Canadian tea? Canada is a large country with a range of climate that often tends to be less than favourable for growing tea. Despite this, there are some varieties that have been successfully grown in Canada.
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Some regions / areas can grow black tea and green tea. The west coast has the best soils for growing black teas, which tend to be stronger due to the colder weather. As we know, black teas are most often used in flavoured teas, iced-tea or beer, while green teas are usually served pure or blended with other herbs or exotic spices.
Green tea can also be produced in southern Ontario , however it is not common (and super hard to find). part of the challenge I suspect is the length of time a tea bush needs to mature. Of course protection of the crop (especially freezing cold winds) is a significant issue in most Canadian areas. This simply ups the ante in terms of a commercially viable crop.
Much like Canadian wine regions, tea (here in Canada) requires a gentler micro climate to help ensure long terms success (and expanding crop growth).
Tea operations can be found through warmer areas of Canada (but they are not easy to find as most are not commercial operations), but in sheer size they don’t compare to some of those in India, Japan, or China.
Commercial Growers
While many might not consider tea as a viable crop in Canada, nonetheless we are able to provide some premium tea right here at home. One example is Westholme where they grow and process tea on Vancouver Island. They really can say that their tea is 100% Canadian!
“…in 2010, when we planted 200 Camellia sinensis seedlings on the south-facing slopes of the Westholme farm. The young plants survived their first deep freeze, and have since rooted, acclimated and thrive in our local Cowichan Valley micro-climate. Another 400 plants were added in 2014, and 200 more in 2015…”
https://westholmetea.com/pages/tea-making
According to their website:
“…Westholme’s organic, commercial tea-growing operation is the First in Canada to ever produce (and continue producing) single-origin, hand-processed Canadian terroir teas…”
https://westholmetea.com/pages/tea-making
Without question, tea being native to regions such as Japan, China, etc. requires less cold temperatures than we normally experience in Canada. As a result Canadian tea is found in regions with micro-climates conducive to tea growth (Vancouver Island, and the Southern Niagara region come to mind). While I mentioned this previously, it’s important to realize the space available for tea growth is finite (as most areas within Canada become too cold over the winter).
Because of the “specialty” that 100% Canadian grown tea is, the product is at present, always organic (and does tend to be more expensive). But this is to be expected, as the quality is high!
As I mentioned earlier, while Canadian tea is available in other areas of Canada, British Columbia it seems, provide the only viable commercial production. In other areas production is smaller, and the locations are not as well know. In fact, as I mentioned, they are very hard to find (as the tea operations are quite small).
Back in October 2009 Green Tea Canada was selling organic green tea from British Columbia for $7.50 per ounce (bulk purchase). This was more expensive than their competitors selling non-organic (i.e China) but some may find it worth it given that at least you know where your tea comes from, and can appreciate the quality in the production pipeline.
I think we could even call this practice “ethical” (purchasing Canadian tea for example) or something similar; supporting Canadian farm products and businesses. The same way some people buy free range chicken eggs etc…
So (and if you’re like me), perhaps you’ll want to check out the option of Canadian tea, and try some.
In the News
Of course there are variations on the types of tea produced. In 2014 The Star wrote a small editorial about tea growing in Canada:
“…they are finding new culinary uses for tea and have made their own “matcha” powder from it to flavour a delicate chocolate cake…”
https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2014/10/12/vancouver_island_is_home_to_canadas_only_tea_farm.html
Matcha?
…which brings Matcha tea to mind! Without question, I truly believe Matcha is an acquired taste. It’s a stronger flavour and slightly bitter, a smooth earthy smell. I can only imagine the quality of Matcha tea can vary depending on where in Canada it’s grown. Matcha takes a long time to make, and given its unique taste, this too is very hard to find. Personally, I don’t think Matcha will play a large part in the Canadian tea scene, at least not in the near future.
For those not as familiar, Matcha is a finely ground green tea powder that is traditionally used for Japanese tea ceremonies. Canadian Matcha cannot be found in specialty food stores, but can be ordered online (which I would recommend anyway, simply because with shipping it often tends to be cheaper than buying at your local store – If it even had Canadian tea). I myself am eyeing this brand (Westholme) , which I am considering ordering a bag of Matcha from.
In 2017 a top grade Matcha (I ordered) direct from Japan. Each pouch cost me $33 (including delivery) for 30 grams. On the flip side, ordering form B.C seems to cost around $25 (including delivery) for 30 grams as well.
Finally, reflecting on tea production endeavours, here in Canada…
“…It’s a challenge because we have requests from wholesale suppliers in Korea and Japan who want to buy thousands of kilos of tea, and that’s not what we’re doing,” says Victor. “Our focus is producing the highest quality, fresh tea. That’s what we’re about, and we’re attracting more and more people every day. It’s exciting for the growth of the business…”
https://www.orchardandvine.net/articles/growing-a-canadian-tea-tradition/
Resources
For those who are currently looking for tea 100% grown here in Canada, please try one of the resources below in your research:
Westholme Tea Company
Tea & Herbal Association of Canada
Hopefully this introductory post about Canadian tea, raises some good points for your research and follow up. If you have any questions, suggestions, etc., please feel free to include them in the comments below (or you can even choose to be a guest writer).