San Francisco, California - Samovar (By Nick Florio)

Guest photographer Nick Florio provided these latest photographs of his tea adventure at Samovar while in San Francisco.

Samovar Tea Lounge has three locations.  This one is located in Yerbe Buena Gardens.

 Nick had blood orange pu-erh. From the website:

"Blood orange rind and pile-fermented pu-erh deliver notes of wet-redwood and stewed-citrus. Intricately pleasurable, a brew as wide as it is deep: from the forest floor in Yunnan, China, to the Tarocco orange groves in Italy."

 I tried to figure out what he ordered.  After viewing the menu, my guess is that these are the Squash Dumplings with Dipping Sauce ($7.50)

 His guest enjoyed Ocean of Wisdom.

"Custom blended here at Samovar Tea Lounge for His Holiness The Dalai Lama. A decaf masala chai style rew with a silken, malty mouth-feel and natural spicy sweetness that lingers on and on. Sail from an ordinary moment to a contemplative one."

 Turkey with fresh basil, tomato, red onions and Cheese ($13).

 I can't imagine that he walked out of the store without buying one of these!

I visited Samovar in 2009 and talked about it a lot. I brought Russian Tea back for Nick to try.  I was pleased that he remembered the name of the restaurant and took the opportunity to visit when he was in San Francisco.  Thanks, Nick!  and I am counting on you to add to the comments to correct me and to provide the name of the teas that you tried on your visit.

See my 2009 post here.
Home page on the website: samovarlife.com
Address: 730 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Also, Samovar has a great tutorial on teas. If you are new to teas, or want to learn more, or just watch a great video on teas, click here.

And see more of Nick's great photos at www.nickflorio.com