Holiday Tea at The Urban Tea Merchant

Last May I was introduced to the family behind The Urban Tea Merchant along with their expertise on all things tea, their afternoon teas, and their wide selection of tea-related products. This shop and tea parlour located between Thurlow and Burrard, bordering Georgia and Alberni, is a fragrant and soothing oasis among the hustle and bustle of downtown Vancouver.

For my first experience in the spring I enjoyed iced teas but when I returned last week with Marc Smith, they offered up new blends of their signature TWG luxury teas just for the holiday season.

Holiday Tea Service
To compliment their Westcoast Tea Service, Champagne Tea Service, and Weekend Brunch, The Urban Tea Merchant now offers a Holiday Tea Service. For $48 per person the Holiday Tea includes hand-crafted sandwiches, savouries and sweets, and a pot of TWG Tea‘s Holiday Collection such as the Christmas Lights Tea.

Marc and I both agreed that our favourite sip was the White Christmas tea, a Yin Zhen white tea which was blended with hibiscus, spices, and orange peels. We also tried Red Christmas (a rooibos style) and Christmas Lights (which had a sweet marzipan flavour). There were so many goodies to choose from on the multi-tiered platter we couldn’t even finish it all. I loved the salmon sandwich and the tuna on a crostini along with the gingerbread, scones, and macarons. Each piece is delicately infused with festive and seasonal teas, complimenting the brews in your cup.

The December Lunch Special is also a Petite Tea Service for $20 that includes a variety of five savouries and four sweets along with an $8 credit towards any TWG tea. The shop is sparkling with holiday colours, festive teas, and all kinds of accessories — perfect gift ideas for the tea drinker in your life. You can sniff, sample, sip, and pick out the perfect blend.

Reservations can now be made for the Holiday Tea and other afternoon tea services including group events. The Urban Tea Merchant is located at 1070 West Georgia Street and you can find them on Twitter and Facebook.