vital tea leaf - san francisco

I have to admit, that when I came across Chinatown during my wanderings in San Francisco, I was hesitant to enter. Cheap junk and crowded streets just isn't my scene. However, I knew I had some time to kill and figured why not. And boy am I glad I checked it out! I stumbled upon a Chinese tea house called Vital Tea Leaf and met the most hilarious man ever.

Meet Kenny.

"You think my tea shop looks like all the others? You must also think all Asians look alike! Get out!"

The tea might have drawn me in, but his humor kept me captivated for over an hour. He started by sharing his sales techniques:

"You learn two things working here. How to lie so people buy and how to fight. You fight when people don't buy!"

We started by learning that all tea is in fact green tea. "White tea" is the first picking of the green leaves, green tea is the leaves in their natural state, and "black tea" is just the result of roasting or fermenting the leaves. {Similar to how coffee beans are green until roasted black}. Oolong actually translates to "mistake" and is the product of accidentally mixing green and black teas. The flavor of oolong depends on the ratio of green to black teas in the mixture.

"My grandfather say next time someone talks about decaffeinated tea you slap their face!"

Because all tea leaves are essentially the same, just from different regions and plants, there is no such thing as a fully decaffeinated tea. "Herbal teas" are not actually teas at all, but simply infusions of other plants. To call them tea is inaccurate as there are no tea leaves present.

"You like that one?! Now I know what kind of tea to give you. It's called caramel frappuccino. Get out!"

He asked what kind of teas people liked and one woman responded floral or sweet teas. Chinese culture has traditionally only used two things to naturally sweeten their tea - the lychee fruit and jasmine. All other flavors are more recent additions to keep up with trends set in India and Thailand, but are not consumed as much in China itself. Ginger, Ginseng, and Pine {my allergies say "ew!" to pine} are also common additions for their medicinal benefits.

"When you put sugar in your tea, it's like putting 7-Up in your wine or ketchup on your filet mignon. My grandfather say shut up and drink it!"

He reminded us that in Chinese culture, tea is drank as a method of prevention when it comes to various health concerns. Health first, taste second. Adding sugar or cream to tea can actually start to neutralize the effects of the antioxidants in tea - one of the most common reasons people drink tea.

The assortment of teas Vital Tea Leaf has to offer.

For a quick rundown of benefits:
White teas are highest in antioxidants and lowest in caffeine.
Green teas support the body's natural defenses against oxidation, cancer, allergens, and viruses.
Red, Yellow, and Black teas aid in digestion, helping to cut grease and fat.
And the addition of ginseng is the only way to actually get natural energy and focus. Caffeine is simply a stimulant that causes a peak of alertness, mistaken for energy, followed by a crash.

Unlike everything I've heard previously, the Chinese recommend to brew tea for 30 to 50 seconds. {Also, don't forget to toss out the first brew!} Much shorter than the one to eight minutes that I've heard from other sources. I found that when brewing for only 30 to 50 seconds {shorter for black teas, longer for whites} that I didn't need any sugar as there was absolutely no bitterness.

source

Brewing pots, like this new beauty that I picked up while I was there {you know it's a good tea brewer when there's not a single word in English on the packaging}, drop the tea away from the leaves when brewing is complete. These allow for you to save the leaves for later brewing without over brewing your current cup. With shorter brewing times, leaves can be brewed five to seven times before being tossed out, in turn saving you money.

Looking into Vital Tea Leaf from the street. 

All humor aside, it was actually the most comprehensive tea tasting I have participated in {I tried over 15 different teas}. Although I knew quite a bit about tea already, I actually learned a lot from Kenny, as I've barely come close to sharing all that I learned this weekend. If you find yourself in San Francisco {or Seattle} please check out one of the five Vital Tea Leaf shops. You're in for an education in the benefits of tea, a good laugh, and a delicious selection of loose leaf teas to go home with {I discovered the Supreme Yellow tea which is absolutely delightful}. Not to mention they have some of the best brewers, most gorgeous tea sets, and most unique handcrafted tea trays around. {What I would do for a handcrafted tea tray...}