Red Blossom Tea Company
Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Nob Hill, Chinatown831 Grant Avenue
(between Clay St & Washington St)
San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 395-0868
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 10:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 10:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Wi-Fi: None
69 reviews
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
"I love everything about this place. Excellent coffee and espresso, excellent staff, relaxing and pleasing decor. Good to hang out and get…" read more »
69 Reviews for Red Blossom Tea Company
I'm not much of a tea connoisseur, my favorite is a strong black tea with cream and sugar. Guess it's the British in me, taste buds poorly developed? Nah, you can appreciate good tea even when it isn't in a pure state! Every variety of black tea has it's own interesting flavor and whole leaves of tea taste so much better than mass-marketed "loose leaf" tea with microscopic bits of leaf. Red Blossom Tea Co has a great selection of teas, from white to black. Extra points for having a web site too! I love the organic Golden Monkey, and the Yunnan Black is also fabulous. After two visits I have a bunch of samples of green and oolong to try. The staff are incredibly friendly and seem very knowledgeable. There are a ton of tea stores to choose from, but I think I'll keep going back to Red Blossom.
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Most Excellent tea shop. In fact it's my favorite in the whole city.
They go to China and import directly, are extremely knowledgeable and very helpful Their selection of teas is expansive! They don't make spurious health claims for their teas, but can not only tell you what region of China, but what farm it comes from, how the elevation and climate of that region affects the tea, and how it is processed after harvest. They'll even break out the China atlas and show you on the map what they're talking about. Alice and Peter really know their tea! And they're always happy to brew teas for your tasting.
For experts and newbies, you can't beat this place. Yes there are a bunch of tea shops/bars in the area, but nothing comes close to Red Blossom for quality and expertise and friendliness. I find that a lot of the customers are not tourists, but rather locals in the know.
Some of my favorite teas are: Spring Harvest Dragon Well, Supreme Jasmine Pearl, Gold Thread, and Tung Ting Charcoal Roasted Formosa Oolong. Oh yeah, Silver Needle too!
Beware the other Grant Street TTTs (tourist tea traps).
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*Special Note: Don't let the tourists fool you -- ignore them -- go in as a local, talk to Alice -- this place may be on the tourists' map, but it is not _for_tourists_*
I drank tea before I came to this place, but now I am a tea drinker. Subtle, but important distinction. Bagged green, English breakfast, or random *cha at the local sushi joint was all I knew. Pearl Jasmine was the height of tea-cool-ery for me. Clearly, I was lost in the desert outside the walls of the lush Tea City.
Red Blossom lead me into the abundant bazaar of the that city's streets. Alice's introduction to Oolongs and Puh-Erhs changed my morning-beverage world the way my first sip of a Belgian Triple changed my evening's. Let her lead you, folks -- just saunter right up and say "Alice, please recommend some amazing tea." She'll steer you right, and won't overcharge an undeveloped palate -- many times she has recommended a lower grade tea, sensing that I might not be ready to appreciate some of the extra $4/oz flavors of the highest grade stuff.
Though they carry the full range of teas, they specialize in Chinese teas and show a clear disdain for Japanese greens and English blacks -- I can't help but agree with them at the moment, though maybe I need to be schooled by a less biased source. However, trust Alice and you will taste teas you couldn't have imagined were possible.
Their prices are as fine as their teas and a perfect value for the introductory to the hard-core tea lover.
I repeat myself: the greatest thing about this place after the remarkable taste of the teas they vend is the personal attention of the incredibly knowledgeable and friendly Alice -- Share some tea with her!
And again about tourists: This is one of those strange places where local excellence and touristical big-footing cross paths. Of the many times I've been to Red Blossom, only once has my stay been marred by an ignorant cart-load of Patagonia-wearing camera-toters --it wasn't that bad, and besides, I like to see the Blossom get all the business it can.
Great service and nice selection. For sure the best tea store in the area.
They store their tea in steel canisters (as opposed to glass). They know what they're doing! Alice and Peter are great. Approachable, friendly, knowledgeable, and above all not pushy. Someone who ventures into tea and has half a mind to try it all will naturally keep coming back. Red Blossom treats tea like wine, placing importance on flavors,regions, and seasons. Other places advertise with wild health claims, all while displaying their teas in big glass jars exposed to light. Um, no.
