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Ten Ren Tea Company
Category: Food Coffee & Tea Coffee & Tea [Edit]
454 Dundas St WToronto, ON M5T 1G9
Neighbourhoods: Chinatown, Downtown Core
(416) 598-7872
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
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12 reviews for Ten Ren Tea Company
12 reviews in English
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Review from Olivia O.
Toronto, ON
4/23/2012 3 photos
Famous tea shop from Taiwan! Wide selection of tea-based drinks!
You can take-out really nice bubble tea (made from real tea) here, though it's not a sit down and chillax tea shop. -
Review from Susan C.
Toronto, ON
4/21/2012
Ten Ren makes the best bubble tea in Chinatown...pricey, but well worth it!
I find that this tea store is very empty. Estimating about 90% of their customers are there for the bubble tea. The store is very organized - the ladies are constantly organizing the store since they have nothing else to do. There is no seating at all for the bubble tea corner; you go in, order, and leave. The "baristas" are a hit and miss. Some are very friendly and makes your drink extra good, while other times. It's okay.
The tea here can range from tea bag boxes (which is relatively cheap) to loose leaf (very expensive). I only had experience with the tea bag boxes. They usually have promotions for these. These teas are quite horrible tasting. I will never repurchase from them again.
I tagged along with my mom when she went to get loose leaf tea. The lady did not have any knowledge about the teas and was very unhelpful. The only information she basically gave my mom was the tea name and where it's from (most of their tea is from Asia). What a turn off for a tea store.
Will never return back for tea or loose leaf tea. But, will only return back for the bubble tea since it is so tasty! -
Review from Justine H.
Toronto, ON
9/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Restaurant: Ten Ren's Tea & Ginseng
Cuisine: Dessert
Location: Chinatown
Address: 454 Dundas St W
Price Range: ~$10
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very Good 5: Excellent
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ambiance: N/A
Overall: 1
Extra information:
*Located in Chinatown
*Specialize in Tea and BBT
*No seating area
*They sell health products inside the store
Ten Ren seemed to be one of the few on top Bubble Tea locations within Toronto so I decided to give it a try. Given that it was located in Chinatown, I was somewhat already convinced it will taste good, but never stereotype! I was not ready for this uneventful experience. When I first walked in, I was a little confused because it's actually a store that's filled with chinese tea and health products.
The part they sell bubbletea is just in the corner of the store to your right. Because they are located inside a tea & ginseng shop, I kind of got the reassurance that their tea will taste good, or at least authentic.
Their special drinks are called the 'Horoscope Drinks' according to each sign. It's just all random and few of the flavors are Mint Chocolate, Coconut Redbean, Chocolate Banana, Grape & Strawberry and Mixed Fruit. I was surprised at their price though, $5.99 for one size and tax not included? That's almost $6.00 a drink and very pricey for bbtea spot located in Chinatown.
Ordered: Milk Green Tea - 1/5
*Small size for $3.45
*Milk Green Tea is one of the most basic bbt flavors you can get
*I decided to get this without pearls
*Worst Milk Green Tea I've ever tasted
*Bitter and watered down, almost like water with milk
*I took one sip and threw away the rest
Ordered: Green Tea Red Bean Slush - 2.5/5
*Green tea slush with red bean for $5.25
*The slush had very strong green tea flavor
*Red bean on bottom was too chunky to mix in with the slush
*This was more like dessert than a drink
I know how I like my bubble tea and this place wasn't it. The service wasn't great and there are no seats to enjoy my drink. For a store located in Chinatown without any interior or seating area (not even a washroom), it's not cheap at all and if they can't make proper Milk Green Tea, I see no reason to try any other drinks here. -
Review from Monica B.
Toronto, ON
5/2/2011
Ten Ren has the best bubble tea!
Ten Ren is an organized, spacious and clean store. They have a great selection of teas, beautiful Asian tea-sets and more. A box of their tea can range from $3 to $50 depending on what type of tea you're buying. The tea-sets are really pretty and unique but I found them to be way too pricey for their size. The tea-sets range from $20-$200.
The store has two sections- 1) An area where you can buy tea and tea sets. 2) A counter on the side where you can order bubble tea or tea to go. In the back, the store has a lovely table with chairs around it where you can sample some of the teas. The lady working there offered me some floral tea which tasted pretty nice and the tea looked beautiful in the glass teapot- all different types of pretty flowers steeped in a pot.
