Follow the Silk Road

Tea is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures (simply type that three-lettered word into the search box on this site and see all the pleasures it has to offer).  That said, spa and aromatherapy also has its hedonist holding in your Hedonista’s heart (again, type in this three-lettered word and see what reveals itself).  What makes Silk Road such a treat:  it puts the tea into my spa.  (Or is it the spa into my tea?)  No matter.  Just like that heavenly combination of chocolate and peanut butter, Silk Road offers up a real treat of tea and spa (both of which I was able to review as a media guest).

Silk Road is located in Victoria’s tiny but vibrant Chinatown – is first and foremost a purveyor of the culture and community that surrounds this world-renowned beverage.  It’s store motto is:  “there’s always something brewing at Silk Road.”  Daniela Cubelic – who first opened this shop in 1992 at the tender age of 22 – started out running a tea shop.  Then, a few years later, she added a tea tasting bar.  A few years after that, a spa a tiny room located within the belly of this majestic, tea-totaling structure.  It’s worth noting that when one gets a massage treatment down here – say, a luxurious and very apt combo of a silver jade green tea-infused facial ($55 for 1 hour/$75 for 1.5 hours) and body wrap ($85 for 1 hour), for example – one hears the soft scrapings and thumps through the creaky wooden floors above; a truly surreal experience akin to drifting within the heart of an old wooden sea vessel.  And for the power-shopper who wants to fit in a spa, express chair massages will soon be available.

But let’s get back to the tea tastings.  Much like the wine, scotch or even beer tastings that are taking the foodista world by storm, Silk Road offers tea tastings such as how to train your palate to detect the subtle nuances of the delicate white teas.  Tea workshops – both in-store and take-home – are also available on such topics as the Chinese Tea Ceremony (yes, there appears to be one, after all) and as well as cooking classes using tea, with everything from cocktails to appetizers to tea popsicles (recipe cards are also available for purchase over-the-counter).  Starting in January, Daniela will hold classes on pots of tea related to certain ceremonies throughout Asia.

Four good winter holiday teas are worth sharing the tasting notes:

1) Silk Road’s spicy mandarin black tea: With its scent of orange and cinnamon, this tea has a nice, light taste with a slightly acidic astringency and – not surprisingly – a clean mouth feel. The aftertaste is that of orange pekoe. (Daniela suggests this tea in a latte. Adding rum or apple cider are also two good options.)

2) Silk Road’s velvet potion black tea: A scent of chocolate with a touch of cinnamon and caramel, with a very subtle sweet taste and a smooth, silky mouth feel.  Additional notes of caramel on the back end exist, reminding the taster of almond cake. (Daniela suggests you add milk and enjoy a nice slice of coffee cake with this tea. She also suggests adding Baileys and coconut milk, either in beverage of popsicle form.)

3) Silk Road’s Earl Grey green tea: A lovely mélange of the chloryphyll of green tea and bergamot, this tea has a dry finish.

4) Silk Road’s lychee fruit black tea: One of your Hedonista’s favs, this tea is also known as the “happiness tea.”  With its smoky, fruit-filled scent and a fruity taste with strong pu-erh tea overtones, this tea has a smoky-yet-fresh- mouth feel finish. (Think cigars and brandy here, dear hedonists.)

Then there’s the pièce de résistance – the store itself.  Located in a soul-enriched brick and mortar building that dates back to the late 1800s/early1900s, this place has an aura that conveys spirits.  The energy of the place alone is worth the visit (not to mention some truly tasty teas to go with this “spiritual” ambiance).

So the next time you’re in Victoria, be sure to follow the Silk Road – a combination even more perfect that the iconic Reese’s peanut butter cup.

(If you plan to book a spa treatment – both a wonderful and unique experience, not to mention the best prices in town – take heed and be sure to book weeks in advance.  Literally.)

Note: In order to comply with FTC Act 16 C.F.R. 255, Heed the Hedonist would like to disclose that it does receive media “comps” and/or media discounts – but not in exchange for favorable coverage, or for withholding unfavorable coverage, of the given venue/meal/performance/product/service.