Tea Shops in Vancouver? Seattle?

Absolutely! Murchy's tea in Vancouver and Victoria. Tons of tea, lots of varieties. Nothing to compare.

Murchies is good for their black teas, I wasn't impressed by their Chinese tea selection though. I visited the store on Pender St., and I heard there's another at Oakbridge centre.

In Vancouver, try Richmond area, which has a large asian population. There's a shop in Landsdown mall if I remember correctly, quite a sizeable one, but again, nothing to shout home about on the teas available - the shop owner is a Taiwanese who is more keen on selling abalone and american ginseng than tea...At Yaohan and the President (Tong Yi) supermarkets, which are in Richmond - next to the Radisson hotel, you might be able to find some chinese teas on the shelves, try the Huang Jin Gui, which comes in a yellow box with 2 packs of loose leaf oolong inside, and Japanese words on the outside. That's the only tea I found palatable there...oh I almost forgot, there's a Ten Ren Taiwanese tea store there too, its located between the two supermarkets.

There used to be a Hongkong store along Alexander road called The Best Tea House, which has great tea selection, but I think they have relocated to some other parts of Canada.

Chinatown, may have some teashops but I didn't think I found one.

My friends tell me that the asian grocery stores in Chinatown, Seattle, have lots of chinese teas hidden in corners. You have to really hunt for them.

Danny

Hey Danny...I have a hard time finding "China town" in Seattle...it's more a rough looking neighborhood but there's nothing super obvious to me about where it starts or ends. Lots of bars on the windows up there. There is Uwajimaya though right there in the foreign district (by the baseball stadium) which is a large mostly Japanese store...they have a good selection of regular boxed teas on the shelves. No gaiwans or yixing though. The only puer I saw was Foojoy. They do have their own parking though which I like, very easy and they validate if you purchase $10 or $20 worth of stuff.

There's a place called Teahouse Kwan Yin up on 1911 North 45th that's nice...it's small and has more of a college atmosphere (being near the U W) but it has good vegetarian sandwiches and they know how to brew their tea properly. I think they even have a couple of organic selections.

There's also Perennial Tea Room down by the Pike's Market (in Post Alley...it's like Daigon Alley but different...) but they have their hot tea in carafs and it's already brewed. They only have a couple of selections to drink at a time (at least this is the way it was when I was there last, oh about a year ago or two). They have a lot of loose teas...that are all kept in clear jars that they remove the lids of to let people smell them and to take the tea out. But they have numerically a larger selection than Kwanyin. Personally I didn't think the tea suffered too much from the handling (though I can't speak for the greens and it's been awhile since I've really don't a strict taste test) They also provide brewing instructions. Um...so those are the two main ones I know about. If I myself were headed up there and had to pick one place I'd go to Kwanyin, they have Nilgiri and other different types and I like the food and atmosphere. But if I were going to be around Pike's I'd go to Perennial.

If there's anyone on here that knows of other places I've missed, particularly places that may not be tea rooms per se but that know how to brew good tea and pair it with good food (say sushi or East/West...) I'd like to hear about it. I wish Tom Douglass would provide some teas in his restaurants if he doesn't already. Seems to me that chefs don't pay attention to the tea enough, lol..Hmm...I ought to call his radio show and say something about that. I think sencha goes nicely with fresh fish. Gotta go get me some green tea now....

Melinda

Hey Melinda,

Thanks for the info, that's it. Foojoy. I remember my friends telling me they buy their teas from there. I've only transited in Seattle enroute to Vancouver, but I rather go through Portland, which is tax free and I can shop till I drop within the airport, haha!

Next time, I'll make sure I get a layover in Seattle and hit the Chinatown.

Danny

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and discussion.

Warren

Hi Warren, Murchy's Tea and Coffee is nice if you are looking for traditional English tea blends or else you are looking to pay a fortune to buy simple regular grade tea at best. If you are truely interested in premium Chinese tea, there are only three places to go in Vancouver.

If you are looking for the very best teas in the very best packaging, stop by at Stong's and Urban Fare (they are high end gourmet stores) and look for the Fah Guo Mountain Tea Stature Series brand. Or if you want to check out a tea shop, go to Chinatown and look for the Treasure Green Tea Company. They are the oldest tea shop in all of Vancouver far superior than Ten Ren or any other tea shops in the Pacific North West.

Karina.

Another Tea house in the "Chinatown/International District" is the Panama Hotel Tea House. The Tea house is set in the first floor of the historic Panama Tea house. The owner has created a mini museum documenting the history of the area. I can't speak to their collection of teas, but the ambiance and service is worth the trip.

-FM