I tend to drink high mountain Formosa oolongs, and when I told Alice I was disappointed by the Spring '07 Li Shan being more vegetal than fruity, she recommended another high mountain oolong that better suited my taste. This alternate recommendation costs a few dollars less per ounce than my usual Li Shan. That convinced me fully of their integrity and honesty. I keep going back to restock my canisters, and I try to bring friends and people who are discovering fine teas. Red Blossom is an ideal starting point to open up an entire adventure beyond the teabag.
They have the BEST teas!! It will change the way you think about tea and they are incredibly courteous and helpful. I love that they are philanthropic and give back to the community, but did I mention..they have the BEST teas?
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The place was full of middle-aged yups on their cell phones. We were hoping to see a wide variety of greens, and perhaps take part in a tasting. You can handle the tins (I saw more than one drippy nose smelling the insides of the lids), but you can't drink the tea!
A small bar in the back for tastings would be phenomenal.
The place is very minimalist in decor, which is fine. A woman (perhaps an owner) was gracious in asking us if we had questions, and offerering a small cup of a ready brewed green with rose infusion (actually not bad).
So to come here, you should know what you want, or judge it by your nose. And be prepared to unwillingly learn cell phone snippets about the lives tourists and natives alike. The tiny space holds your ears captive.
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We got a set of tea cups and teas as a gift from this place. We got the Dragon Pearl Jasmine which has quickly become an office favorite. Very flavorful and aromatic. They also curry accessorites from diffusers to teapots. Great place to stock up on all sorts of different teas.
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I like how Red Blossom has been able to transform from their old incarnation of a traditional Chinese herbal store to this sort of new, clean, and much hipper tea store. There's nothing new about the variety of Chinese teas here, but the packaging and clean-up at the store really do make a difference.
I bought some of the blossoming jasmine tea buds during my first visit here, and my BF got some "Eight Treasures" tea, which brews up a tasty, probably-good-for-you pot of slightly sweet tea. The prices are pretty decent as well.
I peeked in here yesterday with some friends after having heard about it a while ago. To be honest, we really didn't dig the tourist vibe (probably an unfortunate consequence of the Grant Ave. location), and everything felt a bit self-conscious. The Yixing teapots were of mediocre quality and seemed overpriced for what they were, probably since tourists don't know the difference. There was also some guy giving a couple with thick Midwestern accents the hard sell on something, and I abhor over-zealous salesmanship, especially as far as tea is concerned.
I did like the store in its old incarnation, before they remodeled - you could find these great, kitschy vintage boxes of Chinese cosmetics, which I bought for the labels. Sorry to those who are fans of this place, but due to the crowds of tourists, we left without buying anything - I'll probably try to come back on a weekday when it's less packed and when I can actually taste some of the teas in question.
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Red Blossom Tea Company is the model for the new Chinese American business. Take the old world knowledge of the parents, mix it with the new world aesthetic and marketing savvy of the children, and watch the cash stack up.
The tricky part of the equation is the location. Red Blossom is in the heart of Chinatown, a stones throw from 10 other (less expensive) tea houses. Locals are hip to this, so you will find a large percentage of the clientele are touristas. The shop is clean, with upscale decor and tea selection. Great selection of tea (serving) trays. The staff is Anglo friendly and truly bilingual.
Tip: The sampling area is really just a small desk in front. Best to know what you want beforehand, or to trust the recommendations. This is not a 'tea house.' It is a tea shop.
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Let me start by saying I love tea. I love the fragrance of the loose tea leaves, the subtle flavor differences between the varying styles, all of the little accoutrements to make a cup of tea. I went in after a nice lunch across the street at Empress of China, with my mom, her friends, and my son, all of us tea drinkers, and Alice showed us the varying styles of dragon pearl Jasmine tea, which we just loved, and told us all about how it's picked, when, where, etc. We found it very interesting.
I don't think this place is pretentious whatsoever so the few reviews that say it is, I have to assume that maybe the writers are somewhat insecure. Whatever. The fact remains that their tea is excellent, and they have a beautiful store for you to sip and try the different varieties. Just go-you won't be disappointed!
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If you have a passion for fashion and are among the uber hip, then you surely own Sophia Coppola's 'Marie Antoinette' and watch it over and over again to draw you out of a funk. You know... endless color, texture, shoes, decadence, champagne and man servants feeding them petits fours.... OK, that flowering tea (drum roll...) can be bought here! It is lovely. I drink it right b/4 frolicing around on yards and yards of velvet and silk satin.
