Sanhe Kungfu Tea Shop

I completely agree with Melanie T. This store is excellent for people who enjoy their tea. They don’t have a huge selection, but I guess it’s carefully chosen. They give you cheat-​sheet cards how to brew your tea properly, and a very very polite and knowledgable guy behind the counter will brew you a tea sample. I won’t go as far as to juxtapose it to David’s Tea, I enjoy any tea store, but if you come here you understand why there’s a tea ceremony in Chinese culture.

This charming tea shop puts the more commercial tea shops (like David’s tea) to shame by offering traditional Chinese teas that are as pure and natural as you can find in Toronto outside of Chinatown. We love going here to sample various Pu’erh’s and Oolong teas and the gentleman who works there (maybe the owner?) is incredibly informed not only about the variations of teas, but about the Chinese tradition behind tea drinking. He has an enthusiasm and love for tea and the culture behind it and we love watching him prepare the samples. Because of him, I’ve developed an appreciation and taste for high quality unprocessed pure tea that doesn’t need all of the additives and flavouring that a lot of Western companies blend into their tea. The shop can feel a bit intimidating at first, because the products are authentically labeled (ie. with the Chinese wording), so don’t be shy to ask for help if you’re looking for something specific. Trust me, you’ll leave having learned something. It’s independent shops like this that are what make the Yonge/​Eglinton area so great so it’s important to support these small businesses in our neighbourhood.