Reno NV

Reno, Nevada was my home from age 9 to 19. During those years I neither loved nor hated the place. It was simply "where I live." From an early age I knew I'd end up living happily-ever-after in Seattle. Still, I'll always have thousands of good memories from my decade living in Reno and I'm glad my family still lives there.

During the last twelve years, I have returned to Reno once or twice every year. I feel like it is evolving into a cooler and more livable city with each year that passes. The nearby mountains, lakes and deserts have always been beautiful but the city itself has been catching up with more art, family activities, parks, and independent businesses.

I'm not sure what the tea scene in Reno is like. My sister and brother-in-law (who came to Taiwan with me in 2008) certainly know and enjoy good tea but I haven't met many other folks. Last week, while in Reno, my mother-in-law's husband told me about a Chinese import store called Dragon Spring that sells tea and teaware as well as Chinese gifts and martial arts supplies. I didn't have time to visit, but it sounded pretty cool so I'll try to stop in next time I'm in town.

I have good reason to be hopeful about the future of tea in Reno. Recently, Magpie Coffee Roasters, started a coffee and tea bar serving high quality drinks in the lobby of Reno's (SUPER FUN!) new Discovery Museum. I can vouch for the quality of their tea because they currently buy it from Cinnabar's and my own store, Phoenix Tea. 

Also, a new tea shop just opened up near downtown called Too Souls Tea Co. My daughter, sister, brother-in-law and I went for afternoon tea last Sunday and had a great experience. The tea list was heavy on scented teas and herbals but the glass mug of Dragon Well (龍井) green tea that I was served was brewed well. This small tea house was comfortable, unique and beautifully decorated. They also had a few delicious vegan muffins and other fresh healthy foods available.

If you live in Reno, or visit it often, please leave me a comment about the tea scene as you know it. I'd love to get some new recommendations for my next visit.

I'm happy to be home but I'm also proud to have some roots in "The Biggest Little City in the World."

Tea Houses: The Original Social Networking Sites

During my average work day at Teacup, I see business meetings, clubs, dates, and friends all gathering to make plans or just to chat. I have also noticed many lasting friendships develop between total strangers while they sat in close proximity drinking good tea. Those of us who work in tea houses know that they are the world's "original social networking sites" and we truly love the vibrant mix of people and personalities that pass through our doors.

Besides serving great tea, a good tea house should meet the needs of of its patrons. Some are looking for a quiet comfortable place to relax, read or write, while others are looking for a festive place to socialize. A selection of food, either full meals, or just small simple snacks and/or treats, is also important for keeping guests comfortable while they visit. Occasional entertainment, such as art, opera, storytelling, calligraphy, music, classes, acrobats, or board games are also big plus!

When I started selling tea 9 years ago, I almost never saw a laptop on any tables at Teacup. But these days more than half of our clients are using a laptop or a smart phone (or both at the same time) while they sip their tea. I don't mind because this is the cafe culture here in Seattle. We are all adapting to life in 2010 and I still see many new friendships being made, businesses, weddings, and other grand events being planned, and families and friends of all races, gathering together to talk.

Wherever you may be on our beautiful little planet, I hope you have a great tea house close by!

Wistaria tea house 紫藤廬

Taipei's Wistaria* tea house (紫藤廬) has been inspiring tea lovers for decades. Although many more qualified people have already written volumes about this serene establishment (Ang Lee even shot a tea drinking scene for his beautiful 1994 movie "Eat Drink Man Woman" at Wistaria), I think it's about time I catalogued my own happy experiences.

I first heard about Wistaria in 2004 when my mentor and friend Rob Bageant recommended that I seek it out. Because Rob truly loves Taiwan and tea culture I promised I would try to find it. I had him mark its location on my Taipei map.

It turns out that the Wistaria Tea house is not too hard to find. Here is a map. As you are walking along busy Xinsheng South Road, you turn into the courtyard of this Japanese colonial era house and instantly the air feels 10 degrees cooler, the din of scooters has been muted, and the gentle smell of good tea greets your nose.

