Maison de thé Cha Noir

Maison de thé Cha Noir opened in 2003 on rue Wellington, the main street of Verdun, and Mélanie Thibeault took it over the following year. On 30 June 2015 it moved across the street into its present room at number 4611, an 1,800 square foot space three times the size of the old one, with a terrace under a vine roof that opens from April until the end of autumn. The salon serves more than 100 teas and tisanes by the pot, with desserts, light meals, matcha lattes and the house Chocolathés, hot chocolate steeped with tea; iced teas and bubble tea join the menu from May to the end of September.

The shop side stocks about 125 loose teas and tisanes, depending on arrivals, in 50 and 100 g with a few 25 g for the dearer leaves, plus teapots, infusers, cups and gift sets. The everyday blacks sit under CA$ 10 the 50 g, English Breakfast at CA$ 8.75 and Earl Grey at CA$ 9.15, with Darjeeling Castleton at CA$ 14.25 and Keemun Mao Feng at CA$ 15.65 above them. Greens run from Sencha Shizuoka and Hojicha at around CA$ 11 to an organic Lung Ching sold by the 25 g; the oolongs include an organic Ti Kuan Yin at CA$ 20.45 and a 25 g Ali Shan, and the list reaches into pu-erh, a 40 g Matcha Izu, Pai Mu Tan and a true yellow tea from Huo Shan.

Web orders are packed and shipped in about a business day by Canada Post, UPS or Purolator, free over CA$ 65 within Quebec and Canada, and can also be picked up free in the shop, by web, phone or e-mail order. The room has two steps at the door and a ramp on request, and the contact page prints the holiday openings alongside the regular hours. It is the one place in Montreal where the tea house and the tea shop are the same counter: what you drink at the table is sold by the gram a few steps away.