Mar
5
5:00 Friday
March 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Where else can you drink amazing tea for…nothing! Join us for 5:00 Friday today and taste to your heart’s content.
See you tonight, and thanks for checking in!
- James
Mar
4
Featured Tea 10% Off: Wenshan Baozhong
March 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment


1. Featured Tea: Wenshan Baozhong
Minimal processing and very light oxidation yield this larger-leaf Taiwanese oolong. Highly aromatic with fresh floral hints of gardenia and a beautiful light green liquor. Smooth and sweet with a subtle presence that is deceptively complex. An excellent example of finely grown tea and expert craftsmanship.
This is one of our favorite teas to feature. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is the time. Sooo good.
Hope all is well with all of you. Thanks for checkin in!
- James
Feb
28
Bird’s Eye View: 5:00 Friday
February 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment

I love this shot of a recent 5:00 Friday session. After enough oolong I guess people can start to climb on things, which is how our buddy Chad got this shot. I dig it. It is always so much fun sharing tea with our Friday evening folks. If you need a new way to start your Friday nights, tea with us is a great transition between work and your evening play. See friends you know, start a conversation with someone you just met…tea is, among many things, a wonderful unifying element. Thanks to all of you that come in to share tea with us. We really enjoy having you.
Hope your weekend was a great one. Thanks for checking in!
- James
Feb
26
5:00 Friday Today!
February 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
No, you didn’t read that wrong. We’re making a couple of tweaks to our Friday format. 4:00 Friday has usually been more like 4:45 or 5:00 Friday due to people getting off work, etc. So, we hereby christen our Friday tea time as 5:00 Friday. Of course, if you showed up earlier, we’ll just start when you get here!
Okay, one more thing. Rather than selecting a featured tea every week, we are going to open it up to more of a “you call it” format. We have often gone this route anyway. Once the tea starts flowing things just naturally unfold into a tea party atmosphere (don’t worry, no doilies are involved). Before you know it, we start pulling random teas of the shelf to taste, compare, and contrast. It’s just fun, and it leaves a lot of room for mood, group preferences and tastes, etc
We have had so much fun on Friday evenings, and encourage you to definitely come in and experience the evening if you haven’t already. Good people and good tea—what more do you need.
See you tonight! Thanks for checking in.
- James
Feb
16
Mt. Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi
February 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Drinking sencha on a beautiful day here at the shop. In a Japan mood right now. Though ubiquitous, I love this angle of Mt. Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi. Crisp and fresh.

And it’s even better in 3-D! The shop View-Master is a very popular item. If you’re in the mood to geek-out a bit, visit this site for a bunch of information about all things View-Master.
Hope you’re all enjoying your day. Thanks for checking in!
- James
Feb
12
4:00 Friday: Vietnam Yen Bai
February 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment


This week’s featured tea (10% off all week): Vietnam Yen Bai
This gem of a tea hails from Viet Nam’s Yen Bai Province. This finely-crafted selection yields a rich amber cup with mild fruit and sweet spice notes and a balanced maltiness. If you love Assam teas, this is one to check out. Excellent taken straight, milk can be added if preferred.
On tap all night until 7 pm. See you here!
- James
Feb
11
When someone says, “Ralph Macchio” you think tea, right?
February 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment

No? Well, then you have to check this out. Remember this scene? It definitely took me back.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s 4:00 Friday tea selection. We hope all is well with all of you.
Thanks for checking in!
- James
Feb
5
4:00 Friday: Wuyi Selections!
February 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Hey all, we just got a selection of samples for some new Wuyi oolongs. We’ll be making a bit of each to compare and contrast their different characteristics/qualities. So, if you like Gold Buddha then you’ll want to come by and get a taste of some new possible additions to the list. Who knows, you could decide the next offering. We look forward to seeing you!
Thanks for checking in!
- James
Feb
4
Closing at 5:30 Today!
February 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Hey, everyone. We’ll be closing early today for an event. Back to normal hours (11 to 7) tomorrow.
Also, stay tuned for tomorrow’s 4:00 Friday announcement.
Thanks so much!
James
Jan
29
4:00 Friday: Sencha Shan Izumi
January 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment


This week’s featured tea (10% off all week): Sencha Shan Izumi
Sencha Shan-Izumi is a beautiful example of Japan’s most popular tea. It is wonderfully smooth and lightly sweet with a crisp mouthfeel, flowery green aroma and vibrant jade cup. We’ll likely also dip into our Fukamushi as a way to compare/contrast the two teas. We had an additional shipment of Fukamushi arrive just today!
It’s always a fun way to start the weekend. We look forward to seeing you.
Thanks very much for checking in.
- James
Other Things We Love
- Alchemy
- Art & Letter
- Boomerang
- Cafe Chloe
- Chad Thompson
- Citizen Video
- Daptone
- Earth Friendly Apparel
- FreshForm
- Garden of Eden
- Grain Edit
- Hamiltons Tavern
- Igloo Store
- Jaime Fritsch
- M Theory
- Patagonia Cardiff
- Radio 23
- Red Lotus Society
- Set & Drift
- Slow Food San Diego
- South Park Scene
- Subtext
- Truth and Soul
- Ubiquity Records
- Urbanist Guide
- Veinti 5
- Whistle Stop Bar
