A visit to Kingston brings a tea bounty fit for a Queen

A bounty from Kingston, fit for a Queen

Bonjour les amis du thé!

Last week, we gathered for a family reunion/celebration of life in Kingston, Ontario, a scenic college town on Lake Ontario. There's so much to love about this part of Canada - the limestone buildings, the numerous pristine lakes, the eclectic downtown shopping district and all the signage in both English and French (whether the latter is regionally embraced is a topic for another time. 😉). But, aside from all our amazing relatives who reside there, the icing on the cake - or should I say, maple syrup on the pancakes? - is the plethora of tea. And, yes, we brought some back to sample at home and review for the BTS blog:  one from a Toronto-based tea company and one from a farm in Quebec, Earl Grey Classic and Maple tea, respectively.

Earl Grey Classic (aka:  Earl Grey Classique) from Sloane Fine Tea Merchants: 

We purchased a tin of this loose tea at Cooke's Fine Food and Coffee store in downtown Kingston (where we just happened to run into one of our cousins who had made his own tea purchase!).  I was unfamiliar with this tea company, but discovered with a little on-line research, that Sloan's is a Toronto-based tea company founded and run by Hoda Paripoush.  According to a 2021 article in The Edge, Paripoush comes from a Persian family who lived in India before settling in Brockville, Ontario.  Tea was central to her homelife - it was the first beverage to be served in the morning and the last drink of the day.  In addition,  Paripoush stated, "anytime anyone dropped by, upon arrival, they were always greeted with tea".  Paripoush believes the cultures that were part of her upbringing contributed to her eventually owning and managing a tea company as ". . . tea was more than a drink. It was an experience. It was a moment of pause. It was a moment of connection and warmth. I wanted to find a way of being able to connect with that part of me for more hours of the day, which meant doing what I do with the world of tea".

Meeting family near Cooke's

Ran into cousin in Kingston, also purchasing tea

I so appreciate the passion that Hoda Paripoush brings to tea, so was very excited to try Sloan's Earl Grey Classic. Opening the tea tin and taking a whiff, I took in a clean lemony aroma, more yellow fruit than orange citrus. And, that's exactly how it tasted. A smooth tea, but less bergamot-y and a bit sweeter than is my preference for Earl Grey. But, I did enjoy it. - just be careful of how you pair it (I may dial back serving it with some of my beloved lemon curd).

Sloan's Earl Grey Classic has pretty and elegant packaging and two tops!

Other "likes" on Sloane tea. The packaging is pretty and elegant and would enhance many a kitchen counter. Also, the tin has two tops:  the traditional semi-rounded cap and an inside lid with a transparent top, so you can inspect the loose leaves. I'm thinking the "double seal" may aid in keeping the tea fresher for a longer period of time.  An added bonus to a tea we found quite agreeable.

Maple Tea (aka:  Thé à L'érable) from Turkey Hill:

This may be shocking, but this isn't the first time I purchased a maple tea from Canada  - my first was in 2016 when a trip to Toronto introduced me to Tealish, another Toronto-based tea company, and their tribute to the flavors of the country with "Oh Canada Maple" (see June, 2106 BTS blog review, "True North Tea").

Maple tea in English

Maple tea in French

However, this Maple Tea is from Turkey Hill a business whose specialty is maple syrup, not tea. According to Turkey Hill's website, the company started in Quebec in 1976 when a retired Lloyd Herman purchased a farm and began maple syrup production.  

An article in The Brome County News this year, was a bit more detailed on the pre-Turkey Hill career of Lloyd Herman. He enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1939, serving time at Dunkirk and meeting his future wife, Stephanie Kelleher, in London. After they married, they moved to New York and Herman worked for the UN for twenty-five years. Upon retirement, he wanted to move back to rural Canada and bought a two hundred acre farm. 

At the age of 60, he began his maple syrup company and "revolutionze[d] the maple syrup world by introducing pipeline collection technology to Quebec." Quite a retirement career!

The business eventually carried on with the Herman sons until four years ago when the family sold the majority of Turkey Hill Sugarbush, Ltd to Belweather Capital Partners.

But, aside from the inspirational history of Turkey Hill, the Maple Tea is really quite good. I purchased the tea in an upscale gift shop in Kingston and it was only available in tea bags. When I opened the box, I was immediatly met with smells of a weekend breakfast - pancakes served up with a generous pour of maple syrup.  It tastes like that as well. I was skeptical, thinking it might be more cloying than flavorful, but it has a nice, well-defined maple taste. Do take caution, however, it is sweet. I'd choose this if I'm hankering for something a bit sinful to nosh on, but don't want to deal with the calories. 

Kingston's Favorite will be brewing soon.

A wonderful and memorable weekend in Kingston and - bonus - two teas from Canada. Oh, did I mention my daughter and son-in-law gifted us with a pack of ground coffee from Cooke's as well?  It's a special blend titled, "Kingston's Favourite".  As my husband, Chris, often remarks on such things, "that's a bold statement!"

But, we're not at all unfamiliar with the "dark side" and are looking forward to running Kingston's Favourite" through our coffee brewer this weekend as well.  

Family (English and French Canadians) celebrating together

Scenic Kingston sunset

And, we've already been thinking of when we can make our next return trip. I heard Perth has a tearoom. . .  (asking for a friend).