Treasures of Ontario
Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Treasures of Ontario (Treasure Series) by Damon Neal (Hardcover
- 2007)
Say Tea II
Tea isn't just for English ladies anymore. Say Tea is all
about what its name implies: Tea. Nearly 150 varieties of
the finest teas from around the world are sold here, with
Sue Drake, proprietress extraordinaire, bagging about half
of them herself. Chinese teas, green teas, white teas, black
teas, teas laced with tangerine and grapefruit, vanilla,
lavender or rose petals... the variety of teas will astound
you. Sue and her wonderfully supportive staff are more than
happy to offer what may well be the largest selection of
bulk tea in Canada, along with all the accoutrements of
the tea ritual one could possibly hope for.
Say Tea has received media notice throughout Canada and
the United States, and orders come in from customers all
over the globe. Here you can find gifts for every kind of
tea lover, including teapots and teacups, infusers and strainers,
preserves and jams, biscuits and shortbread, gift baskets
and books for every tea occasion.
Say Tea has been in business for 25 years, and it's been
Sue's for the last 10. She's having the time of her life.
People love to come into the shop to sit and chat, prompting
Sue to say that running the business is similar to being
a counselor. Her teas and her advice must both be great,
because her customers have become good pals over the years.
Stop by and join the ranks of loyal tea drinkers at Say
Tea. www.saytea.com
Photography of Say Tea interior
by Avocado
Communications.com
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The Globe and Mail
Wednesday, October 14, 1998
CINDY McGLYNN. Special to The Globe and Mail, Canada's national
newspaper:
FOOD & DRINK................
Everything stops for tea
TREND
Coffee has been whipped and frothed and half-caffed to death:
Tea -- both exotic and richly old-fashioned -- is the obvious
next step.
Toronto -- Henry James wrote in his 1881 Portrait of a
Lady that there are few hours in life more agreeable than
the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.
Checking out the view from over the rim of a Royal Doulton
teacup in the tea-room of Toronto's Four Season's Hotel,
it's hard not to agree. Here, one watches tea served the
way James likely enjoyed it. Dishes of rich Devon cream
and crumbly scones decorate tables covered in heavy pink
cloth. Loose-leaf tea is poured through a silver strainer
and little sandwiches with meat piled high in rosebud-shapes
have their crusts removed in an age-old homage to daintiness,
or possibly bad teeth.
Tradition is the name of the game here, and it's obvious
that afternoon tea is every bit as agreeable in 1998 as
it was 100 years ago. So too, is tea itself, anyway you
like it: green tea; chai tea; loose-leaf tea; herbal tea;
tea in a shop or tea in a restaurant. The Tea Council of
Canada tells tales of growing and sometimes skyrocketing
sales in every tea category. Turns out that you can enjoy
the beverage folks have been drinking for millennia the
traditional way if you like, but heaven knows you don't
have to.
Martine Blackhurst owns a clothing store in trendy downtown
Toronto. She likes tea the old-fashioned way and at least
once a month, kicks back with the girls at the Four Seasons.
The loose-leaf Prince of Wales blend is her favourite,
says 32-year-old Blackhurst. She never drinks coffee and
had her first cuppa years ago with her English father. (Incidentally,
Gourmet Magazine reports that Paris is now the smashing-est
place for afternoon tea, not London.)
Blackhurst hates the way tea drinkers get shafted at normal
restaurants where one must beg for extra hot water and tea
is served in icky little tin pots. It's not like that at
the Four Seasons.
“I'm not a girlie girl, by any means. But there's
a special feeling there. I love their service and I love
their silver,” says Blackhurst.
“It's cozy and it's pretty,” she continues.
“It's just all those things a girl could love.”
Toronto's JKROM restaurant offers a modern spin on the
traditional ceremony. Their Saturday and Sunday tea menu
has the usual jams and scones, but you also might find capons
a la carte and grilled pepper sandwiches served on flat
bread. It's $16 a person and the tea is, of course, included.
The tea room itself is going contemporary and multicultural
at Vancouver's Tearoom T. The four-year-old shop near Granville
Island sells upward of 150 blends and serves teas selected
from a seasonal menu. Tea is brewed in a mini-bodum and
served in clear cups that show off its colours.
Co-owner Christine Moulson tells of serving special Chinese
tea in tiny clay pots and Japanese tea presented in cast
iron pots. She laughs at the notion of tea being for little
old ladies.
“We get everybody in here. Even teen-agers coming
after their classes,” she says. “We [the owners]
all sort of joke about being tea grannies, because we're
all in our 30s.”
So what is all the fuss about? Well, everyone's reading
the reports of cancer-reducing antioxidants in green tea.
