More tea experiences

For a moment there I thought it had stopped raining - I went to the post office to pick up some new games I had ordered (Carcasonne - Hunters and Gatherers and Settlers of Stone Age, I'll let you know more after we've played them some) it had almost stopped. But when I was on my way to Infuze it started raining heavily again, and by the time I was heading home it was pouring down again. Just proves that taking an umbrella with you when you leave home is almost as important as the keys. They have named this rain "The Tropical Punch" as it's like a tropical rain - and temperatures are nearly tropical too. I made the mistake on Monday to go out in my winter coat and almost drowned in my sweat, so yesterday I took my long leather coat and the same thing happened. Today I took my short leather coat, left hat and gloves home - but I was still wearing a sweater and it was still to hot.

Anyway, I wasn't going to write about weather, I was going to write about tea. I've probably only talked what a wonderful place Teaz is to Chu, so hear my rant. First of all, Teaz have this fantastic collection of teas, probably well over 50 varities. But that's not the only thing - all teas are available to buy as loose leaf, of course, but also by cups. So if you wonder if that new tea would be nice, buy a cup and sit down on the cosy armchair and read the day's paper, or browse the internet on your laptop, as of course wireless internet is available. And I haven't even mentioned all the nice cakes they have available. I love the concept, and will be a loyal customer for sure.

There is another similar tea house like that close to us, Infuze. I don't like to look of Infuze as much - where as Teaz is more traditional, Infuze is very trendy - and to be honest I drink lot of tea at home so I haven't felt the urge to go there. But yesterday I was reading Teaswap (a tea blog!) and they were all going crazy about a new West Coast craze called matcha, a ceremonial Japanese green tea. It looks crazy - it's actually bright green, but I'm a bit mad for tea so I immediately wanted to try some. Then there was a note on one of the entiries that Infuze in Vancouver was actually at the bottom of this fad so I decided to go and try some today.

Infuze on Denman is very small, not that I mind that. Their menu was surprisingly large and included all the basic teas you'd want, and it should be sufficient for even a bit more demanding tea enthusiast. I asked about matcha, and the very knowledgable young lady explained the theory to me - matcha is actually ground green tea where the leaves have been ground to a fine powder which is then whisked to a foamy texture. Because you actually consume the tea leaves it's supposed to be extra good for you - it's got 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice and 10 times the nutrients of regular green tea, and it has the similar effect to caffeine (but without the jitters), it increases mental alertness and calms and reduces stress. I chose the plain matcha to find out the true taste, but matcha lattes are apparently the most popular form. Infuze makes matcha to a ceremonial bowl using a bamboo whisk, and I was all ready for this wonderous experience.

Well, it's green tea. But not a hint of bitterness, plus the foam on the top has the most pleasent texture. The smell was fresh and fragrant, and so fresh was the taste that it had a hint of freshly cut grass in it! In fact, more I drank it, the more I liked it - and when I got to the bottom they gave me more hot water so that I could get the last of the powder that had accumulated on the bottom. The lady told me that the taste needed some getting used to, but after a while it would become almost addictive - in fact she had started making a bowl for herself when I was leaving.

And it was true, I started already craving for another cup when I was walking home and still had the pleasant aftertaste in my mouth. Oh, I will be back.

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