On one Saturday morning, after venturing to the Alemany Farmer’s Market in San Francisco, my husband was on a quest to get his knives sharpened. The usual knife sharpening vendor he frequented at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market was on vacation. So he yelped a new knife sharpening vendor – Bernal Cutlery.

Upon arriving at 331 Cortland Ave., we made the pleasant discovery of a whole new hot spot and mini-marketplace of artisan food vendors! This space of 5 kiosks, houses Dezy’s Drinks & Wholesome Bakery, Bernal Cutlery, El Porteño Empanadas, ICHI Lucky Cat Sushi, and Paulie’s Pickling. What a find!

While my husband was busy talking to Josh of Bernal Cutlery, I somehow wandered to the end of the space, at Dezy’s Drinks and Wholesome Bakery, which both share a kiosk. Right away, I noticed thermoses of chai sitting on a metal shelf. Not one or two but 4 choices of handmade chai! OMG, chai heaven!!!

I was able to sample all of them – Original Indian Chai, Almond Chai, Almond Vanilla Chai, and Rose Chai. The Rose Chai was and still is my favorite. I love that you can sample the flavors before buying.

The chais are available hot or iced. I’m starting to develop a liking for iced chai. You can buy a small cup ($3.75) or a 32 oz. jar of chai ($9.50). Return the empty jar and get 50 cents back towards your next purchase. These unique delicious chais are handmade by Desiree Saloman aka “Dezy”, pictured in the first photo above.

Here’s the breakdown Chai flavors:

Almond Vanilla Chai - Cardomom, Ginger, Vanilla, Black Tea, and Almond Milk

Almond Chai - Cardomom, Ginger, Black Tea, and Almond Milk

Original Indian Chai – Cardomom, Ginger, Black Tea, and Milk

Rose Chai – Rose Petal, Honey, and Milk

The almond milk chais are perfect for vegans. Dezy keeps coming up with new flavors.

Dezy also makes a whole line of lemonade refreshers which I have yet to try. And she carries Four Barrel coffee. But if I am making a trip to Dezy’s Drinks in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights, I am there for chai. Drop by 331 Cortland Ave., grab a chai, and say hi to Dezy for me.

Dezy’s Drinks
331 Cortland Ave.
San Francisco, CA

Hours:

Tuesday – Friday 7:30am-8pm
Saturday – Sunday 8am-8pm

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I wrote about Ajmera Innovations’ Xpress Chai from the Fancy Food Show earlier. I was able to get a box of Xpress Chai from the CEO, Jay Ajmera. Thanks, Jay!

Xpress Chai is creamy with a hint of spices and sweetness. Definitely addictive. Why? Because it’s soooo simple to make! Each box of Xpress Chai comes with 10 individual serving packets of powdered chai. Just add hot water and stir. I tend to drink Xpress Chai more than the other chais that I have at home because it’s easy and delicious. It’s perfect for the office since all you need to make a steaming cup of chai is hot water!

Xpress Chai is also all natural and contains no transfats, unlike other instant chai brands like David Rio. You’ll crave it every morning just like I do.

Where to buy:

Ajmera Xpress Chai Instant Pre-mix Chai, 10-Count 7.75 Ounce Boxes (Pack of 3) Free shipping on orders over $25!

FYI: The 3 pack is more worth it to buy since it comes with free shipping on orders over $25. With the single pack, you’ll have to pay $4.99 shipping.

Ajmera’s Xpress Chai is by far the best tasting chai that I have ever encountered. Interestingly enough, it’s actually powdered chai made with Nestle powdered milk and not transfats, which is rare in a powdered chai. Xpress Chai is delicately flavored, not too sweet but sweet enough, not too spicy but just spicy enough. The well rounded flavor is crave worthy and the convenient packaging makes this a YummySF favorite.

Masala Chai Co. features chai concentrates with healing herbs, in a base of honey. This is rather convenient since it keeps well without refridgeration. You simply add a tablespoon into heated milk and whisk. For anyone who drinks chai infrequently, this is well worth the price and better than buying a liquid concentrate which spoils quickly. I currently have the AphroTEAsiac, which contains Chinese healing herbs specifically for women. It tastes creamy and delicious just like liquid chai concentrates, with the added benefit of Chinese herbs.