The Tea Council of Canada says green tea sales have increased
a whopping 72 per cent over the past year. Most of the buyers
are in trend-loving British Columbia, but Toronto's Say
Tea shop, in the Bloor West Village, reports good sales
of the health tea, too. (Even Celestial Seasonings now sells
the stuff, which is the same as black tea, incidentally,
but the leaves are unoxidized. And they've been drinking
it in Asia forever.)
Chai tea is also hot, says Say Tea's owner, Sue Piercey.
Two years ago, she couldn't give away the pungent, spicy
black tea. Since Starbucks started serving it in March,
she's had oodles of requests.
Piercey says traditional black-tea blends remain her hardcore
market, but buyers are increasingly savvy and adventurous.
They know their tea and they love the slow, rich pleasure
that seems to come with holding a cup so steeped in history
and ceremony -- not to mention good taste. Piercey also
figures that coffee has been whipped and frothed and half-caffed
to death and exotic teas are the obvious next step. Some
pundits speculate that it's a logical topper to the good-old-fashioned-luxuries
trend that has us all swilling highballs and eating steak
again.
Trendy or no, all most of us really want to know is simply
how to make a good cup. Use fresh, loose-leaf tea, Piercey
says, and not too much.
If you're a traditionalist, you might take Sir Kenelm Digby's
advice on steeping (from the 1600s). He says to leave the
hot water on the tea no longer than the time it takes to
leisurely say the 51st Psalm. For more tea facts and fancy,
see Elizabeth Knight's book Tea With Friends ($19.95, Storey
Books), distributed by Random House of Canada.
Visit the Globe and Mail website: www.globeandmail.com
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BON APPETIT MAGAZINE
COLLECTING THE BEST
Shopping: Teatime in Toronto
Which brew for you? At Say Tea, there is a selection from
all over the world.
March 1994
IS HAVING A COUPLE OF ENGLISH GRANDPARENTS ENOUGH to make
you want to open a shop filled with more than one hundred
teas from around the world, not to mention everything else
you might ever need to brew a cuppa? It is if you're Wendy
Winship, who with her partner, Kate McArdle, owns the charmingly
sentimental Say Tea in the Bloor West Village neighborhood
of Toronto. "I've been drinking tea since I was six
- my sixth birthday, actually," explains Wendy."That's
when my grandfather, who was born in England, took me for
my first afternoon tea." Her fondness for tea-the drink
and the ritual grew over the years, and eventually led her
to open Say Tea in 1980.
"Bloor West Village has always
been one of the best places in the city to buy specialty
foods," says Wendy. "At the time, though, there
wasn't a single tea shop in the area, so I stepped in to
fill the void."
On display under the shop's original tin ceiling are antique
Welsh cupboards filled with Staffordshire teapots, lace napkins, tea cozies, silver-plate
tea strainers, even teddy bears. In addition, the browsing
shopper will find a wonderful collection of books on the
art and charms of taking tea, along with such teatime foods
as preserves, jams and conserves, biscuits and shortbread,
and Devon scone mixes.
But what Say Tea is really about is just 'that--tea, the
finest teas from the world over. In fact, Wendy and Kate
stock one of the largest selections of bulk tea in Canada,
an array that includes the traditional, like Keemun, a fragrant
blend of Chinese black teas, and the exotic, such as Victorian
Garden, the shop's own special mix of gunpowder green tea
and jasmine flowers, redolent of vanilla, lavender and rose
petals. One of their, most popular teas is called Blue Lady;
a blend of China Rose black tea, delicately scented with
tangerine and grapefruit, with marigold flowers and blue
cornflowers.
While there's nothing quite like sniffing your way through
Say Tea's aromatic collection, there is a new alternative
for tea lovers in distant locales: mail order. Give Wendy
and Kate a call, and they will send you a list of the teas
they stock, along with a free sample of their Monk's Blend,
a mix of Ceylon black tea, orange blossoms and grenadine
(pomegranate syrup). Another possibility is their afternoon
tea basket, which includes four different teas, a Devon
scone mix, preserves from Prince Edward Island, a tea book
and a tea infuser, all in a black willow basket wrapped
in cellophane and tied with raffia.
These days Wendy returns her grandfather's kindness from
all those years ago by making a proper "cream"
tea for her 91-year-old Manchester-born grandmother every
so often. "It's her favorite, " says Wendy. "We
have buttermilk scones, some thick Devon cream, a nice preserve,
fresh fruit and cups of English breakfast or Earl Grey tea.
Some things don't change."
-By Laurie Glenn Buckle
Visit the Bon Appetit website: www.epicurious.com/bonappetit
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Toronto Life Magazine
Toronto Life 2004 Food Guide
There’s always something new here for lovers of jams,
honeys and preserves, perhaps a tangy Scottish whiskey marmalade.
Tea is the point: Barry’s teas from the famous English
tea room, Dr. Stuart’s herbal teas, 148 other loose-leaf
brews with a handful of organics, lots of rooibos and a
serious heart of single-estate Asian and African productions.
