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All Things Tea - CLOSED
Category: Food Coffee & Tea Coffee & Tea [Edit]
476 Bloor St WToronto, ON M5S 1X8
Neighbourhood: The Annex
(416) 850-2950
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
9 reviews for All Things Tea
9 reviews in English
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Review from Andrea L.
York, ON
5/27/2009
So, after fighting it for years, I've come to accept the fact that coffee and I don't mix awesomely. I love coffee, but it makes me twitchy. Luckily I've discovered that I love tea also!
All Things Tea is a great little spot. They have a selection of teas along one wall and I could spend an hour just smelling the samples.
I really like that they tell you how long to steep the tea you've chosen, the cute little bag on a stick thing they've got going, and the little cups to put your bag in once you take it out of your cup / mug. The little cup is great 'cause they'll give you more water and you can have another round out of your tea bag if you spend long enough here.
Plus, the teas I've tried so far have been delicious. -
Review from Emily T.
Toronto, ON
1/28/2009 ROTD 10/4/2009
Take that coffee drinkers!!
All Things Tea is a little place you can call heaven on earth if you are a tea drinker and have been waiting for a place that serves more than just basic breakfast tea. YEAH! It's about time, I say!
B.A.T.T. (Before All Things Tea) us tea drinkers would be subjected to the utter humiliation and cold stares from barristers as we ordered our tea. Nothing fancy, I just want the bag kept in, please, we'd meekly say. I remember one time in Starbucks when I asked for chamomile (which is probably the most basic herbal tea out there) and I was answered with:
"hmmm, chamomile? I don't think we have that one...What kind of characteristic properties does it contain?"
I liked his enthusiasm, but come on! No chamomile?! Characteristic properties? It isn't a bean picked and roasted with nutty and fruity aromas and hints, its a flower you smush up, put in a bag, and douse it with hot water. It tastes like warm flower stems.... But, I love it! And tea drinkers of the like know what I'm talking about...
So, A.A.T.T everything changed! Finally, a place for us tea drinkers to unite and drink our herbal beverages in peace! This store carries about 200 different kinds of teas, broken down into a few different categories for simplification. The store is somewhat sparse and just starting to pick up steam, but I am certain that it is a popular choice for tea connoisseurs.
Located in the Annex on Bloor, between Bathurst and Spadina, All Things Tea is a great place to stock up on unique and delicious tea variteas (get it), or sit and relax in their comfy seats and use their free wireless services. Yes, us tea drinkers like to use our laptops in public too.
I do have one recommendation for a unique herbal blend I received as a gift there: Honey Spice; it is a loose leaf South African Rooibos tea, and you have to purchase sachets for steeping (which the store sells), but the tea is wonderful and aromatic-one of my favourites. It contains cinnamon, aniseed, cocoa, cloves and marigold.....mmmm....
If you like tea and looking for some unique flavours, check out All Things Tea-it is not to be missed! -
Review from Kim B.
ON
11/21/2008 5 photos
I love tea, so I was happy to see an independently owned tea place go into this spot in the Annex rather than another Starbucks.
It's a great clean space, with lots of tables to sit at and lots and lots and LOTS of tea to choose from.
The only complaint I have is the lack of different types of chamomile (my favourite). They only had two kinds when I was there and they were both really just basic chamomile.
My advice: if you're gonna do tea, you gotta represent on the chamomile!Listed in: Oui to Tea!
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Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
1/1/2009 1 photo
If all you know about teas are orange pekoe and earl grey, I suggest you move your booty over here and get a slap in the face.
This place is a tea lover's playland, with open-jar sniffing opportunities that can leave you squealing or slightly frozen with indecision when it comes time to order.
I'm a huge fan of rooibos teas, and there were at least 8 different varieties, including a really delicious smelling strawberry-kiwi icebush blend. The creamy mates also smell great, especially the caramel and tiramisu selections. For actual drinkage, I opted for the Coconut Almond tea, and I loved it: sweet, subtle, and soothing.
