Category: Review

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Tea Experience: The Secret Garden Tea Company

The Secret Garden Tea Company
Kerrisdale, Vancouver, BC
High Tea – $35 each

I recently went to High Tea at The Secret Garden Tea Company, which is located in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood of Vancouver, BC. This lovely location boasts both of a shop section and a dining section, with seasoning high tea menus that change every couple of months. I went in March 2019, so the food selection is different now. There are also vegan and gluten-free high tea options, at $40 per person, as well as a children’s menu at $25 per person.

Both my friend and I selected different teas  – we each got our own teapot that came nestled in a tea cosy that had The Secret Garden Tea Company’s logo and name embroidered on it. The place settings were tea cups and saucers that differed from each person, which added a sense of whimsy to it. The sugar cubes came in a tea cup with a pair of silver tongs – which I found to be just darling.

For our tea selections, there was an extensive list of variations of Earl Grey, along with some non-Earl Grey tea choices.My friend opted for the Organic Creamy Earl Grey (black tea, bergamot, vanilla), which she told me was delicious. I had the Lavender Earl Grey (black tea, lavender from Provence, France, cornflower petals, and natural flavouring) because I’m just all about the lavender these days.

The food arrived in a three-tier stand. The bottom being savouries, then the scones, and finally dessert.

For the savouries, we had the Secret Garden Egg Pinwheels, Chicken Caesar Sandwiches on Butter Biscuits, and the New York Pastrami and Avocado on Mini Croissants. I found the Egg Pinwheels to be a bit low on flavour, I think it might have been better with some pepper. The open-faced Chicken Caesar Sandwiches on Butter Biscuits had some great flavours, but I think the star of this tier would have to be the New York Pastrami and Avocado on Mini Croissants. Mostly because the kitchen selected some perfectly ripe avocado to go into those delicious little sandwiches, the balance between the pastrami and the other ingredients was just perfect. I felt that the savoury tier was quite generous – for each of us there were 3 Pinwheels, 2 Butter Biscuits, and 2 Mini Croissants.

The scones tier was quite fun. There was the Petite Fruit Scone, which was paired with the Raspberry Jam and Devonshire Cream, and a Savoury Chedder Cheese and Chive Scone. I thought that the Petite Fruit Scone was delicious with the sugar crystals baked into the top. But my favourite would have to be the Savoury Cheddar Cheese and Chive Scone. It was heavenly and I’m still surprised at the fact that I enjoyed it more than the sweet option since I’m normally all about the sweets.

Finally – the sweets! There was the Tangy Mini Lemon Tart – I had this one first and was a bit let down by it. I’m a huge fan of lemon curd, but I found that the ratio of lemon curd to tart crust was just a little bit off for me. I think a thinner crust would have suited me better, but that’s one non-foodie’s opinion! Then there was the Chocolate Coconut and Mandarin Roulade Cake which I found to be rich and delicious. The toasted coconut on the outside provided a light crunch, while the chocolate cake was just oh-so-rich. I definitely made happy noises when eating it because it was just that good. Last, but not least, was the Maple Pie with Vanilla Chantilly Cream. While I was a little bit confused by the blue-grey colour of the vanilla chantilly cream, the Maple Pie itself was tasty. It had a great maple flavour without being overly sweet, which is probably no easy feat since maple syrup is practically pure sugar. My favourites from the sweets tier would have to be the Roulade Cake and the Maple Pie.

I had a wonderful time at The Secret Garden Tea Company, and I can see why it’s a favourite for afternoon tea in Kerrisdale. Their branding is on-point and well represented throughout the darling shop and dining area, and I love the fact that they offer seasonal menus to change it up and allow patrons to read over the varying menus on their website. The service from the ladies working at The Secret Garden Tea Company on the Monday that my friend and I went was top notch – starting from the hostess who greeted us at the door to the knowledgeable server who was able to offer her thoughts on the different Earl Grey options. It’s a lovely spot in Kerrisdale to go in for tea, and they even offer High Tea daily at three different serving times! I would definitely go back for tea the next time that I’m in the neighbourhood.

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Oteas’s Raspberry Leaf Tea

Raspberry Leaf Tea by Oteas
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$6.95 for 24g (12 sachets)

Oteas has provided me with Raspberry Leaf Tea for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed about Raspberry Leaf Tea is the fragrance. It smells fruity – mostly raspberry, and really inviting and sweet. The tea sachets come 12 in a card stock box that came shrink wrapped in plastic – sealed for freshness and all that good stuff.