The courtyard

I visited this tea house in 2005 (solo) and 2006 (with my buddy Darald). I tried to visit it in 2007 (with my wife) and in 2008 (with my little sister and some friends) but it was closed for a remodel. I'm not sure what they were doing or why it took so long to finish but I've since heard that it has been reopened and still retains the same tranquil feeling it had before the remodel. I definitely plan to visit Wistaria again on my next trip to Taiwan.

On my first trip I sat by the window sipping some fresh winter Alishan high mountain oolong and writing in my journal. The staff were so sweet to me. They offered to take my picture and gave me a few English language brochures of Taipei and Wistaria. It was very relaxing to mindfully sit and sip in this famous tea house.

Savouring my winter Alishan (January, 2005)

In 2006 my friend Darald and I spent several hours at Wistaria sipping tea, people-watching, chatting and snacking on dried mango, dried cherries and watermelon seeds. We choose a delicious aged puer tea from the beautiful, handwritten, all Chinese menu. It was easily worth the cost (about US$20) as we got 15 infusions out of it and felt so mellow and peaceful in the tea house.

D. and I May, 2006

The follow text was taken directly from Wistaria's own English language brochure given to me in 2005:
Wistaria-House is a place full of beauty and vitality, full of contradiction and experiment. The former tenant, Professor David Chow, introduced Western liberalism into Taiwan during the 1950th, transforming the house into a place for critical debate. The Japanese-style house was damaged by a typhoon in 1961. Afterwards, the front part was refurbished into a western-style edifice. Although the building embodies disparate architectural styles, the utensils, artworks and furniture are uniquely blended into a special aesthetic atmosphere. In 1976 Chou Yu began to transform the house into a center for cultural activities. After the "Formosa Incident" in 1979 (the brutal crackdown of Taiwan's raising democratic movement), Wistaria-House became the meeting place for political dissenters and a new generation of artists. In 1981 Chou Yu opened Wistaria Tea House which deeply influenced the renaissance of tea culture in Taiwan. Wistaria Tea House successfully developed a new "way of tea" by creatively transforming daoist aesthetics and the idea of self-cultivation traditionally cherished by Chinese literati within the sphere of consumer culture. Furthermore, it became a meeting place for social activists and critical scholars holding many symposiums and public discussions. This mixture gave Wistaria-House its unique atmosphere and cultural significance. In 1997 Wistaria-House was declared a Taipei City historical site. In January of 2003, the Taipei City Cultural Bureau formally turned the operation of the teahouse over to the Wistaria Cultural Association, which heralded a new era for this "public space of Dao".

Inside Wistaria (January, 2005)

The Wistaria tea house has been an inspiration to many tea house owners and managers around the world and while there are certainly other old, peaceful, and beautiful tea houses in Taiwan (and I'll admit that I have not yet been to very many) Wistaria is my current favorite!

*We spell it Wisteria. They spell it Wistaria.

The Cats of Mucha

In the late evening of January 11, 2005, I landed in Taiwan for the very first time. Unfortunately I was told that it was too late to catch a bus, but a nice lady who worked at the airport helped put me on the right track to the Taipei hostel. The first thing I did at the hostel was borrow a stoned Canadian lad's phone card and give my wife a quick call. Then I hit the sack. Due to a mix of jet-lag and pure excitement I really slept terribly that first night.

The following morning, my first full day in Taiwan began. It was a chilly, windy and rainy day, perfect for tea drinking! My goal for the day was to reach the famous Mucha (木柵) tea park in the hills outside of Taipei. I wanted to drink the Tie Guanyin (鐵觀音) oolong that they are famous for producing.

