There are no outright coffee drinks on the menu at Tea on Piedmont, but there’s ample espresso-like warmth, zing, concentration and boldness behind the counter. Perched on North Oakland’s corner of Piedmont Avenue and 41st street, the shop is owned and operated by Piedmont resident Grace Shen.
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“I didn’t choose it: It chose me and inspired me to open my tea shop,” Shen says of the location. “I saw the ‘for lease’ sign, visited with the landlord, signed on and started training staff.”
Tea on Piedmont had its soft opening in November 2021 and since then has built a steady following. Regular customers know they can leave their favorite tumbler or mug at the shop, saving overuse of disposable paper cups and an indication of Shen’s high standards for hospitality and sustainable practices, as well as for the top-quality teas and signature beverages on the carefully curated menu.
“After a while, we recognize faces of people who come regularly,” she says. “It’s a warm feeling when their favorite drinks are remembered and served in their own cups. It’s also environmentally friendly, just like the biodegradable boba straws.”
Shen is community-friendly also; hosting pop-ups to showcase pastries, desserts and other food items made by Bay Area-based chefs and small businesses. A rotating selection of products is on display, and sales support locally-owned businesses such as Formosa Chocolates, Arjan Flowers & Herbs, Yami Yami, Occasionalish, Sherry’s Palette and others.
On the menu are Hojicha Latte and Oolong Macadamia Latte, the two most popular selections among the list of signature lattes that are lightly sweetened and can be served hot or cold. The Hojicha is a Japanese green tea brewed with oat milk for an earthy, roasted flavor; the Oolong blended with macadamia milk is lightly roasted and has a smooth flavor, fragrant scent and no dry finish after drinking it.
Shen says many people are familiar with other teas, such as the matcha and boba teas also on the menu, but jump at the opportunity to try something new. That Shen herself is an itinerant, an experienced jumper at new opportunities, is fair to say. Born in New York but raised and growing up from a young age in Taiwan, her family was traditional. Dinners happened with her parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins all gathered around a large round table, a lazy susan loaded with dishes in the center.
“My family dined out a lot too,” she recalls. “I spent time in restaurants, so I know a good waiter or waitress, how to treat them with respect and what people like to order and enjoy.”
During high school, Shen craved escape from her daily rigorous academics and worked part-time at a Subway shop. She recalled it was fun and the good feelings generated when she’d remember a customer’s name and who liked olives — or didn’t. While attending college to earning a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish, Language and Culture and hoping to become a diplomat in Central America, she worked at Starbucks.
“The company that distributes them in Taiwan is known for outstanding customer service. They have rigorous training, respect for customers and for the product, for each cup of latte. It taught me to appreciate people who work with their hands.
“Tea on Piedmont is a hospitality business more than a tea shop. I work to make sure it expresses what I believe about how staff and customers deserve to be treated.”
Because Taiwan’s relationships with Central American countries changed and the option for a diplomatic position disappeared when she graduated, Shen moved to marketing and advertising for a creative agency. In 2005, on a flight between Hong Kong and Shanghai, she saw a man who attracted her attention.
“We weren’t sitting side-by-side, so I went to the restroom three times just to check him out. We never had eye contact, even though I tried at luggage pickup. Three days later, I saw him at a bar. I went up to him and said I’d seen him on a plane. He said he remembered me. We talked and started emailing each other. I laugh because I think he remembered me because I went past him so many times during a 90-minute flight.”
After two years of email, Skype, and other virtual communications interrupted by only a few, rare in-person visits, her now-husband, Yitao Sun, voiced an ultimatum.
“He said, ‘Either move to the United States or break up.’ I moved because I thought he was the right guy. My family is all in Taiwan, and they didn’t like my decision because it was impulsive, done two months after I told them. Now, I’m 42, married, and the mother of a child who’s in third grade at Piedmont Elementary School, and I have my own tea shop. If I didn’t go through all the obstacles during my 20s and 30s, I’d never have Tea on Piedmont.”
Shen says drinking tea at age 5 with her grandfather sparked a curiosity that has not ceased. She says he drank “the old-fashioned way,” she recalls, sipping from dozens of small cups filled with bitter, strong, “so hot” teas.
“Boba milk teas were invented in Taiwan when I was 8. I learned they were part of social events. Most bottled drinks sold in convenience stores were tea. When you order a bento box, they give you a free pack of tea. Originally, I never thought of making tea for myself. I drank coffee, whiskey, wine.”
Now a dual citizen of Taiwan and the United States, Shen says she recognizes that Americans lacked opportunity, knowledge sources, and places to sample and learn about tea.
“They either brew it at home or go out and drink tea made from tea bags. I’m not saying I’m a tea master, but I’m a great instructor for beginners. I can select good teas that open a little door for people to enter. Once they like it, there are so many kinds of teas they can explore. Every culture drinks different teas, and it’s fascinating to learn the history.”
Lou Fancher is a freelance writer. Reach her at lou@johnsonandfancher.com.