This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
The emblematic tea house on rue Émery is once again ready to welcome its customers. After months of work, the shop is now revealed as a showcase for the precious drink. Guided tour.
A paradise for tea lovers. In the heart of the Latin Quarter in Montreal is the Camellia Sinensis boutique, which has just had a facelift. Previously divided into two parts, with a tea room, opened in 1998, and a sales area, the place is unrecognizable to anyone who has ever set foot there.
Hugo Americi, Jasmin Desharnais, François Marchand and Kevin Gascoyne, the partners of the Camellia Sinensis project, now receive visitors in a refined decor where the sensory experience, and above all the taste experience, takes precedence: people go there to discover new flavors and ranges of teas, guided by a team of experts, in a space entirely designed by the Quebec company Machine Design. The sobriety of the place, with its neutral colors and frank materials, thus highlights the hundreds of teas and herbal teas available in bulk, which are still cultivated in the four corners of the world with respect for nature and workers.
Discovering Pu-erh
Comfortably installed in the tea bar, the customer has the opportunity to try different varieties available in a tasting formula. And one of them then particularly attracts attention… It is Pu-erh, this aged tea originating from the province of Yunnan in China which follows a traditional manufacturing method. In Pu-erh Sheng, freshly picked tea leaves are heated, rolled and dried before being compressed, often in the form of cakes, then stored, much like one would let wine age in a cellar.
The tea then begins a slow fermentation in contact with the ambient air. This stage can span a period of fifty years, making it a prized collector’s item of great rarity. But as demand for Pu-erh grew in the 1970s, a new technique was developed to speed up this laborious transformation process. In 45 to 60 days, it is now possible to obtain Pu-erh, Shou this time, which can be kept for a very long period without their taste being altered.
Unlike Pu-erh Sheng, with its deliciously earthy side, Pu-erh Shou is close to green tea with herbaceous flavors. The most observant will also notice that Pu-erh cakes are displayed in a glass cabinet of Camellia Sinensis, some of which were made fifty years ago!
The metamorphosis of the Camellia Sinensis shop makes it possible to educate customers, whether they are neophytes or experienced in tea culture, like in a micro-museum. The cabinet of curiosities therefore highlights several historical objects from different tea-growing regions, China, India and Japan in mind, and which say a lot about the ways of consuming the delicate drink.
In addition, many accessories are offered for sale, such as the Gaiwan. This porcelain cup without a handle, fitted with a lid and a saucer, is used in China and Taiwan, instead of the classic teapots that we know in the West. In summary, entering Camellia Sinensis is an adventure in its own right, which goes beyond ordinary consumption.