Some customers buy the dried rose petals, hibiscus, orange
peel and other florals to flavour their own blends. A decent
variety of coffees plays second fiddle, while a changing
collection of teapots and services includes cute, minute
Mud Pie tea sets for dolls and bears.
Say Tea has been proudly featured in Toronto Life for
over five years.
Visit the Toronto Life website: www.torontolife.com
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Chatelaine Magazine
November 1996.
Teatime:
How to brew a good cuppa (Chatelaine magazine, November
1996)
No longer the drink of our grandparents' generation, tea
is undergoing a renaissance. But these days, it's not just
drunk with milk and sugar -- you can find a bevy of iced
teas, herbal infusions and exotically flavored brands. "People
demand a variety of quality teas, just as they expect a
good restaurant to have an extensive wine list and a decent
cup of coffee," says Lana Sutherland, an owner of Vancouver's
Tearoom T, which serves blends such as Genmai Cha, a green
tea made with toasted rice kernels and roasted barley, to
Saskatoon berry, a sweet deep-ruby blend. Not only are Canadians
drinking different kinds of teas, we're drinking more. In
1995, sales of herbal and decaffeinated tea grew about 10
percent, thanks largely to Canadians' health concerns. According
to the Tea Council of Canada, Canadians now drink more than
seven billion cups of tea each year.
Tea types
Black, green and oolong tea all come from the Camellia sinensis
plant. Dominating the North American market, black tea fills
the familiar tea bag. It's made from fully oxidized tea
leaves, which create that dark amber color. Green tea, a
delicate non-oxidized hot drink popular in the Orient, is
spreading west. Indeed, many major brands now produce green
teas sold in supermarkets. Oolong, a semi-oxidized tea drunk
in China, combines the quality and taste of black and green
teas. Herbal infusions (which are not tea, strictly speaking)
are made from a variety of dried fruits, plants and roots.
Tea quality
Some tea drinkers insist loose tea makes a superior cup.
But Wendy Winship of Say Tea in Toronto explains that bags
contain leaves cut into small pieces called "fannings"
that let tea infuse well and quickly. (The term orange pekoe
actually refers to the size of the leaf cuttings.) Yet,
whether it's bagged or loose, the best tea comes from the
first two leaves and the bud on each branch, which are tender
and have the best flavor. Although the untrained palate
may find it difficult to tell the difference, lesser-quality
tea made from leaves farther along the stem tastes harsh
and turns a dull gray color when milk is added to it.
Herbal teas
Once available only in health food stores, herbal teas have
spread practically everywhere. No wonder -- these tasty,
no-calorie drinks don't pack any caffeine. Some teas actually
provide nutrition; for example, fruit blends made with dried
rose-hip flowers are high in vitamin C. Folk medicine attributes
a number of health benefits to herbal tea. According to
its fans, soothing chamomile tea improves digestion and
relieves headaches, fevers and colds, as well as serving
as a sleeping aid. It's said that ginger tea alleviates
nausea and menstrual cramps, while raspberry leaf tea relieves
morning sickness. Fennel tea is said to stimulate the appetite.
Cutting down on coffee For people with digestive problems
or those who want to avoid caffeine, tea fits the bill.
Black tea contains about two-thirds less caffeine than coffee,
with just 34 milligrams per cup compared to coffee's 99
milligrams. Contrary to popular belief, reducing steeping
time does not significantly cut down caffeine levels, as
the caffeine releases pretty quickly. Health Canada sets
a moderate daily caffeine intake of 400 to 450 milligrams.
But if you want to reduce your daily dose, try decaffeinated
tea. The decaffeination process uses either carbon dioxide
or chemical solvents such as ethyl acetate and methylene
chloride to absorb the caffeine. And it removes 99.6 percent
of the caffeine so that one cup has less than five milligrams.
A cup a day ...
Besides delivering less caffeine, tea may have other health
benefits. Recent studies have found that - tea may reduce
the risk of cancer and heart disease. Tea contains antioxidants,
compounds that help prevent cell damage in the body. A study
conducted in the Netherlands found that men who drank more
than four cups of regular black tea a day reduced their
risk of stroke by 69 percent. Black tea
also contains folic acid, which has been linked to a decreased
risk of coronary heart disease. . Japanese green tea has
anticarcinogenic agents called polyphenols which are associated
with lower cancer risks. And, according to one study, green
tea also inhibits the growth of diarrhea-causing bacteria.
The perfect pot
No matter what type of tea you like to drink, the technique
for brewing a good pot remains the same. Say Tea II's
Wendy Winship provides the tried-and-true method: start
with cold fresh-drawn or filtered water. Bring the water
to a rolling boil, swirl some around to warm the pot, then
discard. Measure
one teaspoon of loose tea per cup if you're using an infuser
or strainer. Use one tea bag for every two cups. Pour boiling
-- not just hot -- water over tea and infuse for two to
five minutes.
