Where to get Loose Leaf Tea
Nectar Specialty Tea Shop ·
Francesco's Coffee Company ·
Half Full Glassware & Accessories ·
Shanti Tea ·
~Leaves~ and ~Tips~ ·
Raw Sugar Cafe ·
Tea Biscuit Cafe and Studio ·
Teaopia ·
The Tea Party ·
Tea Store ·
Sushi Go - Byward Market ·
Kusmi Tea
Comments
2020 Jan 18
While I do love tea, I had hesitated to try this place because I sensed an air of overpriced luxury. However, after enjoying the smell of a sample tin at Grace in the Kitchen recently I decided I had to explore more. I should mention that Grace was charging a few dollars *more* than the Kusmi boutique so be aware of that.
There are several teas I'd like to try from here, especially their twists on Earl Grey. Black tea is easy to make delicious though, so I first focused on their caffeine-free options. My previous experiences with herbal teas other than straight mint or chamomile have been terribly disappointing. After listening to my criteria, the salesperson suggested this Be Cool tea, consisting of apple, rosehip, verbena, peppermint, anise, and liquorice. Paying $26 for a 100g tin confirmed this as a luxury item and meant my expectations were pretty high.
But this was superb! I can say with certainty that it was the most perfectly balanced cup of mint tea I've encountered. The mint is the prominent flavour, with the apple adding sweetness and the other ingredients serving to mellow the mint. Beautiful!
As for the price, you can purchase "refill" bags at $18 for 100g, which is a little more reasonable. I mean, this is a beautiful tin but $8 is a little much for that. Prices vary for different teas.
In the Rideau Centre, this place competes directly with DAVIDsTEA. However, I'd say there's really no competition. The quality of the blends is uniformly high (no sweet Birthday Cake sprinkles tea here), prices are at or below DAVIDsTEA premium teas, and best of all the brewing instructions use clear weights rather than relying on a nebulously defined "Perfect Spoon."
There are several teas I'd like to try from here, especially their twists on Earl Grey. Black tea is easy to make delicious though, so I first focused on their caffeine-free options. My previous experiences with herbal teas other than straight mint or chamomile have been terribly disappointing. After listening to my criteria, the salesperson suggested this Be Cool tea, consisting of apple, rosehip, verbena, peppermint, anise, and liquorice. Paying $26 for a 100g tin confirmed this as a luxury item and meant my expectations were pretty high.
But this was superb! I can say with certainty that it was the most perfectly balanced cup of mint tea I've encountered. The mint is the prominent flavour, with the apple adding sweetness and the other ingredients serving to mellow the mint. Beautiful!
As for the price, you can purchase "refill" bags at $18 for 100g, which is a little more reasonable. I mean, this is a beautiful tin but $8 is a little much for that. Prices vary for different teas.
In the Rideau Centre, this place competes directly with DAVIDsTEA. However, I'd say there's really no competition. The quality of the blends is uniformly high (no sweet Birthday Cake sprinkles tea here), prices are at or below DAVIDsTEA premium teas, and best of all the brewing instructions use clear weights rather than relying on a nebulously defined "Perfect Spoon."
lady who brunches