Until this morning, I had a new favorite tea place in my new 'hood. Muzi Tea Bar is on West Cordova, across from Waterfront Centre. They feature approximately 60 different teas, which they serve with vanilla milk, steamed apple juice, and all sorts of other lovely things. Basically, it's fancy tea. But I like it. I also totally bought into their sleek white modern interior, and the lovely chai smell that wafts towards you when you come through the door. I've been making a habit of going in every day, either in the morning on the way to work or at lunch, and have been trying all sorts of different teas: Royal Assam with rose petals and vanilla milk, Vanilla cardamom chai with pepper, Matcha lattes...you get the picture.
I am still waiting for my shipment of all worldly possessions, which I believe has been pilfered by Somali pirates, as it's now been almost 12 weeks since I surrendered all my belongings to the slightly-shady moving company in the UK, who insists it's all on a boat. Somewhere. Anyway, amongst my (lost) things is my reusable coffee mug. Early last week I decided I couldn't stand all the paper cups I was using and couldn't wait for my shipment to arrive, so I bought a 27% recycled material reusable plastic travel mug. It's small enough to fit in my purse, but is a 12 oz cup (a "Tall" size at Starbucks). I've been presenting it for the past week or so at Muzi for my daily tea fix, and they have never had a problem accommodating me. The staff are mostly young women, who have all been lovely, and even give me an environmental discount for using my own cup. I often have a chat with them about their day, the weather, whatever. It's nice. It's "my place," or fast becoming my place.
This morning was a different story. The woman who I suspect is the owner or manager, as I often see her sitting in a corner of the bar with her laptop, was on the bar, and did not look happy to be toiling as a mere barista, rather than presiding, as usual, as Empress of the Tea Bar. I ordered a Matcha latte. After eating crap at the Canucks game last night I was feeling like I needed some green tea goodness. The woman looked at my (clean) cup and sort of wrinkled her nose at it. She then prepared the milk and the matcha, and poured the entire jug of milk into the cup. Naturally, it almost filled up the cup and so there was room for maybe an ounce of matcha. Normally, the baristas at Muzi pour the tea and the milk together, so that you get an equal amount of both in your cup. Maybe this means that I get smaller amounts of both, because my cup is smaller than their standard paper one, but that's OK by me, as long as it's equal parts tea and milk. After she had filled it with milk and pretty much no tea, Empress Tea Bar looked at me and sneered, "Um, what is this cup? It must be tiny because I still have a lot of tea here. It must be like, 8 ounces." She plunked it in front of me.
I said, "Well, it's a standard "tall" size at Starbucks. And you are usually able to fit a whole serving size in it for me." She didn't acknowledge that I had said anything, and immediately began preparing the drink for the next customer (there wasn't a line), leaving all the matcha I had paid for in the stainless steel jug in which it had been brewed. She didn't offer to pour the extra into a paper cup for me, or offer to remix it in my own cup so there was more matcha and less milk. She just...pretended I hadn't said anything and that I had disappeared with my silly little environmental mug. The girls on staff didn't know what to do, and, embarassed, turned and began busying themselves with tidying the counters. I know, having been served by all of them, that they understand that by pouring the milk into the cup first, she had basically cheated me out of all the matcha. But of course, they can't cross their boss.
So. I stood there for a moment, being ignored. Then I simply put the lid on my cup and walked out, feeling like an idiot. I'd just paid $4.00 for hot milk and humiliation. What a way to start the morning.
And you know what? I shouldn't have to feel like an idiot. Using a reusable cup is one very easy thing that everyone can do to reduce their consumption. In fact, it's a nothing step. Everyone should be using their own cups. Paper cups should be as taboo as plastic shopping bags are fast becoming. So, I wanted to use my cup. And Empress Tea Bar made it very difficult for me to do so. If I had less conviction I might have said, "Now, that was embarassing. And it was a big hassle. I won't use this cup anymore," and gone back to paper. I didn't get the product I paid for, and I got attitude that I certainly didn't order. But you know what? I'd rather go elsewhere than slink back to Muzi and their white paper cups. Badly done, Muzi. Badly done.
I am still waiting for my shipment of all worldly possessions, which I believe has been pilfered by Somali pirates, as it's now been almost 12 weeks since I surrendered all my belongings to the slightly-shady moving company in the UK, who insists it's all on a boat. Somewhere. Anyway, amongst my (lost) things is my reusable coffee mug. Early last week I decided I couldn't stand all the paper cups I was using and couldn't wait for my shipment to arrive, so I bought a 27% recycled material reusable plastic travel mug. It's small enough to fit in my purse, but is a 12 oz cup (a "Tall" size at Starbucks). I've been presenting it for the past week or so at Muzi for my daily tea fix, and they have never had a problem accommodating me. The staff are mostly young women, who have all been lovely, and even give me an environmental discount for using my own cup. I often have a chat with them about their day, the weather, whatever. It's nice. It's "my place," or fast becoming my place.
This morning was a different story. The woman who I suspect is the owner or manager, as I often see her sitting in a corner of the bar with her laptop, was on the bar, and did not look happy to be toiling as a mere barista, rather than presiding, as usual, as Empress of the Tea Bar. I ordered a Matcha latte. After eating crap at the Canucks game last night I was feeling like I needed some green tea goodness. The woman looked at my (clean) cup and sort of wrinkled her nose at it. She then prepared the milk and the matcha, and poured the entire jug of milk into the cup. Naturally, it almost filled up the cup and so there was room for maybe an ounce of matcha. Normally, the baristas at Muzi pour the tea and the milk together, so that you get an equal amount of both in your cup. Maybe this means that I get smaller amounts of both, because my cup is smaller than their standard paper one, but that's OK by me, as long as it's equal parts tea and milk. After she had filled it with milk and pretty much no tea, Empress Tea Bar looked at me and sneered, "Um, what is this cup? It must be tiny because I still have a lot of tea here. It must be like, 8 ounces." She plunked it in front of me.
I said, "Well, it's a standard "tall" size at Starbucks. And you are usually able to fit a whole serving size in it for me." She didn't acknowledge that I had said anything, and immediately began preparing the drink for the next customer (there wasn't a line), leaving all the matcha I had paid for in the stainless steel jug in which it had been brewed. She didn't offer to pour the extra into a paper cup for me, or offer to remix it in my own cup so there was more matcha and less milk. She just...pretended I hadn't said anything and that I had disappeared with my silly little environmental mug. The girls on staff didn't know what to do, and, embarassed, turned and began busying themselves with tidying the counters. I know, having been served by all of them, that they understand that by pouring the milk into the cup first, she had basically cheated me out of all the matcha. But of course, they can't cross their boss.
So. I stood there for a moment, being ignored. Then I simply put the lid on my cup and walked out, feeling like an idiot. I'd just paid $4.00 for hot milk and humiliation. What a way to start the morning.
And you know what? I shouldn't have to feel like an idiot. Using a reusable cup is one very easy thing that everyone can do to reduce their consumption. In fact, it's a nothing step. Everyone should be using their own cups. Paper cups should be as taboo as plastic shopping bags are fast becoming. So, I wanted to use my cup. And Empress Tea Bar made it very difficult for me to do so. If I had less conviction I might have said, "Now, that was embarassing. And it was a big hassle. I won't use this cup anymore," and gone back to paper. I didn't get the product I paid for, and I got attitude that I certainly didn't order. But you know what? I'd rather go elsewhere than slink back to Muzi and their white paper cups. Badly done, Muzi. Badly done.