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A while back I took a Chinatown tour. Some very good times... Probably my favorite stop was the Red Blossom Tea Company. When they said, "visiting tea shop" this was not what I was expecting. The store was beautiful, their selection was fantastic, and the service was great.
We had a tasting of tea during our tour; the owners daughter talked at length about the different varieties and origins of tea...
I returned after the tour to buy some tea. I couldn't imagine myself spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on tea...who knows, if I had the ability I may have...but I bought an entire pound of green tea for $12. I then went on to pass out little bags of said tea to friends and family. They even give you a free tea strainer with your purchase.
Oh, and if you want an interesing story about tea-mistaken-for-weed, contact Lori K.
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Excellent source for tea and knowledge. Peter knows his tea and after a tasting I cannot go back to my old tea. He has visited several of the farmers of the tea in China and brings back some the tea himself. What a great experience and one I recommend over the other shops in town.
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Teavana needs to be run out of every town it tries to get it's minions to follow 'cause this place is the bomb! Granted, there are loads of tourists and people who have no business sticking their noses in the tins and manhandling the teas in the back but I grew up with tea and I feel like it's a place of peace when I walk into any medicinal/herbal shop.
I wanted to thank Matt for dinner and since my wine knowledge is like that of a pretentious Wrigleyville yuppie (meaning I know my wine, but I can talk and buy a better game than I do appreciating it) I opted for leaves instead. And yes they have rolled leaves that blossom as they seep in hot water and they have the popular blossoming tea pot sensations but what makes me want to come back time and time again is the owner of the shop? I think he's the owner. I gave him a sample of what I was used to drinking but the shop I frequented was from D.C. and there's no way I'm going to find the Jasmine tea I use in my J.W. Gold Label from Safeway. He breathed it in and found me a suitable pairing and explained the subtle notes and intensity. Awesome awesome intensity from this guy! He'll look at the wall for a moment, grab the tin and move it away from himself as you take a breath in. I got dragon ball pearls and jasmine leaves for myself and Matt. I'm so impressed with the knowledge and the time he took to explain about the process even though the store was extremely busy and I'm sure he could have made a killing with every tourist that walked in.
I still have a few pearls left and the aroma just fills the kitchen. I can't wait to go back and try some new ones. They give you a handy little bookmark to help you differentiate teas and seeping times. The place definitely isn't like the normal Chinatown tea shops you're used to seeing and it's almost chic I'd say but don't let the new decor throw you off-it's old school at heart. Good luck finding parking and finding this place though. I almost hired a sherpa to find this place but again, it's well worth it.
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Good source for chinese tea. Most of their tea come from Taiwan and China.
If you are a fan of tea or learning about tea, Red Blossom won't disappoint.
I very much liked the place, although my girlfriend thought the lady came across as snobby - but I thought she was more informative and educational. If you buy a premium tea, you get a free tasting. The tea selection is great and the quality of their teas is very high.
It was easy to tell that not only is the staff very knowledgeable about tea, but they are also passionate about their tea and share that with their customers.
Highly recommend.
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I love this place!
The interior is clean and organized with labeled barrels of tea leaves. I think this is why I was drawn here initially....OHHH CLEAN!
Don't be intimidated if you don't know anything about tea. The owner saw that I was trying to decide what to get, and came up and helped me out. He's very honest and knowledgeable (he REALLY knows his tea), and doesn't push the high priced teas (unlike the Dragonlady at Ten Ren..ugh review to come later).
I ended up with a bag of very reasonably priced middle grade green tea. I'm used to drinking green tea that my family brings from Beijing's finest tea shop, and couldn't really taste a difference. Time to tell my parents that they failed at raising a refined Chinese daughter.
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Great place to find premium teas and teaware at decent prices. They have a great shop if you happen to be in Chinatown, but their website is equally effective.
One of the very best tea shops in the Bay Area!
If you're going to buy tea in Chinatown, this is the place. Highly informed owners and the prices are designed for locals, not tourists. All the other joints on Grant street are a RIP-OFF!
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Not much to add, but I wanted to thank the reviewers who took time to post about this place. I'm sure the folks who babysat my daughter and my dog would have preferred wine as thank you gifts, but since I can't carry that on the plane, they all got tea with strainers. Even though the store was crowded with Saturday shoppers, Alice managed to help me with selections, have my gifts wrapped up, serve us some samples, and tell us a bit about the shop.
Alice and her brother were both very welcoming, and I saw no sign of the pretentiousness mentioned by a few reviewers.
