Far Leaves Tea — Restaurant in Berkeley

Really excellent tea! Tried the pu-erh and one of the oolongs, and managed to milk the pu-erh through several steepings. The folks there source their teas directly, from what I understand, and make a couple of their own blends, and they REALLY know their stuff. Also got one each of the buns and a rice ball, and two mochi. I was there with a group, and you order up front, take your snacks or mochi to your table, and they bring you any of the cooked food and tea. Everything was brought quite promptly.

It's a fairly quiet place, but nobody seemed to mind us chattering away at a low volume. A number of folk were at small tables reading or working on laptops, and each table has its own electric kettle. Very civilized. It felt like a great place to come with a book or maybe a casual date.

My 5yo was part of our group, and the folks who run the place treated her with great aplomb, helping her pick from the small snack choices they had on offer and giving her a tasting cup for her tea. I was really happy with how courteous they were to her, given her age, but I guess they could tell she was on her best manners. I'm looking forward to coming back with her and my...

I'm partial to oolongs and greens and good quality oolongs are fairly rare in my area. I'm willing to drive 50' to get here. Their Alishan is divine but overpriced if you compare it to Pasadena's Bird Pick: $50 for 4.75oz whereas Bird Pick (and others, in SF) sell 4oz of a very similar quality for $30. Dong Ding is, for me, the best value: comforting warm and floral aroma, leaves are whole, very few twigs, it steeps quite comfortably 5 times, 4.75oz - $30. Green Goddess has a beautiful emerald green color but the leaves (after steeping) look broken, with many twigs, the 3rd steeping is already pushing it in terms of flavor which is slightly grassier and more simplistic than Dong Ding. Osmanthus oolong is good but not as good as Bird Pick's Osmanthus Milk Oolong. Their Sencha is inferior. I'd rather not drive all the way to San Francisco from the South Bay, so that's the best oolong I can find along the way. I also enjoyed having a tea inside. However a different table other than next to the window would have been too dark for me; I like to see the color of my tea...

As along time tea lover I have been to nearly every tea house worth going to in the Bay Area, Far Leaves falls somewhere in the middle. The atmosphere is so peaceful and zen, the lighting so nice for a little snooze, a hushed chat or a multi hour session. The layout does not necessarily foster open conversations or community engagements(one of the most important elements of tea), think your own little zen cove. The teas are pretty decent with the occasional banger and occasional flop depending on your preference, yet the employees do not always understand which wares the teas are traditionally served in and you often get something like an herbal or Pu'er tea served in a vessel for Japanese green tea(this may not matter to you depending on your experience though) and they are generally not properly deep cleaned leaving the residues of various teas on a single glazed or unglazed pots. Employees and so nice and sometimes knowledgeable(shouts out to Brad! love you Brad!).

Remember, there is no wrong way to enjoy tea,...