Super-hot iced tea
The newest alternative to fizzy soft drinks, iced tea has
really taken off. According to a recent Nielsen survey,
1995 sales of ready-to-drink iced tea increased by a whopping
76 percent. But with lots of added sugars, iced tea isn't
necessarily a better choice than colas: Iced tea can be
made a couple of different ways: some manufacturers use
natural brewed tea and bottle it hot, while others use instant
tea made from tea leaves. How do you tell if it's real brewed
tea? Read the label: it should say whether or not the tea
is brewed and should state whether it contains any flavorings
or preservatives.
LUBA KREKHUVETSKY
Visit the Chatelaine Life website: www.chatelaine.com
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North York Mirror
Sit Back, relax and read up on tea
Wednesday February 18th, 2004
By LISA CARTWRIGHT Mirror Staff
When you are feeling blue or under the weather, curling
up on the couch with a cup of tea seems to be the perfect
medicine.
-And even those who say tea isn't their beverage choice
- despite the fact it's the second most consumed drink in
the country, according to the Tea Association of Canada
- have probably sat down with a cup to discuss problems
with friends or to help ease an aching body.
"Tea is soothing. If you are feeling lousy, if you
have a cold, tea makes you feel better," said Sue Piercey,
owner of Say Tea, ' located in the Bloor West Village.
Piercey, who admitted to being a "tea chick" in
college, said tea is all about taste -you have try each
one before you find the variety that's for you.
Tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, a white-flowered
evergreen that grows in areas that include India, Sri Lanka,
Japan, China and Taiwan. .
Tea comes from the leaves of the tree, which-. if left alone
- can grow to about 90 feet, said Louise Roberge of the
Tea Association of Canada, located in North York..
In the past monkeys were used to harvest the first two leaves
of the plant, but the tree has been conditioned to grow
at waist level to make it easier for women to pick.
As all tea comes from the one tree, it's the processing
that offers people the variety of tastes, Piercey said.
Once picked, the leaves are either dried naturally on sieves
in the sun or shade, fired or smoked, Piercey said. Leaves
are twisted, rolled, flattened or broken and either hand
or machine rolled.
"There are hundreds of ways (to process) and every
garden is different," Piercey said. "Tea estates
don't say how they process tea: it's a secret recipe."
Green tea is plucked and processed right away, avoiding
any oxidation, Roberge said. Offering a delicate taste,
common varieties of green tea are white tea, jasmine and
sencha bancha:
Black tea, which is used in tea bags, is oxidized, offering
a deep, rich flavour. Common varieties are Ceylon, Darjeeling,
Earl Grey and lapsang shouchong.
The third variety is oolong tea, which is partially oxidized
offering an extremely, flavourful cup. Common varieties are black dragon and
formosa oolong.
Flavoured tea is blended with fruits, spices and herbs.
A type of flavoured tea that has become popular is chai,
which changes taste depending on what is available in each
Indian village that produces it. Piercey said sometimes
the tea is strong in curry, cinnamon or black pepper taste.
Orange pekoe, a common variety found in grocery stores,
is not actually a flavour, but the size of the leaf.
Herbal tea; on the other hand, is "a misnomer,"
Roberge said as it doesn't use the leaves from the Camellia
slnensis tree, but uses flowers, herbs, spices, fruits and
berries of other plants.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Because of a number of studies done on green tea and its
health benefits in the Asian community, it is the variety
most people know, Roberge said.
She said studies had indicated green tea was better than
black, but new research have found both varieties provide
different antioxidants.
Research has also found tea helps the immune system and
prevents certain types of cancer, Roberge said.
"Wax protects the car from rust, they say tea does
the same things, it protects (the body) from free radicals."
White tea, a variety of green tea, is a currently popular
variety. : White tea is rare, using the unfolded leaves
of the plant, offering a refreshing tangy taste, she said.
Roberge said legend has it that virgins wearing white gloves
who picked the leaves in the morning during the spring served
the emperor white tea.
The taste of tea varies from year to year depending the
climate (it requires sunny - and moist conditions) and the
soil.
"Climate and soil play a major part. The rainy season
affects production," Piercey said.
Roberge said she compares tea with wine - depending on the
conditions, some years offer better vintages than others.
House teas offer the same taste each year (because tea tasters
know how to create the same flavour by blending different
varieties), but individual teas change based on the conditions.
While Piercey recommends people choose loose tea as it offers
larger leaves and better taste, Roberge said high quality
goes into tea bags as well.
"A tea pot and strainer makes (drinking tea) a bit
more exotic. A tea bag makes it easy," Roberge said.
Visit the North York Mirror website: www.insidetoronto.com
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