First I hit an ATM and got some breakfast, then I started my journey. Back then (in 2005) my Mandarin Chinese skills were very poor (almost nonexistent) but I didn't struggle too much because the people in Taiwan are always so kind and helpful. Even if somebody could not speak any English, they would usually try to find a way to help me. With the aid of my guidebook and a nice young man at the Taipei metro station's information desk, I was able to find the right bus up to Mucha.

The ride up into the hills was thrilling. We passed temples and schools as we navigated the lush green hills. Most of the passengers on the small bus were old folks or elementary school students. At one stop, about 20 youngsters clambered aboard and the bus instantly became very crowded and loud. I had a good time talking to several of them and even caught a little boy who fell down when the bus lurched forward. He said xiexie (謝謝) (thank you) and I said bu keqi (不客氣) (you're welcome), then everybody on the bus started laughing.

Taken from the bus on the way up to Mucha:

After an hour or so I was at my destination. I've heard that this area can be very busy on the weekends, but on this drizzly Wednesday morning it was dead. I looked around at the view of Taipei down in the valleys but the thick overcast sky made it a little hard to see the city.

See what I mean?

At this point I really really really needed a cup of tea! I hadn't had any tea in over 48 hours and I was so tired from traveling and lack of sleep. I quickly choose an outdoor tea house at random.

Here is a picture of the tea house I choose:

I found a main room where they sold snacks and had a tea menu, but there was no sign of any humans. I called out "Ni Hao" (你好) (hello) in a soft voice. Nothing happened. I looked around a bit more, almost decided to leave, then called out "Ni Hao" again (this time a little bit louder). A groggy old woman rose from behind the counter, right in front of me. She had been sleeping, and as you can imagine, she was very surprised to see a laowai (老外) (foreigner) in her tea shop on a Wednesday morning.

She said ni hao and then we began that wonderful process of communicating with few common words. She sold me a 100 gram tin of what I think was her "finest Mucha Tie Guanyin oolong" then she led me outside to help me brew it overlooking Taipei. She was surprised to learn that I already loved tea and that I had come to Taiwan to learn more about it. She gave me a little tutorial on gongfu (功夫) tea brewing and took a few pictures of me. Then she left me alone to sip my tea meditatively in the open air. The morning was very quiet except for some cool breezes and light drizzle, but the temperature was very nice (about 60 degrees).

A photo the proprietress took of me:

The first thing I wrote in my travel journal was "I have made it!!!" I was overcome with joy to be drinking delicious Taiwanese oolong in Taiwan for the very first time. The tea rejuvenated me and I felt very peaceful.

I drank tea alone for about an hour before I felt a little cat rub up on my leg. I looked down and saw a tiny kitten hanging around!

He (or she) was very small and mewed at me for some attention. I pet him for a few minutes before I saw a bigger kitty approach.

Soon after that, a little white one came along too!

The curious cats kept me company for the next three hours, during which I caught up on my journal, ate some lunch, and took pictures of my new "feline friends." It was a wonderful start to my first Taiwan tea trek!

New Century Tea Gallery

My good friend Jason V. turned me on to the New Century Tea Gallery almost four years ago. New Century is a traditional Chinese tea shop located on Maynard Street in Seattle's International District (often called "the I.D."). The shop is run by a husband and wife team, Dafe (pronounced Daw-Fay) and Grace. They travel to China a few times each year and import many incredible teas. I recommend their shop to any connoisseurs of Tie Guanyin oolong, Puer tea and/or Wuyi Mountain Cliff tea. They also stock a great selection of teaware. I recently sent my buddy Michael A. down to this shop where he found an excellent yixing clay pot for brewing his high mountain oolongs. Grace and Dafe also sell beautiful Chinese art and furniture. If I had two thousand dollars lying around, I would definitely buy one of those big tea tables made from a single piece of finished wood (even though I don't have any room for one in my little house).

Thanks for reading my endorsement! Here are a couple of photos I took this morning while tasting a 16 year old loose leaf black puer expertly prepared by Dafe. Delicious.