Each tea sachet consists of: raspberry leaves, hibiscus, apple pieces, rosehip shell, blackberry leaves, raspberries.

If you’re pregnant, you may have heard about drinking raspberry leaf infusions before for morning sickness – which is something that Oteas mentions on the side of the box – but this blend also contains hibiscus which is often recommended to be avoided during pregnancy. I highly recommend always checking with your health care professional about when to drink herbal teas as a lot of herbal teas also have medicinal effects to the body. This goes for all herbal teas when you take any over-the-counter or prescription medications as well.

Preparation

Oteas recommends steeping Raspberry Leaf Tea in 70°C (158°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I used my kettle to heat up the water to the lowest temperature (79°C/175°F) and allowed it to cool for 5 minutes, and then my initial steep of Raspberry Leaf Tea was for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Raspberry Leaf Tea steeps to a light berry pink colour. It has a pleasant raspberry aroma to it, and it smells sweet. The flavour of Raspberry Leaf Tea is a mix between sweet and tart, which I think can be attributed to the hibiscus in the blend. It’s not too tart that I feel the need to add some sugar to the cup though, which is good. If you’re not a big fan of hibiscus, I’d recommend a little bit of sweetener to even out the tartness to make it more palatable for you. Overall, it’s quite pleasant and I think it would be great iced.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Raspberry Leaf Tea once, and found that it didn’t taste as good as the initial steep and was quite watery in comparison. I would say that Raspberry Leaf Tea is good for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Oteas’s Raspberry Leaf Tea. I think it makes for a really nice fruity infusion – it’d be great for iced tea and spring/summer weather since it is a fruity mix.  The level of sweet is well balanced against the tart, and the raspberry flavours are well presented in the initial steep. Again, use caution if pregnant or may be pregnant and consult with a health care professional about having herbal blends.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Murchie’s Cozy Caramel Rooibos

Cozy Caramel Rooibos by Murchie’s
Rooibos / Flavoured
$6.95 for 2oz (56g)

Murchie’s has provided me with Cozy Caramel Rooibos for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

For those who’ve been following One More Steep for a while, you’ll know that I often don’t really rooibos blends – but lately I have been (really) trying to have a more open mind about it because a lot of people really like rooibos. So when Murchie’s sent me Cozy Caramel Rooibos, my initial thought was “Oh no!” because of my past experiences with rooibos blends. This rooibos blend came in a sealed, resealable plastic pouch.

The blend itself smells like caramel. All I smell is caramel and it makes me think of caramel apples, caramel chocolate, caramel kettle corn… What can I say? I like my sweets! The name for this blend is definitely on point and very accurate for the aroma. And I can’t even smell the rooibos base, which is a tiny miracle in itself. Cozy Caramel Rooibos consists of: rooibos, dried apple, calendula petals, natural and artificial flavouring.

Preparation

Murchie’s recommends steeping Cozy Caramel Rooibos in 190-212°F (88-100°C) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I did an initial steep in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Cozy Caramel Rooibos steeps to a beautiful golden orange. There’s a lovely sweet, caramel aroma that wafts up from the tea. When I taste it, I’m confronted by a few different flavours. First is the sweetness that I believe comes from the apples, then there’s a nutty flavour, some caramel notes and, of course, the rooibos base that adds just a touch of medicinal quality to the flavour. However, most of the flavour that I get out of this blend is the caramel, sweetness, nutty flavours so I’m not overly bothered by the rooibos base itself.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Cozy Caramel Rooibos once, at 4½ minutes. I found that the rooibos base was very much present, while the rest of the flavours weren’t as prominent as I would have liked. If you enjoy the flavour of rooibos, I would recommend doing another steep. If you’re not a huge fan of rooibos, I would recommend just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Murchie’s Cozy Caramel Rooibos. I think that the team at Murchie’s did an amazing job of making me think of caramel when it comes to this blend – from the aroma of the dry leaf and steeped tea, to the flavour of the rooibos blend itself. It makes me think of carnivals and the food that goes along with it, which is a fantastic thing to think about! I’m still not sold on the flavour of rooibos itself, but I greatly enjoyed the initial steep of Cozy Caramel Rooibos and think it makes for a great dessert blend to have when you’re in the mood for something sweet.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.