Daytrip – The Best Tea Shops in Toronto

Mr. T (get it get it?)

Yesterday me and Lilac went to almost every single tea store in downtown Toronto that was rated in the BlogTo Best Tea spots in Toronto. We missed 3 of them on the list and went to 2 others that weren’t on there but here’s my review of the rest.  The first coffee and tea spot that we went to was actually Lettieri at the corner of Spadina and Queen W.  because Lilac was dying  for a coffee .  But I don’t count that one.  The selection was okay but as their focus isnt on tea, I don’t consider it a tea shop.

The first tea shop we went to on the list was David’s Teas on Queen West. David’s Tea was really impressive. The store is originally from Montreal, so I think the owner David has room to play around with a few ideas before he mastered all this.  Right when we went in we were immediately handed two tiny teacups with the tea of the day.  The store was packed with girls who were all oogling over the cute little tea samples set up inside David’s.  The store was brightly lit and modern, catering towards the younger more trendy Queen Street types.  They also sold cute little cupcakes along with a large selection of teas.  The female staff were fairly knowledgeable and good at promoting their various blends.  The store is fairly small though, and they only sell the tea leaves so you can’t grab one to go.  Oh and there is no room to sit.

We then headed over a little further west to Niche at 626 Queen Street West.  I missed the fact that the name is Niche Coffee & Tea Company.  There wasn’t a lot of tea in the store maybe around a dozen loose leaf tea choices, so I couldn’t even consider this a tea store but they had a good selection for people who just want to eat, relax, study and have some good tea.

Pretty cakes and tea

Tea store number 3 was The Red Tea Box.  The Red Tea Box is a very interesting store.  The store is Asian run and they sell an assortment of Chinese and Indian teas along with fondant cakes, and cute tea related accessories.  The ambiance has a very asian antique feel and is very beautifully decorated.  The girl who they hired to work there though was a noob though.  So don’t do there expecting quality tea advice.  They have limited seating there and in the back, it was cold so we didn’t bother looking.  Maybe next time.  Oh yes and you are not allowed to take pictures inside the store, so don’t expect to have a cute little tea party inside with lots of photos to commemorate the event.  Their teas averaged 9-12$ for a small tin.

Tea store number 4 was Tealish hidden on Walnut Avenue.  The store is brightly lit and modern and reminded us a lot of David’s Teas except it was bigger and you could order tea,  There were the cute little trinkets The staff there were not very friendly when we went .  Maybe that’s why they got a 2.8/5 rating on BlogTo.

Teas right by the door

We then headed over to the Moonbean Cafe at 30 St. Andrew Street in Kensington Market.  This place was packed!  I’m surprised that Starbucks is still moving into Kensington with a great tea and coffee place like this in the area.  All the patrons appeared to be regulars.  The atmosphere was really laidback and cozy here.  They had lots of seating inside and out.  The carried tea canisters near the door in large glass jars.  Their tea selection was pretty decent with around 30 tea blends or so, but again as their focus isn’t strictly on teas, I wouldn’t call it a tea store.  You just grab the giant loose leaf jar of tea you want, bring it to the counter and they make you a fresh blend.  The staff were super friendly and chill there.  It’s less than $2 a cup of tea.

Next up was actually Essence of Life in Kensington Market.  I was checking out their selection of Organic teas.  I discovered a couple of new brands today including Dr. Stuarts from the U.K..  I love Essence of Life.  Their organic food is pretty decently priced and the store is actally owned by a really nice Taiwanese couple.

We then headed up to Rosedale and went to the House of Tea.  The store had a really old school Britisha Indian feel.  They had a large selection of pricey teapots, tea accessories and of course lots of loose leaf teas.  They gave me and Lilac a sample of loose leaf teas each.  Mine was Ginger Apple and Lilac’s was some tea with a rock in it.  Hahaha added minerals right?  They had a really good selection of teas in large tin canisters on the wall.

I have to mention this.  Even though it’s not about tea.  Me and Lilac while we were walking I saw Rainbow Tree!  I’ve been dying to try this place since I read about it on Veg.ca!  I quickly dashed inside and got a vegetarian vietnamese roll.  It was pretty good.  The owner was a little super duper nice Chinese lady.  We also got dried mock beef to bring home and cook with.  It’s located at 925 Yonge St.  You gotta try this place.  They even cater!

Tea store number 7 was Golden Mint Coffee & Tea Co. at 911 Yonge Street.  The was very dimly lit and rustic.  There was a giant toy boat on display on one giant wall of teas.  They have a very large selection of teas in canisters and even though they are a coffee and tea co, I would consider this a tea store as well as they seem to take their tea very seriously by the quantity of their selection.  They also sold matcha whisks, bodum teapots, and tea accessories.  Golden Mint reminded me of a cigar store actually, but darker.  Two elderly gentlemen sat alone solemnly at the window sipping their drinks and reading.  Morbid!  Actually their candy apples looked pretty damn awesome behind the display counter.  So I would go back and try some of those.

Underground tea market

We then headed to Pusateris and Whole Foods and actually walked about another tea shop!  The Tea Market in the underground walkway between Yonge and Bay.  Love it.  If more people were into Tea they would really appreciate this store.  They have a good selection of teas and have lots of seating area.

The last tea shop we went to was actually the Tea Emporium in the Hazelton lane mall, but it was closed by the time we finished at Pusateris and Whole Foods.  Boo!  But it was an eventful day, I had a lot of great field research done and I am that much closer towards my goals!  =)

So that totals 8 tea stores, 3 organic supermarkets and a countless number of cool little shops we went to including the Magic Pony, and the Paper Place.  Phew!

Ps.  I apoligize for the eye sore I’m going to change the layout again soon. I was just playing with a different theme because I didn’t like the old one.

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