Teance will be offering its teas at the Holiday Gift Fair Dec. 5 at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza.
December 4, 2024
BERKELEYSIDE — All over the world — from China to Russia to the United Kingdom — there is an understanding that being offered a cup of tea holds the promise of kinship, succor and a pause in time. As the 20th century philosopher Lin Yutang put it, “There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life.”
It is precisely that sense of peace and well-being that Chih Hui Burns-Huang strives to evoke at Teance Fine Teas, a woman-run specialty teahouse on San Pablo Avenue at Grayson. It is tucked behind Cheng Design, owned by FuTung Cheng, a cofounder of Teance.
“Tea is more than a drink — it’s a lifestyle,” said Chih Hui, speaking from Taipei, where she was attending the 2024 Taiwan International Tea Expo. The Taiwan native is both the buyer and operations manager of Teance, and routinely travels to Asia in search of rare and exceptional teas.
She also has long-standing relationships with many tea farmers in Taiwan and China. These include an oolong grower perched atop Bao Shan (“Treasure Mountain”) in China; one of the tea world’s rare female farmers known for her bright green Tung Ting oolong from Taiwan; and a prize-winning Baochong Taiwanese farmer. The distinctive terroir of the farms, the fidelity to traditional practices, the environmental ethos of the farmers — they all factor into which teas Chih Hui brings back to her shop in West Berkeley.
6th annual Holiday Gift Fair, Thurs., Dec. 5, 3-7 p.m. Hotel Shattuck Plaza, 2086 Allston Way. 25 vendors, including glasswork art vases and platters from Glassilica, organic hand-baked, gluten-free crackers from Cult Crackers, colorful accessories and apparel from Laurel Burch Studios, and fine jewelry from Yves Mozelsio. Sponsored by the City of Berkeley, admission is free.
“Tea is very connected to the seasons,” Chih Hui said. “A lot of the thinking around tea and the seasons is tied to Chinese medicine, and how our feelings and body change with the seasons. On any day, you want a tea that relates to your individual body, to your general health and how you are feeling. Tea can be soft or warming, soothing or healing.”
Chih Hui stepped into the position of operations manager at Teance in 2022, after serving intermittently as sommelier, assistant manager, purchasing administrator and bookkeeper at the shop since 2003. As she took over the operational role, Chih Hui was inheriting a revered institution, one that very much bore the stamp of original cofounder Winnie Yu, who passed away in 2017. Yu started the relationships with many of the farmers in Asia that Chih Hui continues to work with now.
Established initially in 2002 as Celadon Fine Teas in a storefront on Solano Avenue, the company renamed itself Teance (pronounced TEA-ance) Fine Teas in 2006 and relocated to Fourth Street’s culinary corridor. Taking their cue from Chinese teahouses, Yu and Cheng outfitted the shop with a communal tea bar, red hanging lamps, high ceiling and koi. Yu adhered to strict steeping rules, favored small gong-fu style teacups that warm the hands, and quiet music, and Chih Hui still follows Yu’s aesthetic and ethos of “using tea to create community.”
The link between tea and community is a familiar one to Chih Hui. In her native Taiwan, even the smallest social interactions came with cups of tea. “In my culture, tea is a tool, a way of connecting. In high school, my taekwondo coach was always making us tea. When my mechanic is fixing my car, he is serving me tea. When you go to someone’s home, especially in small towns, they often have tea, ready to brew.”
Indeed, in one of her first acts living on her own in Taiwan, Chih Hui bought herself a tea set. “Tea-making is social-making,” she said, “It was a way for me to say, ‘I’m living in this village. I am part of the community. Come to my house and have some tea.’”
As part of its commitment to fostering community through tea, Teance offers a variety of events — custom and curated tastings, workshops on steeping, readings, live jazz, informal socials, even lessons in dumpling-making. Nothing pleases Chih Hui and her colleagues more than seeing people lingering in the shop, teapot nearby, doing whatever rejuvenates them in the moment. In fact, this Saturday, Dec. 7, they will be collaborating with White Magnolia Acupuncture & Tai Chi to host a “Day of Giving Back Event,” 1-5 p.m. with stress-reduction acupuncture, a holiday choir, a Tai Chi demonstration, tea, and live jazz.
“Tea connects people in a lot of different ways,” she said. “It’s common to see people come in individually and find a conversation. Or they pour some tea to share with someone. Often we have people tell us ‘this tea gave me a memory.’ Maybe they bring their family. Or celebrate an anniversary.”
It is this worlds-in-a-cup vantage point that prompts Chih Hui to describe her work “as an infinite journey.
“I am constantly searching for the opportunity to taste a new tea, to find and support a small farmer. And to share that with Berkeley and the wider community.”
WHAT NEXT
- Purchase tea and other gifts at the Dec. 5 Holiday Gift Fair, 3-7 p.m. at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza or peruse the BerkeleyHolidays.com gift guide for online inspiration.
- Check out Visit Berkeley’s holiday events calendar for other festivities that will bring the community together this season.
- Use Berkeley Bucks gift cards at more than 100 Berkeley businesses.
- Visit the Discovered in Berkeley Stories page to find more articles about innovative local businesses.
