Après-midi Premium Teahouse

I was in Vancouver for the weekend, and I absolutely had to make a stop at Apres-Midi. (It looks like they are in the middle of rebranding to The Gastown Tea Company.) I primarily went to get more of the Masala Chai, but of course I can’t leave without smelling all the other teas, so also bought this wonderful tea.

I tried my first cup straight up. Steeped for 5.5 minutes in water that hadn’t quite made it to boiling. It’s a great tea. Not quite as strong or sweet as the scent would have you believe though.

Second cup was 5.5 minutes, same water temp. This time I added a bit of sugar and soy milk. It’s much more caramelly this way. A bit more creamy too, although I suspect that actual milk would bring out the cream more for me. In all, I like this very much. I should try this against the Creme Caramel Rooibos from DT to see which one I like better.

Après-midi is a tea shop in Vancouver, BC. It looks like they’ll be changing names to Gastown Tea Company in the near future. I had a very lovely afternoon tea service there shortly before I moved to Red Deer. I also bought some of their loose leaf teas to try.

I think I found it! My perfect chai! Now, why have I let this bag sit in my stash for so long??? The dry scent is that perfect combination of cinnamon and cardamon. I used 3 scoops of the perfect teaspoon into my Davids Tea Steeper. The brewed scent is just what I expect from a chai. Two teaspoons of sugar and about 1/2 a cup of milk went in too. This is it. This is what I remember from the very first time I had homemade chai at a friend’s house. Rich spiciness from the cardamon, cinnamon and cloves. There’s allspice and lots of ginger in there too.

I’m soooo happy. What a great start to my weekend!

I personally love almond teas and this probably one of my favorites! It has an amazing aroma and smells much stronger than it actually tastes, I don’t like a very strong taste but love a strong aroma so this tea is perfect for you if you like your tea the same way.

Mmm… as soon as you open the bag for this tea, the aroma of sweet almond permeates your nose. This truly is one of the best smelling flavoured teas that I’ve ever smelled. It reminds me of these amazing almond pastry squares that my mom used to make. You can also see the bits and pieces of almond in the tea.

I steeped the tea for 4 minutes and surprisingly, the almond flavour was much more mild than I anticipated it being based on the aroma. There is definitely an almond flavour there and it’s a nice natural almond flavour (not fake tasting at all), but it’s almost a little too faint for my tastes. I also thought the tea would be much sweeter than it is, but it’s actually not sweet at all.

I thought this tea would be delicious with milk and sugar, so I did a second tasting, this time brewing for 5 minutes, then I added a small amount of raw sugar and a dash of cream. It was delicious this way as well (dare I say better?). Though I don’t usually drink tea with sugar and cream, this tea is definitely is delicious either plain or with cream and sugar (I think lemon wouldn’t match the flavour profile).

While I won’t be drinking this tea everyday, it’s delicious enough that I’ll be keeping it stocked in my tea cupboard for the occasional brew (and for company – I think most people would enjoy this tea).

After trying the Caramel Cream Rooibos while having tea at Après-midi Teahouse in Vancouver (which was delicious), I wanted to give their unflavored rooibos tea, Rooibos Fine Cut a try as well in order to compare the two.

The loose tea had an enticing aroma of caramelized honey and after brewing, a slightly herbaceous aroma. Upon first sip, the herbaceousness of the tea was definitely apparent, but there was also a natural creaminess along with sweet undernotes of honey. Though I almost always drink rooibos plain, with no sweetener or milk/cream, I can see where this tea could hold its own against enhancements (and perhaps it would bring out the natural creaminess and sweetness even more). A fantastic unflavored rooibos that I’ll be stocking in my tea cupboard and drinking often.