About Imperial Tea

Founded in 1993 by Roy and Grace Fong, Imperial Tea Court is the first traditional Chinese teahouse in the US. Our family business has built a reputation as an exclusive source for many of the most highly acclaimed and sought-after teas produced today, with customers ranging from Napa Valley winemakers to acclaimed chef Alice Waters. We're honored to have the opportunity to share our passion and love of tea with you. 

Roy Fong is the founder of San Francisco’s Imperial Tea Court. Born in Hong Kong, Mr. Fong was introduced to tea early in life, and has spent many years cultivating relationships with tea gardens in mainland China, Taiwan, India, and Japan. Each year he visits select producers to supervise all aspects of production, from planting and cultivation to harvesting, processing and grading. He has also built close ties with the historic pottery workshops of Yixing in Jiangsu province and imports dozens of exceptional “purple sand” teapots to the United States each year, many of which are his own special designs and commissions. 

Roy has been featured in numerous publications, including: The New York Times, Forbes, Gourmet, Sunset Magazine, and has appeared on the National Public Radio program “Talk of the Nation”. He, his wife Grace, and their two daughters make their home in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the author of The Great Teas of China.