Love in a cup...
Feb. 23rd, 2006 03:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blue_lotus13Yesterday I went to Shaktea on Main to do a profile for the Vancouver Courier. Shaktea is a new tea house, which was recommended highly by Hot Lunch . I thought the story would only take me an hour, but I ended up staying there for two.
First, I sampled a Chocolate Mint Rooibos tea, which tasted like dessert. I then tried a wonderfully sweet rose tea, and was served a pot of Market Spice, which was a spicy chai like blend. The women who own the tea house serve the tea in small pots, and it sits on a tea light warmer, so you can sip it slowly and savour it. The tea house is quite nice; very unpretentious and homey. The walls are yellow and there's a wonderfully comfy couch and world music playing. The owners are two women who have been friends for a long time. They brought me a variety of teas to smell, and I ended up smelling a wide variety of scented beverages. Both women are learning how to serve Traditional Chinese tea from a Gung Fu Tea master.
I asked Tanya, one of the owners, if she'd ever had Mongolian salty tea. It's a very different taste, but I really liked it. She had never sampled it, but was quite intrigued and brought out a tea brick to show me. After this, she decided to practice the traditional tea serving and so we had pu'er, which is a smoky and strong tea that smells and tastes like a strong oolong. She prepared it in a way, using a cup and pouring using both hands. I really enjoyed my experience, and I'm definitely going to go back.
I guess I'm also going to start drinking Rooibos, as it's apparently quite good for eczema. I also want to sample the chocolates they sell, as the owners work with a chocolatier and have created an Earl Grey chocolate and a Green Tea chocolate.
I highly recommend this place and encourage everyone to try it if you're a fan of tea. It's on Main Street, across the street from the Liberty Bakery and the Barefoot Contessa.
First, I sampled a Chocolate Mint Rooibos tea, which tasted like dessert. I then tried a wonderfully sweet rose tea, and was served a pot of Market Spice, which was a spicy chai like blend. The women who own the tea house serve the tea in small pots, and it sits on a tea light warmer, so you can sip it slowly and savour it. The tea house is quite nice; very unpretentious and homey. The walls are yellow and there's a wonderfully comfy couch and world music playing. The owners are two women who have been friends for a long time. They brought me a variety of teas to smell, and I ended up smelling a wide variety of scented beverages. Both women are learning how to serve Traditional Chinese tea from a Gung Fu Tea master.
I asked Tanya, one of the owners, if she'd ever had Mongolian salty tea. It's a very different taste, but I really liked it. She had never sampled it, but was quite intrigued and brought out a tea brick to show me. After this, she decided to practice the traditional tea serving and so we had pu'er, which is a smoky and strong tea that smells and tastes like a strong oolong. She prepared it in a way, using a cup and pouring using both hands. I really enjoyed my experience, and I'm definitely going to go back.
I guess I'm also going to start drinking Rooibos, as it's apparently quite good for eczema. I also want to sample the chocolates they sell, as the owners work with a chocolatier and have created an Earl Grey chocolate and a Green Tea chocolate.
I highly recommend this place and encourage everyone to try it if you're a fan of tea. It's on Main Street, across the street from the Liberty Bakery and the Barefoot Contessa.
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Date: 2006-02-24 03:10 am (UTC)Now I frequent Oolong, a tea house that holds a weekly stitch 'n' bitch in Kensington in Calgary. I quite enjoy their Bourbon Street Vanilla Rooibos, which has slivers of almond throughout. Chocolate Mint sounds tasty, though! I'll have to see if they have it.
Have you ever tried white tea? I like it a lot more than green tea, which I find leaves a very cabbage-like aftertaste. White tea is more like a pekoe, but it's not orange. It's way more expensive though. I think I spent $10 on a tiny tin of white tea!
I really love the ritual of tea. It takes time to make a good pot and I like lazing around with a pot or two on Sundays while reading a good book.