Honest Teas are by far my favorite brand of iced teas. What’s special about Honest Tea is that their teas are lightly sweetened, high in antioxidants, low in calories, and made with organic ingredients. I tried the Mango Acai White Tea, which was delicately flavored yet quite satisfying to the soul. It has replaced Snapple tea for me. Other flavors include Green Dragon Tea, Jasmine Green Energy Tea, and Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry. Honest Ade is their line of refreshing thirst quenches, that include flavors like Orange Mango with Mangosteen, Cranberry Lemonade, and Pomegranate Blue. Their newest line is Honest Kids which feature drinks for kids that come in pouches reminiscent of CapriSun, with flavors such as Berry Berry Lemonade and Goodness Grapeness.

The Republic of Tea was by far my favorite tea booth. With such an amazing variety of teas lined up along the counter and a helpful staff, I will definitely be looking out for their new lines of teas on the grocery shelf. The Republic of Tea has a new line of caffeine free, organic red, wellness teas. Red tea, which is Rooibos based and high in antioxidants, is one of my favorite kinds of tea. This new line is pretty awesome, with teas that are combined with herb tonics for boosting memory (Get Smart), digestion (Get Relief), pregnancy (Get Maternal), energy (Get Charged), sleeping (Get Some Zzzz’s), and heart health (Get Heart). Love that!

The Republic of Tea also has a new line of Children’s Tea. Check out the cute bottle.

I have never actually tried Zhena’s Gypsy Teas before until the Fancy Food Show. However, after meeting the founder and mistress of tea, Zhena Muzyka herself, I was blown away. Having studied herbal medicine in Peru, Zhena used that knowledge to formulate fair trade and organic teas that help improve health. She was inspired by experiences of loved ones going through traumatic illnesses. Zhena wanted to create teas that contribute to good health, in essence, healing teas.

Her new line of Pink teas for women’s health and vitality are formulated with superberries – acaiberry, cacaoberry, cherryberry, pomberry, and wholeberry. The round tea sachets are huge as they are full leaf, full volume, bio-degradable, GMO free, and made from corn silk. It definitely feels like you’re giving yourself a gift when you savor Zhena’s teas.

Numi Tea knows how to combine tea flavors. I have tasted some awfully tasting flavor combinations at the show, but Numi blends are awesome. Numi’s newest tea flavor is Chocolate Puerh. Ohmigosh! I would have never imagined Chocolate combined with Puerh tea, which is a fermented tea from China. But Numi does it well, with ingredients like real chocolate nibs, real vanilla beans, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg and rooibos. It’s definitely sophisticated, balanced, and well rounded. Puerh has Vitamins B, C, E, P, and K, which reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering triglycerides, aid in cancer prevention due to high levels of antioxidants, and aid in digestion.

Numi teas also make a perfect gift for Valentine’s. I have actually given my in-laws a box of Numi teas and they loved it and drank it all right away.

Japanese Tonsu Box & Ryokucha $17

To tell you the truth, when I saw the Japanese Tonsu Box, I was envious and immediately wished I had ordered that instead. Thankfully, my husband let me have his Japanese Tonsu Box. It’s healthy and yummy at the same time. The Japanese Tonsu Box comes with Ryokucha Tea.

English Service & Breakfast Blend $19
3-Tiered Platters of: Shitake Mushroom or Wild Smoked Salmon Quiche,
Scones, Devonshire Cream & Jam, Fresh Fruit.

Breakfast Blend Tea

The traditional English Tea Service is not like the one at Ritz Carlton of course. But at $19, it’s a deal if you want to try traditional English tea. The Salmon Quiche is freshly baked. The scone was quite dry though, but that’s what the Devonshire Cream and Jam are for. Definitely, the Japanese Tea Service is much better and more filling as a meal. Next time, I want to try the Indian Tea Service which features one of my favorite teas – Chai!

Samovar Tea Lounge is open from brunch to dinner with the same menu all day. Enjoy a snack of waffles or try a full tea service which can be a meal. The tea service is more affordable than other afternoon tea services that I have had.

Samovar Tea Lounge
730 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 227-9400