International Traveler: Canada
On a trip to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, my friends stopped for High Tea in the Oak Bay neighborhood at the White Heather Tea Room. I love tea rooms; they seduce you from the street with promises of relaxation and pampering. The tea served was from Special Teas, another Victoria tea room that blends and flavors it’s own teas.
My good fortune in all of this was receiving three black teas to sample, from my friends, the High Tea people. I began with Lemon Spice, which was not at all like orange spice. Lemon is more astringent, and this was so. It smelled spicy with lemon overtones, and had a delicate taste with no bitter aftertaste.
Next I tried Canadian Breakfast: an unusual black tea blended with Earl Grey and Jasmine. Nice mix. Earl Grey’s like to dominate all other flavors, but this stayed light. The taste was definitely there, and as the tea cooled, the Jasmine appeared while the Earl Grey receded.
Last to taste, the Vietnam OP (Orange Pekoe) organic. Straight black tea from Vietnam. No flavors, nothing added. We don’t see much tea from Vietnam, so I was interested in how this would fare with better known black teas. Possessing a nice caramel color, it had a nice, clean smell and taste. It wasn’t vastly different from other good quality black teas I tasted.
Just to be fair, I tried it again in the morning. After all, I sampled it with two flavored teas, and maybe that influenced my view of the tea.
Nope!
Vietnam OP is a nice, clean, straight black tea, a tea to drink first thing in the morning. It’s a welcome-to-the-new-day tea, which is when I will drink it.
Should you be spending time in Victoria, BC, Canada, take some time to enjoy either tea room, or explore and find another. Tea is a journey of tastings.
