my tea, and pontificating about life in the relaxing space.
THIS CANNOT BE THE END!

Taste Tea was the most beautiful and peaceful place in all of Hayes Valley, and run by a wonderful man, Vince. The tea was excellent, and prepared with care. I went there often, and brought all my friends.
But now, alas, it is closed.
Goodbye Taste Tea. I will miss you.

Lovely tea place! The workers are very knowledgeable about the different types of teas and were happy to give recommendations for each type when we asked for them. I went for the pink rose herbal tea which was sweet and good both hot and cold and my friend had the dragon well green tea which also had a sweeter finish. There are 3 choices for the tea service, and we chose the traditional gong fu cha style which was explained and demonstrated to us after we were served. They also have a variety of goodies to munch on while you’re sipping away at your tea, like the green tea macaron which I thought was a good pairing for my herbal tea. If it’s not too crowded, be sure to get a spot by the window, as half of the seating is almost like a giant couch to relax on while you’re drinking your tea.

In the vein of Samovar Tea Lounge, but more tea centric and less food centric. The staff was very knowledgeable and turned tea drinking into an experience. The ambiance is relaxing and the music playing in the background was similar to what you’d find in a spa. It’s tucked away a little off the beaten path in Hayes, which doesn’t hurt the zen environment. Costs per tea are similar to other high end tea shops at around $ 11 each. However you’re not just getting a cup of tea, you’ll enjoy at least a dozen little pours so you’ll be set with a single order.

Came here on a food tour.
Vincent sat with us and brew our tea.
Learned that each tea has a specific brewing temperature! We had an Olong tea. Vincent did what he called a tea rinse (poured hot water over tea and then strained) first. The next step is a 15 second infusion. We drank this first infusion. The tea leaves were maybe two tablespoons initially but after the first infusion more than doubled. We tasted after a second and then a third infusion. By the end the tea pot was full of bloomed tea leaves. The tea was amazing. The process was so calming and meditative!
Black sesame and lotus buns were yummy! Very traditional dim sum. Would love to come back and try more.

I had to write a paper the other day (note: if you’re my German professor, please note by ‘to write’ I really mean touching up on a paper that I’ve spent a month carefully crafting), and I realized there was no way I’d be able to get it done at home. My local Starbucks is crap, so I decided to find another place that has wifi and where I could have something to drink while working. I’ve been wanting to try this place forever, so having to get out of the house, I decided to finally try it and I’m very glad that I did.
There weren’t many people there, so I was able to snag a pimp table with a giant built-​in couch by one of the windows — SO FRIGGIN AWESOME! I don’t recall what tea I had, but it was named popcorn-​something, and it was so yummy — will definitely have that again. I also broke my low-​carb diet by having green tea macaroons and a piece of green tea roll cake, and it was so delicious that I don’t even regret it. Really, it was totally worth it. I also had the Jasmine tea, which was good, but obviously not as exciting as the popcorn-​something tea that I first had.
I will definitely come back here.
Edit: I can’t believe it closed :(You will be missed a lot, Taste, and if you reopen, I will come in every week, just reopen please!

Taste is a really charming tea house, providing similar tea services as Samovar, but smaller and more intimate.
We each tried a oolong tea and did it gongfu style, really taking our time to enjoy each pour and its progression in flavor.
It’s not terribly crowded on a weekend, but had plenty of patrons to keep the one guy there super busy. But he was patient enough to take his time with each customer without making other customers feeling neglected, which is nice because you assume a tea shop would embody some of that zen philosophy.
They also have little sweets like red bean buns which we enjoyed a lot.
I would definitely love to go back for another couple of hours of peaceful tea time.

This is a great café in San Fran! Wonderful selection of teas with a wide array of reading materials on tea, to read up while enjoying some well selected brews.
Clean bathrooms, hip décor, and friendly staff. Wasn’t crowded while I was there so it provided the perfect environment for relaxation.
Possibly the best tea house in San Fran!

