We are proud to serve a wide selection of teas that includes our custom line of organic loose leaf, organic chia, organic maccha and organic Yerba Mate.
We offer a custom line of organic loose leaf teas that include black, green and white teas plus Marketspice (not organic) from the renoun Pike's Market located in Seattle, WA. People frequently leave the Island and travel to Seattle to get their bag of Marketspice only to find out that they can buy it at any of our cafes! Our custom loose leaf organic teas cover a wide range of flavour profiles from traditional to the more adventurous. Our line of organic loose leaf teas are made by a The Tea Guy located in Vancouver and is in keeping with out commitment to support other excellent BC businesses.
In order to ensure that you make the perfect cup of tea, we have provided steeping information specific to our custom line of organic teas. If you wish to download the information, click on the image.
We have 4 different types of 100% organic chai. Two in concentrate form, 1 loose leaf and 1 Yerba Mate. How's that for a chai selection?
Our chai concentrate is certified organic and fair trade. We are proud to offer this product made by The Chai Company located in Delta, BC. Every batch is handcrafted in state-of-the-art microbrewing facilities in small batches to ensure consistency and the best chai this side of the Himalaya's. Using only pure BC mountain water, estate-grown, fair trade, organic tea, fresh whole spice and organic cane juice, the result is a perfectly balanced chai, with no additives or preservatives.
The Chai Company also brews with the environment in mind. The higher 3-to-1 concentration means more servings per container, which results in less packaging, fewer trucks on the road and less post-consumer waste. This is another reason why, after so many years, we continue to proudly work with this fabulous BC company.
Authentic Chai is an infusion of organic black tea from the ancient tea gardens of Yunnan Province, China, organic cardamom, organic cinnamon, organic black pepper, organic cloves, organic vanilla bean, organic ginger, organic cane juice, organic molasses, and a tiny bit of organic lemon juice concentrate.
Rooibos (caffeine free) Chai has the same great spice profile as the Authentic Chai but instead of black tea, uses the smooth, sweet flavour of rooibos, an herbal tea from South Africa. Rooibos is loaded with antioxidants and is naturally caffeine free, making it great for kids, before bed or anytime. This rooibos version is made with the same organic ingredients as listed under Authentic Chai except that organic rooibos tea replaces organic black tea.
Enjoy either option hot or cold.
Health Properties
In chai, the balance of spice has been shown to improve circulation, along with anti-bacteria, anti-inflammatory, and digestive properties. Recent studies have shown that anti-oxidants in tea may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stem development of cancer cells.
If Maccha is your thing then we have that too. Maccha is a nutrient rich, shade grown Japanese tencha green tea. Tencha is a specific method of harvesting and preparing only the highest quality green tea leaves.
A few weeks before harvest, the tea bushes are covered with a shade net to block out almost all sunlight. This causes the plant to produce an abundance of amino acids that increase nutrients sent to the leaves. Once the budding leaves are ready for picking, they are delicately removed from the plant and then laid flat to dry. The result is tencha.
The farmers then remove the stems and veins from the dried tencha and gather the leaves to be stone milled. Once the tencha has been ground into a very fine powder, maccha is created. Stone milling is a slow process that has been used for hundreds of years to prepare maccha because it ensures that the tencha retains its sweet characteristics. Stone milling yields about 30 grams per hour! These time-honoured methods of preparation distinguish maccha from other products such as 'green tea powder', which is mass produced using automated picking and powdering systems.
We offer an organic unsweetened and organic sweetened Maccha for you to choose from. Enjoy it in-cafe, to-go or purchase the maccha to make at home or work. Preparation instructions are provided on the package. So whether maccha is prepared on its own in hot water, with milk as a latte or with ice cream as a delicious smoothie, it is the only tea where the actual leaf is consumed making maccha a truly supercharged, healthy beverage.
Health Properties
Maccha has 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice, 10 times the nutrients of other green teas, 9 times the beta carotene as spinach, boosts metabolism, and increases energy without caffeine jitters.
Yerba Mate is a shrub that matures into a tree and can grow up to 15 metres (49') tall, and has evergreen leaves with serrated edges. The leaves are often called yerba (Spanish), which means "herb". The leaves contain caffeine, also known as mateine. It is grown in South America by cultivators known as yerbateros (Spanish).
Yerba mate is harvested from March to October and the leaves must be processed no longer than 24 hours after they have been picked. Drying the leaves is a two-step process. The first step is dehydrating the leaves (sapecado) and is achieved through fire and only takes 20 to 30 seconds. Dehydrating the leaves stops the natural oxidation and fermentation process and much care needs to be taken to avoid overheating the leaves. If this occurs, the leaves turn yellow and the final taste might be affected.
The second step (canchado) happens when the leaves are roughly milled right after they are dehydrated.
Once the dehydration process is complete, the crushed leaves are put into a jute sack that has been dated and marked to show its origin. The next step is to leave the yerba mate to age for a minimum of six months with organic and small farmers usually letting this process last more than a year, sometimes even two years.
The final step is the milling. Specialised machinery is used to separate the yerba mate from the twigs, leaves and sticks or stems. The yerba is milled then mixed with the desired amount of sticks, leaves or powder depending on the manufacturer's custom blends.
Our organic Yerba Mate comes in three different flavours, Brazillian Green, Lemon Ginger and Cardamom Chai. You can enjoy this unique and extremely healthy drink in-cafe, to-go or purchase your favourite to enjoy wherever you are. Click on the name of each option to learn more about their flavours.
Health Properites
Yerba Mate is a healthy energizer and is said to gradually release into the system, act as an appetite suppressor aiding with weight loss, is an immune booster, and helps blood detoxify and cleanse. It is an excellent source of antioxidants, high in vitamins and miners.
One of the great thing about spent tea leaves is the fact that they are compostable. To compliment this fact, we use unbleached tea bags in all our cafes and make them available to purchase. These bags can go right into your compost allowing you to enjoy your tea even more. Just ask our Baristas about purchasing your bag of tea and box of filters.
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