Bro, I work with Chinese cats, and I chill with Chinese cats, and these
dudes are into some tea. Vancouver has several areas of Chinese
concentration, and the one known as Chinatown is merely the oldest. Like
the chinatowns of San Francisco and NY, they are run-down districts near the
waterfront. The merchants do not target the wealthy. The more upmarket
shops seek to distance themselves from old Chinatown, adjacent as it is to
the area of highest drug use in Canada, if not North America. There are
some very fine tea shops in Marpole, Richmond, and the Metrotown area, and
that is simply where the best stuff is to be had, and they are also where
the more wealthy Asians live. No one with any money lives in or near
Chinatown here. They may go there for festivals, events, and society
meetings, but it is not the place to live when you can afford an upscale
home.

However, just like in NY, Chinatown here seems to be growing. In NY,
Chinatown has swallowed Little Italy, which is now a tiny enclave
sequestered in a labrynth of Chinese establishments. In Vancouver, Chinese
merchants have taken over the bottom level of what was supposed to be a
Gap-Banana Republic-Foot Locker style mall on the edge of Chinatown. But
still, you don't find the best tea there. It's elsewhere.

Peter




"Space Cowboy" wrote in message
om...
You're the second person since I've been here to say the largest
ethnic population outside of China is a lousy place to buy Chinese
teas. In my metro areas we have several megagroceries of Chinese
merchants serving Vietnamese with streets and blocks of other stores
and services in rundown shopettes. Sometimes the good places are hard
to find because of the intimidation factor. I wouldn't expect to pay
more $1/100g US for any sow-mei. One of my biggest disappointments
ever was finding sow-mei(leaf) which I understood was White Tea but
what I really wanted was Silver Needles(bud). Any Chinatown I've been
in is a high rent district and the trick is to shop with the locals
and not tourists.

Jim

"Peter" wrote in message
...
Usually in Chinatown, Vancouver. I also buy 3-for-$20 Hong Kong DVD's,
for
that matter. Chinatown here is not where the best Chinese teas in town
are
to be had, though. It's more for everyday tea. There are shops in
Richmond, and other areas of Chinese concentration which carry much
higher
grade stuff. I once bought some sow-mei that was $17CAD for 100 grams
at a
place just outside an Asian supermarket, and it was heavenly. It's not
really a steep price, but more than you can pay in Chinatown, at least
any
place I've seen.

Peter