Really cute little Chinese tea shop, with awesome tea blends like nothing I’ve ever tried before. I especially liked one of the teas because it was super nice and buttery.
The snacks and treats were nothing amazing, in fact the green tea roll cake was a bit dry and not in an intentional way, but I almost prefer dry sweets (e.g. scones) with my tea and coffee.

I go to this place when I want to have a relaxing time with friends or to study.
Most of the tea leaves are from Taiwan. They also give you a sample smell of various kinds of teas that might not have been what you had ordered.
The people at the tea lounge are very kind and will always show us how to properly make and drink tea in the Taiwanese style.
It is not too quiet to chat and not too noisy to concentrate which makes this place very productive.
Also check out the nicely modern restroom.

Interesting layout, they had booths and wooden chairs with cute tables in an Asian influence (mostly Chinese). A small shop.
The tea selection was about 15 different types, all Chinese teas. I think this is an interesting tea shop to explore, if you always go low tea-​ing.
The buns here are really hyped up too much. It’s really dry and flavorless in my opinion. You can find better buns at dim sum shops. Cake rolls are okay. BUT, I must say that their TARO cake roll was delicious! A must order, if you like taro! Their macarons are also very good with an interesting selection of flavor (texture is a bit off, but the flavor makes up for it)!
Overall, I really like this place because it’s really different from the other tea places. Customer service is also good. The style of tea presentation is different from low tea completely, instead of a teapot, you get to familiarize yourself with the traditional Chinese way of drinking tea.

This place is so awesome. My fiancé and I popped in here with our photographer to take some photos for our engagement shoot. I almost forgot we were taking photos. It was so relaxing in here and the window seat was so comfortable. We got the tea set with the Dragon Well and the Lotus, Custard, Chicken, Pork, and Black Sesame Buns. The buns were the tastiest ones I’ve ever had and they were fluffy and moist. If there’s anything I hate, it’s a dry dense bun. The owner was great, too, he was friendly, enthusiastic, and accommodating. He told us that a couple of people have taken there e-​photos there and he helps them set up good shots.
I’ll definitely be visiting this place every time I come back to the Bay area.

Taste was a wonderful Scoutmob find! I visited on a Thursday in the late afternoon and had the window table. There were only two other parties there at that time and each had their own semi-​private space so I didn’t see anyone else there other than the owner. The owner was very friendly — taking his time with each table. Service was a bit slow, but I was not in a hurry. I like strong teas so after smelling the teas, I chose the Alishan oolong tea. This was my first time using a «gaiwan» so the owner patiently showed me the process of steeping and straining the tea. I also tried one of the tea macarons baked by his wife, but I prefer the tea-​flavored macarons from Chantal Guillon around the corner more. The tea house offered a tranquil and relaxing environment. They also had a rack of books and magazines, and I got to read a cookbook from a bakery that I frequented in Hong Kong.

