This is an official PSA to all tea lovers in Canada. Get yourself to Westholme Tea Farm: Canada's first and only tea farm. They've been nurturing their tea plants for years and finally, they released the very first Canadian-grown tea harvest. They're now serving two beautiful teas: swallow tale oolong, and island green. I had a chance to visit the farm this month while I was on Vancouver Island. It's a beautiful spot built into a deep sloping hill in Cowichan Valley about an hour north of Victoria. Well worth the pit stop if your travels bring you to the island. Westholme will welcome you warmly with a wide selection of high-quality teas (including their own), tea-infused sweets, and pottery crafted by one of the tea farmers.

We tasted the swallow tale oolong during our visit. It's a rich amber colour and tastes like buttery, sweet hay. There's a warm earthiness to this tea that's inviting and accessible. After three steeps, I was still marvelling at this tea. Each steep delivered a slightly different balance of sweet and fresh hay.

Someone else described it as, "If gold had a taste, this would be it." I was extremely impressed by this tea. I had low expectations for a tea grown in Canada.

The island green steeps to a pale yellow-green liqueur. The leaves smell kelp-like (which brings my memory back to the shores of Vancouver Island) with a faint floral fragrance (similar to elderflower or daisy). This green tea has a really smooth taste with good balance - almost no bitterness.

I think next time I enjoy this tea, I'll steep it a little longer than most green teas. It steeped a little too weak for my taste. The swallow tale oolong was the most impressive between the two, but the island green holds up on its own.

Camellia sinensis has a long history growing in countries far from here. Truth bomb: I wasn't expecting Canadian soil to live up to those long-standing traditions. But, I should never doubt the magic in Vancouver Island soil. They have some of the best tea-brewing water, and strong agricultural practices. Mountains, ocean and mineral-rich soil deliver mighty tea plants. Lesson learned: never doubt the power of Canada's terroir.