Silk Road Tea

Most teenagers spent their time hanging out with friends, listening to music and playing video games. Rarely do you find a modern teen who's interested in tea leaves. "At 15, I studied tea as a hobby," says Daniela Cubelic. She concedes it might sound odd at first, but notes that it was a great way for her to learn about other cultures.

Initially Daniela considered a career in the Foreign Service, but she kept coming back to her fascination with tea. In 1992, the then 22-year-old Daniela opened her first tea shop, Silk Road Tea, in Victoria B.C. She later opened a third outpost in Vancouver's vibrant Kitsilano neighbourhood in 2016.

The West 4th store is bright, open and modern, a perfect backdrop to showcase Silk Road Tea's iconic red and white packaging. The shop features a long self-serve tea bar where customers can open tins brimming with tea leaves in order to smell and sample.

The selection of 100 percent organic teas ranges from Winter Warrior, which blends ginger, green tea, lemongrass, citrus peel, rooibos and lemon essence; to the Philosopher's Brew, offering a combination of lemongrass, citrus peel, rosehips and lavender blossoms; to cult-favourite Sour Cherry Green Tea, a medley of Japanese green tea, sakura cherry essence.