BREWING THE BAY: Chinese and Taiwanese loose leaf teas, complete Chinese gongfu preparation
This is one of those rare occasions where I don’t really want to write a review for a business because I don’t want it to be discovered by the majority of the populace. However, guilt always wins out – I can’t bear to deprive a worthy establishment of positive attention and potential customers, no matter how much I want it to remain my little secret. This is why I can never be a hipster.
Growing up Chinese-​Taiwanese, I’ve had a lot of experience with gongfu cha preparation. My absolute favorite experience is the gongfu ceremony I did with a revered tea master in the misty Yangmingshan Mountains of Northern Taiwan. Can we say surreal? I’m so glad that the large Asian population in the Bay Area makes gongfu serving methods the norm in Asian tea rooms. And if you happen to be at Taste, you get the added bonus of a lesson (for newbies) and the opportunity to do the preparation/​ceremony yourself.
Here’s how it works: You select the amount of tea you want depending on how many people are in your party. A single gaiwan is ~$ 9, and additional cups are ~$ 6 each. Keep in mind though that the tea leaves Taste offers can be steeped in (free, unlimited, high-​quality) hot water anywhere from 8 to 12 times. Vincent, the gongfu master, brings out a lovely tray with all the tea apparatus you need. He teaches you how to do gongfu by demonstrating it once the whole way through, then leaves you to make it happen from there on. Note that I stressed high-​quality in regards to water because water quality is an integral part of gongfu preparation. Besides temperature, too much or too little mineral content in water can negatively affect the taste of the tea. Taste takes great pains to make sure it provides the right kind of water for you.
I came here to catch up with a good friend from Boston who had just moved to SF (yaaay!) and I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect venue. On a cold, rainy Thursday night, there were only 2 other people in the tea room and they were both engrossed in their laptops. Thus, we got to ensconce ourselves in one of the dark, cozy, cushion-​filled corner niches. As other reviewers have noted, the atmosphere here is peaceful and serene. However, don’t come to Taste expecting it to look like some Chinese temple or Asian spa. The decorations are sparse, though the few that exist are tasteful. I especially like the draping white woven nets. The calm ambience comes mainly from the background music and general quietness of the patrons.
They offer a choice list of mostly Chinese teas. It’s not extensive by any means, but it’s nicely divided into the main Asian tea categories – white, yellow, green, red (aka black tea to Westerners) and oolong – and the choices for each category are top notch. Since gongfu cha preparation was originally developed for oolong tea, my friend and I thought it was only appropriate to go with Golden Oolong, a delicious milky-​tasting tea with a strong aroma of peaches and cream. I highly, highly recommended this tea if you are new to oolong, have a sweet tooth or are trying to convince a non-​tea drinker (who thinks all teas taste like water) to give tea a chance. If you happen to be experienced in oolong, this tea will feel like you’ve come home.
We ordered three buns to nibble on while we talked. I was not impressed with any of them. They basically had the feel and texture of frozen buns that had been quickly steamed. The custard bun was very sweet and runny, with a yolk-​like grainy texture rather than the more common creamy custard. The lotus bun was forgettable and the vegetable curry bun was small and sparsely filled. Basically, I wouldn’t recommend eating here unless you are absolutely starving.
If you want a cozy, quiet tea room where you can learn a centuries-​old Chinese tea ritual and be left alone for hours on end, come to Taste. Vincent will make you feel right at home and the warm, soothing teas will melt your cares away. :)

I love this place. It’s relaxing as soon as you step in. The service is friendly and not pushy. I especially love the two window seating areas. On a quiet afternoon, I like lying down on those big blocky cushions with a good book. They serve Asian teas here, in two ways: gaiwan (personal cup) or gong fu style (for sharing). Aside from the stellar tea selection, they also have some snacks. There are steamed buns, macarons, and cake roll slices. The macarons were not as well formed or uniform as typical ones. Some are bigger and some are smaller, some more crumbly. The pu’er and green tea were delicious, but the tea flavor subtle. I like coming here alone.
+ free wifi
+ takes payments by Square
+ 50% off on Scoutmob

Really calm, serene place to spend time — especially if you’re into Chinese tea. A and I have had a couple of «tea parties» here, just the two of us. Both times were on Saturday mornings, right about when they open. We were pretty much the only people there both times.
We chose the tea for two both times, but the first time we only got to try one tea. The second time, we got to pick two teas. I don’t know if that was a change or if we missed out on our second tea the first time.
A is a total Chinese tea connoisseiur and he thought the tea was really high quality, so if you’re into tea, you should definitely go here. We like to sit in one of the seats by the window with the big cushy window seat. I like that we could just chill and relax when we’re there. You don’t feel like you’re in a rush.
The tea for two comes with two choices of tea, two slices of cake (we chose chocolate and green tea both times), 4 tea macarons (they come in tea flavors, as well as some regular ones, but we chose the tea flavors), two sesame balls, 4 buns (the vegetable curry ones are SO good!), and an exotic fruit plate.
It’s not the least expensive place, but the quality is good and it’s a really calming place to unwind after a crazy work week.
Warning: Parking can totally suck in this area.

