Say Tea in Toronto, ON
5/5
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Anlina rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

I’m so happy I visited Say Tea while I was in Toronto. The tea selection is excellent, the prices are very low so that it’s possible to try many teas even with their minimum 55g purchase, and the teas I’ve tried have been excellent.

The service was very friendly and helpful.

Their teas are stored in glass jars, which is not ideal, but I don’t feel like the teas I purchased suffered at all from this storage.

House of Tea -- Toronto in Toronto, ON
5/5
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Anlina rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this place, but the service was stellar and the selection of tea was large, with many unique offerings. They also have a lot of tea wares.

The minimum amount they sell is 100g, which is an awful lot, but I received a couple of very generous samples (probably close to 25g), and I did come away with a 100g bag of Grapefruit Mint Rooibos, which smells intensely amazing.

The proprietor seemed to be extremely knowledgeable about teas, and said they use only natural flavours.

Tao Tea Leaf in Toronto, ON
5/5
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Anlina rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

Great selection and being able to purchase sample sized amounts is always a huge plus for me. The person behind the counter was very helpful and patient, and provided me with some good recommendations. Lots of gorgeous tea ware too, including many tiny yixing pots.

My only wish is for more detailed descriptions of the teas in the menu. Many did not have any tasting notes, and there were no ingredients listed.

Anlina rated this place
4/5
and said Edit

They have a nice selection of Metropolitan Tea Company loose and bagged teas, including some blends which don’t seem to be available elsewhere (Oolong Sweet Watermelon, Saskatoon Berry and some others). Prices are a little higher than I usually see for Metropolitan Tea Company stuff but still fairly reasonable.

The staff was super nice and gave me a free sample, since I wasn’t sure about buying 50gs of anything.

Verdant Tea - Online in Minneapolis, Minnesota
5/5
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Anlina rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

I went for breakfast here during a visit to Minneapolis. The tea room is just lovely – open and airy and calming. I had the chai, which was intensely spicy and rich, and the breakfast crepe, which was quite nice – very light, with lots of pickled veggies.

They had a nice selection of tea wares, and lots of details about their teas. I picked up a basic gaiwan and a bunch of different teas, including some that weren’t currently available on their website.

The staff was lovely and very helpful. Definitely worth a visit and I will be returning next time I’m in the area.

Sonya's Flowers in Winnipeg, MB
4/5
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Anlina rated this place
4/5
and said Edit

Sonya’s is a gift shop and florist that has a selection of loose leaf teas at the back. I’m pretty sure that it’s a selection of Metropolitan Tea Company teas.

They come in 100g quantities, which is more than I am usually willing to buy when trying something new, but the service was very friendly and attentive, and I left with three samples to try.

Anlina rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

Winnipeg doesn’t have any real tearooms left, so I was very excited to discover that there was one in Gimli.

We were up there taking care of some family affairs this weekend, so when we were done we went for tea as a reward.

On a beautiful Saturday at lunch time, the place was pretty packed, almost exclusively with women. The tea room is a combination of kitsch and old British charm. Lots of antique furniture covered with bone china tea cups, and fancy tea wares, lots of cottagey art. Lace table cloths and floral chair covers. The tables were set with mismatched fine china and tea was served in chunky teapots with bone china cups and collector spoons.

They have a good assortment of different teas. Mostly Metropolitan Tea Company choices, plus a couple of house blends. You get your tea leaves loose in the pot and they bring you a strainer to pour your cup. Not as much control over steep time as I would like but still nice.

Their menu is lovely. Lots of options from full lunch meals to scones to dainties and finger sandwiches to Icelandic specialties. We got the scones, a dainties and sandwiches tray and the Icelandic sampler, which was really fantastic.

Service was pretty good but could have been a bit more attentive.

Everything was reasonably priced. I think we spent about $20/person, and that was ordering lots.

They also have packets of their tea that you can take home, I think it was all $5/50g which is very reasonable.

I’m looking forward to going back.

Cornelia Bean in Winnipeg, MB
5/5
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Anlina rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

This is my favourite local tea shop. Very reasonable prices, a huge selection and helpful staff. I really like that all their samples are accessible and can be smelled without asking for assistance.

They also have a really wonderful selection of tea pots and cups.

I think their minimum purchase is officially 50g, but there’s often staff who will let me pick up 25g, but it’s hit or miss for that.

Teavana in Winnipeg, Manitoba
3/5
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Anlina rated this place
3/5
and said Edit

The presentation of the store is lovely and the staff is always very friendly and enthusiastic, but often not very knowledgeable about the products. Some of the issues I’ve had include being told a product was discontinued when it wasn’t, being told that the flavour of one of the teas was naturally occuring in the tea leaves when it’s actually artificial flavour according to their website, and having zero useful suggestions for brewing a good cup of a couple of their expensive white teas, when following the directions wasn’t yielding anything worth drinking.

They have a large selection of teas, which are hit or miss, but some of my all time favourites come from here, so I’ll keep going back. I wish their minimum was 25g instead of 50g, which is usually more than I want if I’m trying something new.

Tea Story in Winnipeg, Manitoba
4/5
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Anlina rated this place
4/5
and said Edit

I really enjoy coming here. The place is very cute and has great atmosphere.

The tea presentation is very nice, glass pots, double walled cups and a burner to keep your pot warm, which makes the $5+ price per pot seem more reasonable.

The food is excellent too. I quite enjoy the dessert waffles.

They have a good selection of loose leaf teas you can buy, and they’ll do up 25g bags by request. All their pre-packaged amounts are 50g or more.

Profile

Bio

I grew up drinking jasmine green tea with meals, but really fell in love with tea on a trip to Britain in elementary school. My first great love was Earl Grey, and I still adore it and all its variants.

I discovered the beauty of loose leaf tea much later, when, on impulse, I picked up a few teas that were on clearance at a home store. My introduction to loose leaf teas were Masala Chai and Provence Rooibos by the Metropolitan Tea Co and an unknown brand of kukicha and gyokuro (little did I know what a precious treasure I’d stumbled onto with that.)

At the time I was lucky to live in a place with multiple tea shops and several places to have afternoon tea, which is a delight I still miss.

Tea is part of my daily ritual and a nice, affordable way to appease the collector in me.

I enjoy distinctive whites, greens and oolongs, flavoured blacks, and herbals that are heavy on the citrus, lavender or mint.

Rating rubric, to give myself some consistency:
0-15 Yuck, not even drinkable.
16-30 Disappointing, not really inclined to give it a second try.
31-45 Disappointing, but maybe there’s potential? Worth one more try, prepped differently.
46-60 Mediocre, not terrible but not memorable.
61-75 Not bad. I’ll definitely finish what I have and might buy again.
76-90 Very enjoyable. Tasty, complex, it’ll keep me coming back.
91-100 BEST! I love everything about it and I will drink it forever.

Beyond tea, I’m a sex educator, polyamory activist, and radical queer. I love backwoods camping, abstract painting, baking & cooking, nail polish, cats, ceramic sculpture, and home nesting.

Location

Winnipeg, MB, Canada

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