For those tea-loving wanderers in Downtown, this place might hold a surprise for you. Less than a five minute walk from Pacific Centre, I made a stop at The Urban Tea Merchant.
Apart from their afternoon tea services, The Urban Tea Merchant is also a retail store. They sell luxury tea, as well as macarons. They receive frozen macarons that are flown in from Singapore. Their macarons are infused with TWG Tea. To learn more about TWG Tea brand, visit their website at http://www.twgtea.com/.
The Urban Tea Merchant retails their macarons at $4 for one. There were eight flavours on display.
From right to left: Napoleon Tea Macaron (black tea with notes of mocha and caramel,) Earl Grey Fortune Tea Macaron(Earl Grey Darjeeling Tea with vanilla,) and Bains de Roses Tea Macaron (Darjeeling tea with rose and vanilla.)
From right to left: Moroccan Mint Tea Macaron (green tea with notes of moroccan mint),1837 Black Tea Macaron (black tea with notes of wild berries, caramel and anise), and Camelot Tea Macaron (black tea with cinnamon and almond.)
From right to left: Lemon Bush Tea Macaron (rooibos tea with notes of rare citrus,) and Grand Wedding Tea Macaron (black tea with notes of passion fruit and peach.)
Needless to say, each and every single macaron at The Urban Tea Merchant are quite unique, as these flavours are definitely unheard of. The general manager of The Urban Tea Merchant, Blair Zimmerman, generously let my friend and I try a sample of the 1837 black tea tea macaron. The 1837 black tea is a signature tea of TWG. It is a “unique blend of black tea with notes of fruits and flowers from the Bermuda triangle which leaves a lingering aftertaste of ripe berries, anise, and caramel. “ (source from The Urban Tea Merchant)
First thoughts when the macaron arrived in my mouth? It melted instantly, but still chewable. It was a very moist macaron with light flavours of berries.
Admittedly, the $4 price tag of their macarons led me to buy one macaron, and my friend bought one as well. Luckily, the joy of eating with friends is sharing different flavours! She bought the Grand Wedding macaron and I bought the Bains de Roses macaron.
I chose the macaron infused with Bains de Roses tea. Blended by TWG, “this sensual Darjeeling [tea] is a magical union of extraordinary roses and hints of vanilla.” (source from The Urban Tea Merchant) The macaron is very delicate and fragile, because the shell is very soft. It is not crispy. It had a strong floral flavour, which could be a hit and miss for some people. For me, I thought it was a delightful indulgence.
The Grand Wedding tea is a “festive TWG Tea blend to celebrate life’s momentous occasions, this black tea is blended with sunflowers and breathtaking exotic fruits.” (source from The Urban Tea Merchant) The filling of the Grand Wedding macaron is a passion fruit and coconut filling. The macaron was extremely smooth and creamy, which was consistent with the other two macarons. The flavours were well balanced. There was also coconut shreds inside the filling which added texture.
The macarons had to be handled carefully. Because the shells are so soft, I was scared to put too much pressure when holding the macaron. Don’t reach for them too quickly or they become a pile of mush.
Apart from buying individual macarons, you can purchase a pack of six ($24,) or a pack of 24 ($96.) On the back of the box is a description from TWG.
“TWG Tea is passionately innovative in the conception of tea-infused macarons of exquisite taste and uses only the purest natural ingredients. Each TWG Tea macaron is entirely conceived, crafted, and delivered by hand to ensure the very finest quality to customers. The TWG executive patisserie chef and his team create these macarons as ethereal desires, gastronomic images that are as delicious as they are fleeting, to bring you back, time and again, to the tea table, nostalgic of moments past…”
Address:
1070 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone Number:
(604) 692-0071
Opening Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 10am – 7pm
Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday & Holidays: 10am – 8pm
Website:
http://www.urbantea.com/
Twitter:
@urban_tea
First picture from The Urban Tea Merchant
Other Pictures and Article by: Whitney Hong, (@wheetnee) Blogger of WandsAndPliers
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