Taste is full of delightful contrasts. White boys waxing poetic about Chinese teas. A pastry case full of exotic fruits and bland-​looking dumplings. Oversized couches and miniature cups. 20-​something girls chatting on their cell phones while partaking in the «ceremony» of tea. It’s a magical little den of surprises.
We stumbled in during the Capsule street fair, and instantly wanted to stay all afternoon. I love the clean, Scandinavian-​esque décor with crocheted-​fiber curtains, wooden tables, and hidden seating nooks throughout. If you appreciate good, thoughtful design you’ll eat this place up.
We each paid $ 5 for our tea, which included all these traditional tools you apparently need to drink tea «correctly» — a steeping cup, tiny drinking cup, wooden box for the water run-​off, etc. One of the tea boys gave us a tutorial and walked us through the process. It was fascinating! I won’t try to recap it for you, but I highly recommend experiencing it for yourself, at least once.
Sure, it’s pricier than you’d pay for a jumbo cup at Peets, but the experience is way more interesting that sipping on some wet tea bag in a paper cup. In fact, there are no to-​go cups here. You’d be crazy not to linger.

‘Taste’ is certainly… tasteful. I think a more descriptive name could have been more helpful to my fellow non-​sophisticates like… uhhh, I don’t know… Calm or… how about the Zen Lounge? Oh, I guess ‘Taste’ will do for now, especially since Vincent and Rebecca, the young couple who run the place, epitomize low-​key hospitality in a way that’s inviting and restful. There’s no thumping house music in here, no angry poetry, no bad pick-​up lines. Actually I can’t verify the last one, but I can’t imagine counting on too much horizontal action here when you’re so singularly focused on your tea serving technique.
For $ 8, you can get a traditional Gong Fu tea set on a wooden, drip-​dry box and a lesson from Vincent on how you steep and pour the tea of your choice (see photo). ‘Gong Fu’ translates into ‘tea with effort’, and they’re not kidding. One false move, and you can get a handful of scalding hot water. I am no tea connoisseur despite my heritage, and Jamie W. didn’t have much insight on the subject either. So we went with the tea served to us as a free sample — the Gentleman Hill Silver Needle (see photo) — which was deliciously soothing, the type of subtle herbal tea that you could sip endlessly in your kimono. OK, I don’t wear a kimono, and I don’t encourage us to open it at business brainstorm meetings either. So there.
We just had a huge pizza at Paxti’s, so we weren’t in the mood for the delectable-​looking buns and banh mi sandwiches available to order. In fact, we were making Rebecca hungry with the aroma of our leftover box. However, we did manage to squeeze in a $ 3 slice of the Chocolate Cake (see photo), which was chewier than the similar kind you can find at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop in J-​Town. I’m not complaining since it added the sweetness that brought us into the becalming space in the first place. They sell all sorts of teas as well as teapots, decorative knick-​knacks, and Chinese toys and puzzles. What more could you want?
TEA/​CAKE — 4 stars… soothing tea will tame the savage beast
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… calm, modern Asian vibe… wish it was a tad bigger space given the stream of curious tea drinkers that start to queue up here
SERVICE — 4.5 stars… genuinely nice and patient young couple… they remind me of a flashback version of the Murashiges who run Joe’s Ice Cream
TOTAL — 4 stars… worth a stop to sit a spell and learn a new skill for your next trip to Beijing

It’s so zen-​like when you come here. Perfect for having a relaxed meet up with a friend or two. The interior is really cool and the owners are so friendly. My friend and I shared tea and an assortment of snacks, ranging from spring rolls and bahn-​mi, to steamed buns and green tea macroons. One of the servers showed us how to prepare the lucky tripot tea we chose, and later gave us a complimentary piece of green tea cheese cake. Later she gave us a taste of another tea we were thinking of getting, the iron goddess. Soooo smooth.
If you need to find a place to chill, this is it. The seating areas in the front and very back feel like you’re in a friend’s living room.
Om…