If someone's truly passionate about what they do — whether they collect vinyl or take pictures of their cats (well, maybe not cat pictures) — it's fascinating to talk about what inspires them. Phong Vo, the self-described Tea Chef behind Artisan Tea Bar, is truly passionate and knowledgeable about tea, and definitely fascinating to talk to.
The Artisan Tea Bar is not your typical English tea enclave; instead it reflects Phong's background. He first came to tea in high school. “I was studying martial arts and my Kung Fu master was into tea. Kung Fu means a learned skill and he taught me a dedication and commitment to making tea. So I started experimenting, buying teas and making it myself, and it became a part of me. It's an ongoing art and learning.” You can see the results of that continuing commitment when you watch him whisk matcha tea with a chasen. It's practically performance art.
After a career in the local food industry, Phong returned to his tea roots and opened the Artisan Tea Bar in the spring of 2014. He chose a Fraser Street location, as he and his wife both grew up in East Vancouver and “we know what it used to look like and what it's becoming; we wanted to grow from here.”
