Specialty Japanese Tea House Cha Do Raku Comes to the Plateau

A Japanese tea salon and shop will open at the end of May on Bienville, corner Resther, in the Plateau. Cha Do Raku ("tea decadence"), is the brick-and-mortar expression of an online tea import business that began in 2013 by Shiho Kanamaru. Kanamaru, a native of Kyushu, helped open Japanese-French fusion restaurant Toroli in 2010 with chef Takashi Sakurai. As Cha Do Raku's website explains, Kanamaru left to embark on "a new challenge to create a community of tea enthusiasts to share the joy of tea." Moreover: "Cha Doraku organizes tea tasting club membership, on-line tea sales, and periodic tea workshops and sales events. These workshops and quarterly tea clubs will give you an opportunity to savour different kinds of tea without committing yourself to buying a larger quantity. My goal is provide all of us the opportunity to share the best quality teas that I can find, and have a chance to share that experience with other tea enthusiasts."

Kanamaru travels to tea regions every few months to scout new finds. As of May 31, the fruits of the entrepreneur's labours will be on display at Cha Do Raku's new tea house and boutique at 750 rue de Bienville.