Fancy a cuppa tea, mate?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/11/2018 (2617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tea Mate Co. opened its doors at 719 Osborne St. this fall and will celebrate its grand opening on Dec. 8.

A visit to this lovely store’s grand opening will give you the chance to see the many teas available and to sample some of them along with a tea dessert.

Daniel and Iris Song own Tea Mate and operate the store with another staff member. From 2010 to 2016, the Songs owned Tea Story, a waffle and tea spot located at Osborne Street and Corydon Avenue. Tea Story was a busy place so, when Daniel and Iris were preparing for a baby, they decided to sell Tea Story and focus on their baby and on tea.

They renovated their South Osborne space and sold tea there and at the St. Norbert Farmer’s market.

“Our tea comes from Japan, China, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa,” said Daniel. “We have a local supplier for yerba mate, which is from South America.”

Daniel goes to tea conventions in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal to buy tea and to meet with other tea-ologists who study the science behind tea and herbal flavours and combinations.

“We teach people how to drink tea the same way as the tea masters of Hong Kong and Thailand. The masters apprentice in tea, learning about its flavour, aroma and bitterness,” Daniel said. “Evaporated milk, honey or condensed milk is added to strong black tea.”

Daniel prepared a similar type of tea for me, a ginger cinnamon tea latte. The ginger was warm and smooth while the milk made the drink soft and frothy. Daniel also made a pot of jasmine tea, which is a welcoming tea in some cultures and is also quite refreshing.

The Songs blend local Manitoba raspberries with rooibos tea to produce Manitoba raspberry tea and they also blend local strawberries with green tea to make Manitoba strawberry tea. Citrus alfalfa mint and fennel digestive are a couple of many Manitoba-made herbal teas at Tea Mate.

My friend Joyce Laidler, who’s 80-plus, told me a story about her grandfather. When tea bags started to become popular he was outraged. He found the little strings that were and are attached to some tea bags totally offensive, as he came from a time when tea was loose.

Now tea is once again being sold loose in specialty tea stores.

Tea Mate will also participate in the Christmas market at The Bay downtown on Nov. 24 and 25.

Dianne Doney is a community correspondent for Fort Rouge. You can contact her at diannemary@hotmail.com