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TEA ADVENTURER
Margaret Fong has explored the far reaches of Asia for teas and antiquities.
WRITTEN BY SUE EDMONDSON
PHOTOS BY JAMIE KINGHAM
Don’t let Margaret Fong’s delicate appearance fool you. The truth is, she’s a female Indiana Jones, an adventurer who explored the farthest reaches of Asia, often on foot, in search of antiquities and fine teas.
The seeds for her future were planted when, as a University of Nevada, Reno student, she and her sister traveled to China to visit their grandmother. There she was astounded by the availability and affordability of rare antiques.
Flash forward. Fong was a bored accountant.
“I’m not the type to sit at a desk,” she says. “But I’m a hard worker and like to challenge myself. I decided to start a business and see how far I could get.”
Shop Opens
At 27, she opened Dragon Spring at 1707 S. Wells Ave. in Reno (http://dragonspringinc.com). They’re both still there, 36 years later. Fong believes she was the only store selling fine teas in the region when she opened and is the longest seller of fine teas in the area.
Dragon Spring began as an antique store, filled with the extraordinary items Fong found on her treks throughout Asia. She served tea to her clients, who often were well traveled.
“They appreciated sitting down with a cup of excellent tea,” she says. “I decided to add it to my inventory.”
Sourcing it was a challenge.
“The tea grown across Asia on small family farms in the mountains is best,” she says.
Her search for the finest teas began by hiking steep dirt roads only traveled by locals.
“I wasn’t frightened,” she says. “Maybe I should have been.”
The hardest part was being a businesswoman — they were rare in China at that time.
“But the men respected me because I appreciated their help and kept my word,” she says. “In those days, your word meant everything.”
Business thrived until the antiques market softened. Undaunted, she incorporated martial arts equipment into the inventory. It’s now a major contributor to sales.
Tea Focus
One room still is dedicated to tea, displayed artfully, along with extraordinary porcelain teapots. Fong explains the difference between teas — how they’re picked; what makes tea white, green, or black (processing is the key); and how flowers and spices scent tea and affect its taste.
“The flavors are subtle,” she says.
Indeed. The Osmanthus Milk Oolong, for example, has a floral scent that, when this tea is prepared, offers an exquisite hint of sweetness, the flower barely discernible.
When Fong brought tea to Reno, she gifted generations with an epicurean treasure. The reason she persists is the same as when she started: “I want people to experience the real thing,” she says.
Freelance writer Sue Edmondson writes for various publications in Nevada and California and recently has become a fine tea aficionado.
Margaret Fong’s One-Cup Chinese Tea-Brewing Instructions
Tea type / Amount / Temperature / Brewing time
White / 1 – 3 teaspoons / 160 degrees F / 1 minute
Green / 1 – 2 teaspoons / 170 degrees F / 2 – 3 minutes
Oolong / 1 – 2 teaspoons / 190 degrees F / 3 – 5 minutes
Black / 1 – 2 teaspoons / 200 degrees F / 5 minutes
Put tea in strainer, place in cup.
Flush tea by pouring just enough hot water over leaves for five seconds. This awakens the leaves. Discard the water.
Pour hot water into cup, per chart.
Remove tea and enjoy. Use the same leaves for up to two more cups; add a minute each time.
