Scott Traffas carefully measured a few grams of white pu-erh tea on a small scale on Tuesday and steeped it over and over—close to a dozen times. He poured tiny, sip-sized cups of the tea, aged for a decade, so the drinker could savor it as its natural sweetness shifted with each steep. It’s a style of serving called gongfu—which translates as making tea “with great skill”—that Mr. Traffas practices at a new teahouse and community space in Lagunitas called the Western Gate. Mr. Traffas is in charge of the tea, which mostly comes from David Hoffman, the legendary Chinese tea importer who lives nearby. His partner and fiancée, Juliana Birnbaum, is developing the library and other aspects of the new teahouse, which opened in November. Ms. Birnbaum, who is also a doula, published a book on permaculture, called “Sustainable Revolution,” last year. The same nonprofit that supported her book provided the couple with a grant to develop the library and open the teahouse. (The teahouse is a project of the nonprofit, called the Permaculture Research Institute.) Sections of the library are guided by the tenants of permaculture, which for Ms. Birnbaum point to a way of living in harmony with the earth. The library boasts sections on psychology, tea and eastern philosophy, health, tools and technology, food, gardening, indigenous cultures and literary archetypes of the west. For Mr. Traffas, the Western Gate—at the western edge of the valley—is a personal and political response to a culture of materialism and waste. “In my own local community, through our choices, we can generate goodness and beauty and trust,” he said. The cups of tea and events they hold are all donation based. (A few books are, however, for sale.) Donations are typically a few dollars, although people have also donated books, tea and even shoes, Ms. Birnbaum said, adding, “We’re open-minded.” People can also donate monthly to become members. Mr. Traffas says that teahouses, more so than cafes and bars, foster long, thought-provoking conversations. “The effect tends to be a tranquility, a sensitivity to nature,” he said. People that come in always introduce themselves to Mr. Traffas and Ms. Birnbaum, and usually anyone else that happens to be there. “Something about this place invites people to feel like they’re walking into a party,” she said. In addition to the tea and the library, Western Gate offers yoga classes, Wednesday film nights, Friday open mic nights and workshops. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Teahouse opens in Valley
