Tao Tea Leaf

I rarely give 5 stars to anyone, but Tao Tea Leaf is by far my favourite tea shop in Canada. Tao, the owner, is one of the most knowledgeable and helpful person I know in the tea world.
The shop is the best in Canada for Chinese tea. A nice assortment of authentic yixing teapots are also offered.
This is the tea shop to which I compare all other tea shops.

I recently discovered Tao Tea Leaf after a friend told me I had to check them out. I am grateful for the product knowledge, hospitality and amazing teas they offer. During each visit I am greeted and assisted by the same gentleman who has a very warm personality. My heart goes out to him, he truly is a wonderful representative of this gem. He has recommended many teas to me based on my preference, ones that are popular, his personal favourites and even some from his home town. I have yet to try one I didn’t like.
Thank you Tao for being so good to me! See you again soon :)

I still have much to learn about Tea but I’m really starting to like this establishment. The tea proprietor is a very friendly, unassuming fellow who is very patient. With him there are no stupid questions. I purchased 2 Tea types: Milk Oolong and Yellow. I have yet to try the Yellow but the Oolong is truly fantastic. Even when I’m done with drinking I keep it in a mug as I love the smell of the steamed Oolong leaves.
While I have yet to purchase any Black Teas I smelled some and I was able to tell that they weren’t as strongly flavoured as the Indian & Sri-​Lankan based teas of «House of Tea», which admittedly is my preference. But for East-​Asian grown teas, I’m really starting to believe that this is the place to go to.
I was a little thrown off by the price – the cost is rather high-​end, but the proprietor has a personal relationship with Chinese growers and he selects them for the store himself! There’s no middleman here – so you know beyond doubt that you’re getting what is labelled.
Also worth noting is the packaging; smaller portions come in conveniently resealable bags and the 85g portions can be packaged in wonderful airtight canisters that are of course reusable when finished with the tea, which I prefer to the bags packaged by «House of Tea». «House of Tea» is much more generous with free samples, however.
In summary, I would say «Tao Tea Leaf» definitely deserves a look, although you probably should brace yourself for sticker shock. I’m no expert on Chinese grown teas but if the Oolong Teas are any indication this is the place to buy all East-​Asian Teas.
I still prefer «House of Tea» for the Indian and Sri-​Lankan Black Teas and wonderful Orange-​Eucalyptus Rooibos, and for the generous assortment of free sampling, but I’m also liking the great value for the reusable, nicely designed airtight canisters of «Tao Tea Leaf». Why limit yourself to one Tea-​store anyway?

A hidden gem in downtown Toronto! Tao Tea Leaf will probably go unnoticed by many, until you take the brilliant decision to enter — you will be amazed by their collection of chinese teapots (for sale, control your wallet!) and delicious teas.
Make sure to HAVE A TEA THERE. It’s like a ceremony, no other tea house in this city has ever served me like them. They will explain every single detail about each tea and serve you like you were the one and only customer they have. I’ve tried a premium green tea, and bought the acclaimed Milk Oolong (100g, will last forever) — a must have for fall/​winter season, especially if you like lattes.
I’d like to be able to buy the tea in cans, instead of bags, and to have more seating in the tea shop — as the way they serve tea is their differential. It’s a beautiful, amazing place and I can’t wait to come back!

I really like their teas… I have purchased amazing Organic Cononut Oolong tea (didnt see that anywhere else), they have very nice and interesting Milk Ooolong tea (smells like milk and also tastes creamy). The lady I buy the teas from is so friendly and nice and she takes time to explain about each tea, love it. Plus, its never crowded, so. I take my time too :) My only wish — they could have more selections of Earl Grey Teas. They have only regular and Cream Earl Grey tea which is still nice but I would like to see more options. Prices are also affordable.

Tao Tea Leaf Ltd. has this awesome website! The best tea website where one can get all you want to know about tea. And you can order anything you can imagine to make your perfect cup of tea from their website. Free shipping for order over $ 50. (Now I sounded like one of those Spam Unilocal reviews!) +3 stars
But visiting the Tao Tea Leaf shop itself is kind of an anti-​climax. Walk in on a Sunday afternoon and it is dead with no customers… that’s fine but it is so uncomfortable when the lady followed us all over the store… I am scared to touch anything afraid I might break them!
Note to lady: It will be nice if you would offer us some tea sample to try, which is a common practice at most tea shops…
This is the only teashop place that I would rather shop online then in person. which is quite unusual for me since I love to touch and smell what I buy!