Nectar… of the gods

By David F. Rooney

The space is small and cheery and its day-long aroma is heavenly — it’s the Nectar Tea Bar and it offers something

Sarah Olson offers up a pot of fresh and fragrant tea at the Nectar Tea Bar on Grizzly Plaza. David F. Rooney photo
Sarah Olson offers up a pot of fresh and fragrant tea at the Nectar Tea Bar on Grizzly Plaza. David F. Rooney photo

you are hard-pressed to find in town: high-quality loose leaf tea.

“It’s something differen,” says Sarah Olson, who owns and operates the tea bar with her husband Joel.

“There are lots of cafes that offer coffees, we specialize in tea and offer 70 different varieties from Sri Lanka, India, Japan, China, South Africa and South America.”

Okay some of their products aren;, strictly speaking, teas. Mate, a tea-like drink that is widely consumed in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and souther Brazil and Rooibos from South Africa are not true teas but they are tea-like and brewed in a very similar manner, Olson said.

About half of the varieties on offer at the Nectar Tea Bar are certified organic and others are Fair Trade certified teas.

The Olsons also offer Bubble Tea which is a creamy-flavoured tea with Tapioca pearls in its.

“People who appreciate fine tea was loose leaf tea,” she said. “There’s a place in Vernon that offers it but that’s a log way to go for tea.”

The Nectar Tea Bar is located right on Grizzly Plaza between Skookum and the RMR Presentation Centre. It is open Tuesday through Saturday form 9:30 am until 5 pm.