A hot cup of tea provides soothing respite on a cold winter day. Feel the warmth creep into your palms, inhale the aromatic vapors, and take that first, satisfying sip.

Afternoon Tea at The Fairmont Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise is an experience steeped in tradition. The custom of Afternoon Tea (or High Tea) dates back to Victorian England, where it was a snack between breakfast and supper at a time before lunch was a regular meal. It soon evolved into an elaborate social affair widely enjoyed in Britain and Commonwealth nations.

At the Springs, Afternoon Tea is in the elegant Rundle Lounge overlooking the Fairholm Range ($32, 2-4 pm, from 1 pm Sat/Sun). The venue for Tea at the Chateau is the beautiful Lakeview Lounge where patrons gaze out at the Victoria Glacier ($38, noon-4 pm). Both hotels serve sparkling wine, fruit salad, finger sandwiches (without crusts), scones with Devonshire cream and preserves, sweets, and tea blends from locales such as Assam, Kenya, China and South India—on elaborate tiered trays. The “resort casual” dress code allows patrons to come as they are, but dressing up can be part of the fun. Sparkling wine and loose leaf tea gift boxes are available. Other venues for tea lovers include:

• JASPER Although The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Lodge doesn’t offer High Tea, its rustic-chic Emerald Lounge (in the hotel lobby) is a comfortable environment with huge fireplace, bent willow soft seating and sweeping views of Lac Beauvert and surrounding peaks.

Tea to Go: Downtown, Tea Leaf Boutique offers 70 loose leaf varieties, plus eclectic Canadian ladies fashions.

• BANFF Buffalo Mountain Lodge is famous for its Rocky Mountain Cuisine. From noon to close they also offer Mountain Tea for Two ($24)—sliced meats and vegetables, homemade rolls, cookie platter and choice of tea in a cast iron pot. Patrons take tea in the dining room or fireside in the lobby lounge.

Downtown’s historic, elegantly rustic Natur’el Tearoom offers tea creations like mar-tea-nis, tea lattes, and Matcha green tea, plus light meals and to-die-for cupcakes.

Tea to Go: Shop at Natur’el for loose leaves, plus pottery, jewellery and tea-infused bath salts. The Banff Tea Co believes “smelling is believing”—100 teas from around the world are in snifter tins so you can inhale before the sale.

• CANMORE At Sage Bistro, teas are served in Royal Ceylon chrome presses that allow customers to control the tea's strength and flavour. Loose leaves such as Canadian Maple Tea, a blend of Sri Lankan black tea with natural maple essence, are sourced from top global growing regions.

At earthy-yet-modern Communitea Café (1001 6 Ave, 678-6818), there are 95 teas. Sustainabilitea is an organic pear-flavoured green tea, while Strawberries and Cream is rooibos tea made with African red bush needles that are high in iron and anti-oxidants.

Tea to Go: At Lavender Harvest Farms their anti-bacterial Lavender Dreams blend soothes the stomach, while Rooibos Provence tea has more antioxidants than green tea. Drop in for a sample and browse for tea accessories.