1. The Market on Yates:
Organic produce section and local, lots of gluten free foods that mimic bread (chips, bread, crackers, cereal, waffles, waffle mix, pancake mix, phyllo dough, and muffins), local anti-biotic meat, local and wild seafood, seafood from Hawaii, grass fed beef, organic and free range eggs, a huge section for spices, sauces that make you hungry, and soy, rice, or coconut ice cream.
2. Jagasilk TeaJagasilk orders straight from Japan, every week, shade-grown organic maccha. I use to drink their butterfly grade maccha, but it tastes grassy, yet I like that taste. For a sweeter taste, I opted for the dragonfly grade which tastes like cane sugar and almonds. The staff will tell you all about how each time you open your jar it oxidizes the tea and you have to keep it sealed, that you must not drink maccha past 60 degrees fairenheit or else it become grassy, and that you should use a sifter when preparing maccha to keep it from getting lumpy. I always choose organic, but they do have some more neat flavors there like cherry almond or roasted nori that are not organic if you opt for a more exotic one.
They have a tea academy for those wishing to excell in maccha making and they offer classes to make pottery as well as sell pottery. It's a owned by a beautiful person who believes in recycling and making tea, not war.
They have their own shop in Nootka Court near the Empress downtown. They distribute to local coffee and tea bars in town, and if you check on their website you can find out what tea they offer and where in your neighbourhood.
3. Chocolat
703 Fort St. at Fort and Douglas.
703 Fort St. at Fort and Douglas.