I'll be placing some orders online when I run out of my stash!
Walking by, the Red Blossum Tea Company can be quite intimidating for the average patron. I had the pleasure of visiting this little educational interactive display courtesy of a Wok Wiz Chinatown tour.
Alice proceeded to explain the differences of the tea that the Red Blossum Tea Company offered and presented a wonderful sensory image as she steeped what would be a nice sample of their tea. Explaining that she and her brother took over the family business and gave their store an HGTV remodel, you can see and appreciate the personal service that has made this family business such a success.
After enjoying a few cups, you'll feel inclined to want to purchase a few bags of loose tea for your home consumption. And if you're concerned that loose tea from a tea company will be expensive, think again! Sure, they have some very expensive (out of my budget) type tea, but they also offer some moderately priced ones as well as some inexpensive ones. Add one of their tea storing cans to your purchase and it makes an even nicer gift!
I would definitely recommend Red Blossum Tea Company as one of those places you must visit as a tourist or local of San Francisco. You'll not only learn a thing or two about tea, but you'll also be embarrassed about all those other boxed tea bags you've been buying at your local grocery store. It's about time one learns to better appreciate how tea should be consumed. (I'm embarrassed that I only discovered this place now!)
If you can't visit the store, check out their website. It's quite detailed with descriptions of tea and you can order it all online as well.
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Red Blossom does it right. Alice and Peter are very friendly and do a great job of letting customers taste different teas, and guiding them through the world of of tea varieties.
They may not have the best teas in the world, but they do the best job in San Francisco. For quality and price, their Taiwanese Oolongs are topnotch.
Also, no pretense, no obscuring of information, and no misleading stories. Just good tea and great people.
What a gorgeous store. I popped in here one weekday afternoon looking for some loose Genmaicha. The staff was so kind and knowledgeable!
And it is as delicious as the tea I have with at my local sushi joint.
I'm definitely making Red Blossom my only tea stop spot.
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Must be the best tea house in SF. Peter is very knowledgeable, patient, and sure to set you up with a brew you will like. You can tell he really cares about tea, and wants you too, also.
Take a visit and learn something new. Sure, the good stuff can be "expensive", but cheaper than alcohol, and a lot better for you!!!
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The Red Blossom Tea Company was stop #2 on my "Eat my way through SF" weekend tour. After a tea for two at Leland's we made our way to Chinatown to this store my cousin and friend had visited and been introduced to during a walking tour of Chinatown.
I love the story behind this. A son and daughter took over the store their parents ran and modernized it. The place looks VERY different than its counterparts down the street. Mom and dad are still there, and on this day that we went in so was the daughter but the son was overseas tending to business. (They're very hands on with the whole tea leaf process)
The family is very willing to answer questions and let you taste any of the teas. After sniffing half the barrels in the store I bought 5 Green tea Jasmine blossoms which I can put in a glass, pour hot water over and watch the flower blossom like in Marie Antoinette!
Being the total tea snob that I am, I have always been extremely happy with the purchases I have made here. The store is beautifully designed, the staff is extremely helpful, the selection of tea is marvelous, and the prices are very reasonable. Those not fortunate enough to live in the area can go to their website and order the tea online.
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I am not a tea connoisseur by any means. But I like a good green tea, and can tell the difference between the stuff here and the stuff at the supermarket.
The interior of Red Blossom is really beautiful, and the sales people are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. They really know their stuff too. When I went here with my girlfriend, she was able to talk to the proprietors in Mandarin and find exactly what kind of tea she wanted to get me to counterbalance the "fire" foods that I was eating (it turned out to be dried Chrysanthemum blossoms).
If you sit down at the table in the front, you can sample their teas and talk to an expert there about what kinds you like and they'll help guide you to a purchase. The prices are reasonable too. Five stars for Red Blossom!
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I'm a recent arrival, and i must say that my love for this city was consummated with the discovery of this tea shop that sells ounces of loose leafs with prices approaching those of crack.
I was bumbling about at the Autumn Moon Festival this weekend and ducked in from the crowded street to be pleasantly greeted by a wall covered with selves stocked with canisters full of the leafy goodness; veritable tea porn to an aspiring aficionado like myself. Even though the store was quite bustling because of the Festival, the staff was very attentive and considerate. I only picked up some jasmine this time because of familiarity, but i'm looking forward to going when it's a little quieter and asking the staff to turn me on to something new.