The service is efficient, but the actual atmosphere? Meh. Kinda shiny and sterile, but if you're there with a friend with a good cup of tea, all that goes out the window. -
Review from Alejandro A.
Toronto, ON
11/20/2008
A relatively new tea shop (opened in late summer '08), All Things Tea has the advantage of being the only Tea Shop in the Annex. An important factor considering it's within a 3 minute walking distance of no less than 8 (not an exaggeration) coffee shops.
They have an excellent and expansive tea wall with flavours in Black Tea, Green Tea, Red (Rooibos) Tea and Maté. If you're willing to shell out the extra cash, there's also a shelf with rare and competition teas that you can order. When selecting your tea, you have the option of reading the composition of each tea blend, and also to actually open up a small sample cup and smell the leaves. It takes time to choose your flavor, but who says that's a bad thing?
It doesn't take much to fill the place up, a result of the limited seating space available, but don't let that deter you from trying this place out. -
Review from Marco Arash O.
Toronto, ON
1/19/2009
All Things Tea is complete and utter perfection.
Why is it not getting a perfect rating then?
1- With all the regular clientele, they still have not implemented a Rewards Card (Buy 10 teas, get 1 free).
2- A few of the best (and not surprisingly, most popular teas) are consistently being sold out. Why not stock more?
So, getting that out of the way, let's stick to the why this is a perfect tea hangout.
The teas are categorized under: Black, Flavoured Black, Green, Rooibos/Red, Rare/Competition, and Herbal.
Every tea connoisseur has the freedom to not only look over, but also smell about 200 different teas. Once the perfect blend is chosen, the loose tea leaves are placed in a pouch, and poured over with boiling water.
Depending on how busy it is, you might even get a bit of advice, on the best way to sweeten your drink, or how long you should let it seep before you savour your first sip.
Being a Green Tea fan myself, I strongly recommend Japan Green Treasures. Gotta love the almond and cranberry hints!
The chairs are comfy, the vibe is relaxed and wireless is free.
What else can you ask for?
Oh ya, perfect tea! -
Review from Leeor J.
5/6/2010
This place is nice. I've liked all the teas i've tried here. And they have free wi-fi. and its quiet. so you can get some work done. Not obnoxious and noisy and crowded and no wi-fi like futures across the street.
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Review from Jimi S.
ON
12/3/2008 5 photos
now theres an interesting sign. (not the actual sign which is pretty makeshift, but of what it bespeaks inside). what with all the overload of espresso shops, this place is great for any tea lovers. now like any great delicacy, this place is no different. theres gotta be at least a hundred teas from which to chose standing guard on the wall across from the baristas. they even have the tea flakes in little cylindrical canisters so you can examine the leaves up close.
if you go to a place like this you should really try a new kind of tea - thats what this place is for - not so much for the stuff you have been sucking on for your entire life. i tried the LatTea, which has a maple flavour, and it was pretty good. i think id actually prefer my tea without all the froth. maybe it was just that day, who knows.
the place was very clean looking, but a little too bright to feel like you could have a good lounge. no couches were in sight and everyone was so serious...no gabbers. kinda weird. the staff (it seemed to be a family owned place) was very nice and helpful
i wish them good luck and if im in the area, i will come again. -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
11/14/2008 1 photo
I have written before on the evils of tea and the weak countenance of those who drink it and so I think that my opinions are fairly well outlined, but that won't stop me. All Things Tea has taken it one step too far since I went into their café (it's the best word I can think of but it doesn't capture the essence) and saw an espresso machine. I was elated because while it was a store called All Things Tea I thought that maybe they would have made some concessions to the superior beings who drink coffee, so when I asked for an espresso I was very disappointed to learn that they don't serve them. The espresso machine was to heat the milk for the tea. I wiped the tears away and ordered a LaTea which was tea with a lot of milk in it. It was ok, but certainly no latte and definitely no espresso. If you are one of the foolish minority then this is an excellent place to get your tea they have an awesome selection and the staff is very helpful, but if you want coffee take your business elsewhere.
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