Camellia Sinensis | New Flagship Store for Great Tea Moments
Good news, tea lovers! After two years of hibernation, the iconic flagship store of Camellia Sinensis, in Montreal’s Latin Quarter, reopened last June with a surprise.
It was completely remodeled to transform the tea experience for its customers, locals and tourists alike.
The interior redesign of this pilgrimage site for tea aficionados appeals even more to the senses, including the most important one: taste.
Inspired by the boutiques they frequent in Asia, the owners wanted to offer their customers the opportunity to taste several varieties of tea from different ranges for a small fee.
As co-owners Hugo Américi and François Marchand were happy to tell us: “Education is at the heart of our business. To make people discover, that’s what makes us vibrate. It was therefore natural to integrate the concept of tasting into our boutique so that our customers can better understand and choose our products.”
“Even if the web dominates today, in our field, it is practically inconceivable to concentrate all our efforts on online platforms, since customers want to smell the teas, taste them, and be accompanied in their decision-making process.”
“Thus, it was important for us to put the sensory aspect forward and to bring back a state of mind to a physical place, which has been greatly neglected since the beginning of the pandemic.”
This project had been in the works for some time, but the closing of the salon adjacent to the store, due to the covid-19 pandemic, finally proved to be a springboard to rethink and expand the space to create a tea bar.
“We also had the opportunity to buy the building we had been in for over 20 years. We took the opportunity to renovate in a big way and solidify our long-term vision,” they added.
The firm Machine Design Appliqué was given the mandate to redesign the Camellia Sinensis store in the Latin Quarter: from furniture to containers to lighting.
The result: a lighter interior, soothing colors of green, brushed brass and white oak, an atmosphere that is both zen and dynamic, inviting movement. The containers, now aligned on rods, seem to be floating in the air.
Items for sale, such as teapots and cups, are also more accessible and within easy reach.
An express counter was added, where the most popular teas are offered, already packaged and ready to go.
As we alluded to before, Camellia Sinensis offers on-site tea workshops, courses and tastings. They balance theory and practice, while giving you the opportunity to share with other enthusiasts. Ranging in cost from $25 to $60, they average 1.5 to 2 hours in length – time for a well-deserved break. Plus, they make a great gift for tea lovers. Namaste!
About Camellia Sinensis
In 1998, Hugo Americi founded a tea salon located in Montreal, inspired by the tea houses he had visited in Europe. He named it Camellia Sinensis after the scientific Latin name for the “tea tree”. Surrounded by passionate people, the company quickly added three associates and tea connoisseurs, Jasmin Desharnais, François Marchand and Kevin Gascoyne. 20 years later, Camellia Sinensis now includes three boutiques and a tea room in Montreal and Quebec City. It has become a world reference because of its unique criteria to select CS certified teas. The four expert tasters visit gardens around the world. They meet with producers to import high quality, great tasting teas from healthy gardens where the products are grown with great care.
Flagship Store Location: 351 Rue Émery, Montréal, QC H2X 1J2
Hours: Monday to Friday 11 AM to 6 PM | Sunday Noon to 6 PM
Facebook: @CamelliaSinensis.T
Instagram: @camellia.sinensis
Website: camellia-sinensis.com/en
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