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My boyfriend got me a wonderful, unique Valentine's Day gift from Red Blossom- several kinds of yummy oolong and green teas. When he wanted to go back, I really couldn't resist, and ended up picking out one of the beautiful infusers to go with my tea as well as some canisters. On the weekends (I think) they give you free samples with your purchase. I recently visited yet again to pick up some more tea- an organic qi zhong oolong (which I discovered I loved when I tried the free sample I had gotten) and and Eastern Beauty.
The staff is really friendly and helpful, and very respectful and knowledgeable. The shop itself is really nicely done, clean and bright. They have a great selection of teas and accessories as well. It has certainly become my favorite place to buy tea (and take friends and visitors).
I walked by this place while perusing the CNY fair booths. Nice decor and catered toward visitors. We manage to buy some chinese herb at this store as well.
website: www.redblossomtea.com
Why? Because they spent a ridiculous amount of time serving us a beautiful oolong which he readily admitted was his favorite. Because I didn't have to buy anything right away.
Because boutiques that not only whole-heartedly believe in their mechandise but that trust you will be back again are a rarity and worth patronizing...
Why buy tea somewhere else? Ignorance isn't much of an excuse after you've read the reviews, buddy.
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If you are a tea drinker, this is a great place to go - excellent quality, great selection, and a lovely store. But if you aren't a tea drinker, this would also be a great place to start. The folks there are knowledgable and willing to answer questions. I bought tea to give as a gift, and think the labeled vacuum bag and can I bought, with the instruction card they included will make a great presentation. I'll definitely go back.
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My friend and I had a great experience here last weekend, when we spent almost an hour and a half talking tea with the young guy there. I think he told us his name, but I'm bad with names. Anyway, we were a pair of obviously non-rich, goofy, overly enthusiastic young ladies but he treated us to tastings of two different teas and we were there past closing, smelling the wares and eventually buying more than we could afford. It was such fun.
I know the owners are yelpers themselves (at least the woman is) and are probably reading this - thanks for your time and consideration, you really made our day.
That being said, if you're going to go here, don't expect to be served tea (they do tastings, but this isn't a Starbucks) and expect to have your picture taken by random midwesterners. Just because it's in Chinatown doesn't mean it's a museum piece, people. A bunch of tourists came in and just gawked. So, that was kind of unpleasant, I guess, but it's not the company's fault.
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I have to add my voice to the chorus of praise for Red Blossom. I wandered in because I could see that they had the good sense to store the bulk tea in light-proof stainless steel containers instead of tea-killing glass jars, and found them friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable without being condescending. I bought some Gu Yu-class West Lake Longjing, better tasting and less pricey than a similar grade from Teance, and saved myself a trip across the Bay.
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Lon ago, when they were named under a different name, and the daughter had to just put everything into inventory, I wandered in, new to tea, willing to try, looking hopeless and uncomfortable due to the wet socks and soggy coat. Alice ( I believe that's her name) gave me a bucket for my umbrella, a napkin to wipe the rain from my face and some green tea with ginseng, just so I can ward off the cold. She showed me white tea peony, rose scented black, lychee, thai tea (unsweetened), jasmine scented pearl dragon tea, yin hao green, sencha in the powder form good enough for traditional tea ceremony, and as she rolled the names off the tip of her tongue, I was silently crying for I was warm and listening to poetry.
Really, you can't find anyone more friendly and passionate about tea.
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Red Blossom is an oasis amidst the flurry of activity which is Chinatown. I love to come here on a free afternoon to sample some tea and chat with Alice. She is very knowledgeable and friendly. I am always happy with my selections and find that the classy/functional packaging makes their teas the perfect addition to any gift. My favorite is the Silk Oolong Formosa.
I'll agree with Brandon about the quality, but it's not true--you can get tea for $3/oz to $15+/oz. If you're a serious tea drinker, and you don't like fruity herbal blends, then this place is great for you. it's a family-owned business and the younger generation has now taken over. One of the proprieters is a wonderfully geeky, well dressed young Chinese man who knows his shit. They don't serve tea here like other places in Chinatown, but they will provide you with a tasting if you're considering buying a significant amount of something at least minimally pricey, or just to narrow down your choices. This is serious business--they know what htey're doing here, and they store their tea properly. They spend alot of time with customers.
Highly recommended.
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love this place. great high quality teas at good prices. if you like tea, you should visit this hidden gem.
