Page 97 - #56 English

YERBA BUENA

GARDENS

Ideal spot for private events

Samovar’s second outlet in its
2nd year is more like a different ex-
periment than a simple copy. With
its beautiful garden terrace, it is big
enough to accommodate small to mid-
dle scale events. It serves draft beers,
wines and cocktails apart from the
same tea menu as Castro.
The Earl Grey with nice smoky
scent pairs perfectly with the Russian
cuisine. What a delightful surprise!

polish itself with such an outfit. The
founder’s experience and knowledge
from different tea countries has made
the “Tea services” in menu more than
just a trick. They are thoughtfully
created and delivered, with the touch
of their origin.
H i g h q u a l i t y f l avor s , co u pled
Are you ready for the New wave? with sufficient sincerity, as for me,
all of these indicate a start of emerg-
Samovar Tea’s 3 different outlets ing new wave of contemporary tea.
interpret 3 different ways of tea in In China, domestic tea compa-
young customer’s lives. However, their nies were weakened by Starbucks’
Hayes Valley outlet, which was styled acquisition of Teavana, the biggest
for proffesional tasters, has shut down. tea retailer in the U.S. in 2013. In
It may be a hint of the limitation of tra- less than 2 years, Teavana has ex-
ditional tea tastings to young customers. panded from 1 store in New York to
Will it be too far away from our lives if more than 400 outlets in the U.S.,
tea is remained on the sanctuary? The Mexico, Canada, Dubai, etc. Num-
answer is yes, to them. bers are growing, and areas are ex-
In San Francisco, there are many panding. Teavana got ready to enter
different types of tearooms, due to its Chinese market in 2016. Will these
cultural mix. The traditional ones are youngsters become loyal custom -
oriental and relatively costive, which is ers of Teavana, encoring the suc-
not, to most people, a delicious drink. cess of Starbucks? They have been
These years, Samovar’s “youth fo- waiting too long and became bored
cused” model gave us a great hope. Many by “learn culture before you drink”
coffee lovers, who never considered tea strategy from traditional teahouses.
before, are willing to try it there. Origi- Tea lovers might have mixed feelings,
nally from U.S., Samovar didn’t simply however, it may be the best time for
imitate any successful case of cafes or those in pursuit of a good cup of tea.

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