The staff here is really nice and helpful. I did not feel like they were pushing me to purchase their products like they do in most stores in Chinatown. The lady explained to me how to use my bubble tea set that I purchased and answered all my other questions that I found really helpful.
If you're interested in the bubble tea set, this is what it contains: black tea, taro powder flavour, bag of tapioca, packet of bubble tea straws, an instruction booklet, and a sturdy thick plastic bubble tea shaker. I use this set a lot and the bubble tea comes out great. The set was $18.
Also, Ten Ren offers take-out bubble tea. I have to say, they serve the best bubble tea I've had in the city so far! I had their coconut milk bubble tea and it was amazing! The coconut flavour was strong and delicious, the tapioca was cooked perfectly and the drink was not too sweet- just perfect. However, the downfall about their bubble tea is that it's really pricey. For a 13oz cup I paid around $4.40, which I think is rather pricey for such a small amount. I guess you're paying for the quality.
Besides grabbing some bubble tea to go, they also offer: cold tea drinks, traditional iced-tea, slushed drinks, milk tea and more. You have a great option of flavours to choose from too.
Overall, Ten Ren is a great place to purchase some quality tea, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the bubble tea they offer here is the best. The only downfall is that there is no place to sit here; all the drinks are to go and the stuff is pricey.Listed in: Coffee, Tea & Juice
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Review from Alice T.
4/3/2011
Best passion fruit green tea in town!
That's all i ever get here but it's really good. It tastes like tea, which is surprisingly hard to find in bubble tea places, most places just taste like syrup.
It is usually a bit strong at first but as the ice melts the flavour balances out but this may just be a personal preference.
It's also a bit more expensive then other bubble tea places but I think it's worth it. We're talking at most maybe $1 more.
I usually stop here on my usual shop in Chinatown and take it with me as I browse the other shops or pick it up then head a block south to Queen St to browse. There's no seating here or anywhere along the street so be prepared to walk and drink. -
Review from Ernest Y.
Thornhill, ON
11/20/2011
So I haven't been here in a while, but when I went there the other day, the service was not that good. Had to wait forever for a table, and the staff ignored us for more than 10 minutes before they were able to come and take our order. All in all, a good place to sit and have a drink with friends, but if you want decent service, than this is not for you. The drinks are not bad, and have tea flavour, as opposed to those places which just taste like sugar water. Well, food is also decent, but pricey if you order the combo, which is not filling.
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Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
12/18/2008
As a recent bubble tea convert (77 days and still lovin' it), I may not have permission to declare the best bubble tea spot in the city. But heck, I'm Asian, and I'm going ahead with it anyway.
Ten Ren's Tea Company is part of a larger group based in San Francisco, and are mainly known for their knowledge and selection of tea leaves. However, my experience rests with the bubble tea, and their counter, tucked in the front corner of the shop, offers the best selection, location, and atmosphere of the BT spots I know, at least in the downtown core.
It's not a place where you can lounge about -- it's essentially a bulk tea store -- but you can be guaranteed some interesting tea mixes, including their sesame-almond milk tea with tapioca. Phwoar.
It helps that the staff is quick, thorough, and quick to recommend the best mixes for whatever taste you crave. Seeing as my cravings happen almost daily, I'll be back pretty soon. -
Review from Yvonne K.
1/30/2009
Great spot to chill with your friends and way more selection than your local coffee shop! You should check it out and try something new!
I recommend the Green Apple Milk Tea and the Strawberry Milk Tea. Taro Milk Tea is great as well as the Condense Milk Brick Toast! -
Review from Albert Y.
5/25/2009
Very good tea selections and very good tasting bubble tea. The only downside is the price. I would say this is the pricest spot in Chinatown but it is also a name brand. Ten Ren is a brand from Taiwan and is on the pricier side.
Two medium bubble teas is around 9-10 bucks. -
Review from Derrick C.
9/9/2010
I haven't been to a Ten Ren's in nearly 10 years when the one near my house closed shop but this one in particular serves boba better than most. The tea isn't too sweet and the boba was cooked properly.
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Review from Michelle A.
Toronto, ON
9/4/2010
I had the banana coconut bubble tea with tapioca and was amazed to see him add fresh fruit to the blender: a whole banana and scoops of fresh coconut. It was a perfect treat on a hot day that definitely filled me up. Only downside is there isn't really anywhere to sit.
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Review from Alex K.
9/16/2009
Great selection of teas, lots of variety. The boba itself is consistently good, and their tea pretty much is too. It's a nice little spot to drop by at and hang with a couple of friends if you'd like. I've never had a disappointing experience here.
