Samovar have seemingly come out of leftfield lately, becoming a pretty well known name in teas. I've looked at their teaware and it seems pretty basic stuff, but is pretty expensive.
I was just curious if anyone had any experience with their items and if it would be worth it to drop $70-$100 for what seem to be mass-produced items.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
I take it you are referring to Samovar Tea Lounge in SF right? Samovar is very much about appearance and branding. Like a few of the other more posh tea spots in the SF bay area it's not so much a quality : price ratio, but about the experience and branding that they rely upon to justify their price. I've had a few of their teas which I have found somewhat mediocre, not worth the price in my opinion. As for their teaware they carry some stuff which is arguably worth the price from a design standpoint, like the sorapot. But the rest of the stuff I would just find a similar item from a different vendor.
I bought a couple of cups I really like at Samovar. They were also priced very well and on sale. They were a beautiful grey-tinged thick white crackle glaze (to which my tea would add it own color)... a good size (not too small) and a lovely round shape.
Depends on what you are looking for. I like using these.
Depends on what you are looking for. I like using these.
I know their standard pot (like the one sold in their classic tea set) looks identical to the Forlife Serenity pot- it probably is the same thing. Considering that pot is $25 MSRP, I don't think that little $40 set is a bad deal (basically you get a little bamboo tray and a handmade teacup for $15). Their "infusing mugs" are also by Forlife, it seems.
Apr 29th, '09, 22:26
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emeraldrobot
I went to Samovar a few weeks back and I admit that I like their tea but their selection was lacking and it wasn't the best tea I've had. It was more for the experience than it was for their tea.
I would however, suggest http://www.imperialtea.com/ the imperial tea court. I went to their Berkeley location and their tea was alot better, they had more selection, and their teaware was also really neat. They also have really tasty food so if you're in the area you should visit the berkeley location!
I would however, suggest http://www.imperialtea.com/ the imperial tea court. I went to their Berkeley location and their tea was alot better, they had more selection, and their teaware was also really neat. They also have really tasty food so if you're in the area you should visit the berkeley location!
It depends on the profile of those cups. There are a few styles that I think they may be, but can't be sure of from the picture. Can you find a profile shot of the cups you like?shimo wrote:does anyone know the style or where to get similar ones they use in store? I LOVE those but not seeing them on their site and i am not sure of the type of cup.
Here is a picture i found on google of them. They are almost hourglass style.
Thanks for any info!
I was trolling through their videos and found one of Kevin Rose of Diggnation on their site You can see the cup in this video a few times!
http://vimeo.com/4238168?pg=embed&sec=
Hopefully someone can point me in that direction. It looks like an awesome cup.
Or any similar to that style.
http://vimeo.com/4238168?pg=embed&sec=
Hopefully someone can point me in that direction. It looks like an awesome cup.
Or any similar to that style.
Jing has a couple cups of that approximate shape - maybe a little flatter / more squished.
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-teacup-qi ... ou-cai.cfm
That's the only one on the site right now, but there are a few more they'd probably get for you if you emailed them.
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-teacup-qi ... ou-cai.cfm
That's the only one on the site right now, but there are a few more they'd probably get for you if you emailed them.
Hm looking at the video they are rather interesting cups. I don't think I've seen any quite like that. For something in white porc with a somewhat steep side angle, straight walls, and a 3-4 oz about capacity.
O-cha and Lupicia have roughly the same sizes, but with curved side walls. I've seen some nice chinese ones (can't remember the source atm) but have a much shallower angles on the walls.
O-cha and Lupicia have roughly the same sizes, but with curved side walls. I've seen some nice chinese ones (can't remember the source atm) but have a much shallower angles on the walls.
