Latea Era - Cheese Crown...Ummmm what is that?

I haven't done a restaurant post in a long time since I've been busy these last few months and also been focusing on tea, so sticking with the tea theme, here is a new tea shop/house.

Latea Era - "The new era of tea" is their slogan.

I'm not too sure about that, but they are trying to do something a little different.

So what is a "cheese crown"?  It's their specialty cream cheese topped tea drinks which means a salty liquid cream cheese mix sits on top of tea.  It may sound gross, but it wasn't too bad and if you are a sweet and salty combo type person, this may appeal to you.

I didn't think I'd get the best tea here so opted for something pretty, the cheese crown rose oolong.  I had it hot but they do make it cold as well.  It did look pretty and the cheese did stay at the top for a very long time.  Overall I think it's like drinking a tea and your dessert at the same time, but the tea flavour isn't as strong as I'd hoped.  If you like the sea salt cream topping at other teashops, you may like this.

I'm not sure how the salty topping of tea really started but it may have been the coffee and dessert chain 85°C in Taiwan in 2008.  Maybe the trend dates back further but the chain offered coffee with a sea salt cream topping and when I had it in Taiwan in 2009, it was not bad - it was quite unique.  I believe tea followed after the success of coffee.

However, if you want to consider who initially added salt to tea, traditional Tibetan butter tea is made with brick tea (puer or black), (yak) butter and salt so this may be the first creation of tea with salt.

Anyway, for a few years now in Toronto, there are a number of locations offering this salted cream topping: Gong Cha, Share Tea, Chatime.  Latea Era also offers a salty cream topping but they go one step further and making a salty cream cheese topping.  I'm not sure of how many other places offer a cream cheese topping in Toronto but I have heard Happy Lemon does; I have yet to go.



The only thing is I don't know where this tea house comes from, how it originated, who started it, is it in other countries?  It just seemed to pop up and their website states it's their first North America location. In the last six months there has been numerous tea places that have popped up in Toronto; very exciting!

They brew their teas on the spot which can slow the line down but does ensure freshly brewed tea and their tea bags are on display.  If you want a regular bubble tea they do offer that, some fruit teas, and matcha options.  Their regular milk tea is brewed with an espresso machine and I also ordered one to go with tapioca.  Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of their basic milk tea as I found the tea not as smooth.  There was a bit of char taste to it too which could be the type of tea or the espresso machine extracting unwanted flavours from the tea.  Half sugar is a little less sweet than half sugar requests at other tea shops.  The tapioca was also not the best but I did go early afternoon on a Wed so that could be why.

At the back

This place has lots of seating so great for groups, studying and when you just want to sit in a nice space instead of getting take-out.  Cafe music playing in the background makes for a more modern ambience.  Service was also polite and friendly.

Would I go back?

Yes, to try their matcha options, but based on the drinks I did try...it's probably not my cup of tea.  Maybe their matcha will be the drink that keeps me coming back.

Lots of cream cheese topping at the end.

Latea Era

3300 Midland Avenue, Unit 37
Scarborough, ON M1V 4A1

T: 647-349-6888

www.latea.ca

• Phone numberusiness website

Naturally Grown Kyobancha- Surprisingly Delicious

This naturally grown Kyobancha from the tea farmer Sinichi Kihara was a nice surprise tea! I purchased this after looking for hojicha (online at yunomi.life) and found the dry leaves to be quite unique.  The leaves are not rolled but after steaming they are dried as is or flat. It's interesting that they don't roll the leaves as this results in quite a large volume.  I'm still trying to learn more about the different kinds of Japanese tea but "Kyo" refers to Kyoto and "bancha" is unprocessed leaf meaning not rolled.  It is a type of hojicha (roasted green tea) but the main difference in hojicha, the roasting is of processed or rolled leaves.  These leaves are also older and thus bigger than other Japanese teas.  You can read more here.

The first time I brewed it, I used about 3g of leaf in my 175ml gaiwan and 90 degree water for 1 minute.  The tea soup was a yellow/light brown shade which surprised me because I was expecting it to be darker.  It was also very clear and bright looking.

Subsequent sessions, I used 5g of dry leaf...almost filled my 4oz ramekin!

 The steeped tea leaves...looks very similar to the dry and very dark.

 My most recent brew using 5g...

The tea soup is amber in colour and still very clear and bright.  Aroma is roasted and slightly smoky as you would expect.  The taste is less roasted than I would have thought and there is some cooked grain taste, barley possibly.  Soon after, there is a subtle sweet finish to it which is surprising as it's not what I would expect.  Brewed 3 times and still had good flavour.  

I quite like this tea and see this as a daily tea but also one for guests that aren't familiar with tea.  And for the price it's very good value!  This was part of my first order with Yunomi last year and the experience and quality has been very good.  I also like that they have many small vendors/farmers on the site that you wouldn't normally hear of in North America.  Definitely recommend checking them out for other Japanese teas.  

Eco-Cha Club Membership (October and November)

I've received my October and November Eco-cha tea club teas a while ago but have been too preoccupied to post a review so here is a combined post.  Again, 75g of tea is provided in the monthly subscription and it comes nicely package with an info card.

October (the club's 11th tea since it's start) was an heirloom small leaf black tea.  These were tightly rolled in strip form.

I brewed using their guidelines, 9 grams per 175ml with boiling water for 50 seconds.  This is definitely more than I usually use for black tea.  Tea soup was a nice reddish brown...

Taste was malty and there was a dried fruit taste to it, dried plum maybe (?) but the info card suggested dried apricot and papaya.  Still honing my tasting skills so will have to keep tasting this tea, maybe modifying the amount and steep times.  Not very astringent but I did feel like there was too much leaf in the cup though.   Again, maybe that is because I often use less per 175ml and not because I thought it was too strong. In terms of overall appeal, it was average for me. Only steeped 3 times as I didn't have the time for a long tea session.  Leaves look quite nice after the session.

The November tea (the club's 12th tea since it's start) was a Tieguanyin hand picked from a small farm in Muzha (Taipei).

This tea is processed in the traditional style where it is oxidized and roasted more heavily than the lighter Tieguanyin teas in recent years.  The batch is 50/50 of tieguanyin leaves and jin xuan leaves since there is such small quantity of original tieguanyin tea trees.

Brewed using their parameters, 10g per 175ml with boiling water for 50 secs.  Very strong roasted aroma and the tea soup brews up quite a dark orange brown.

Nice strong roasted flavour and I also want to say there was a slight creaminess to it on the 2nd brew.  It definitely is more of a fall/winter type of tea.  I've never been too fond of traditionally processed tieguanyins but maybe I haven't had top quality either.  I definitely lean more towards lighter tieguanyins.

Paired really nicely with a chocolate cupcake I made...

And, just because I was testing out a piping tip...here is pic of a cupcake topped with green tea whipped cream.

And just because it was my first time piping petals with whipped cream, I had to take a close-up...

Don't have a pic of the wet leaves as I only infused 3 times and leaves were not quite unraveled yet so I think it could have still had lots of flavour potential. Tieguanyins although very popular haven't really been a tea I drink too often so it was great to receive this tea.  I'll have a chance to get more experience brewing this tea and it definitely has a warming quality to it, great for the winter!

As I write this, one thing about the tea club I have to mention is that if you're in Canada, the box can take 3 weeks or more to receive.  I have yet to receive my December box (I'm sure this is partially due to Christmas volume).  It's slightly disappointing that it does take so long to get here especially when they put up info on their website about the tea soon after shipment so it's less of a surprise in terms of what tea will be in the box.  Anyway, hopefully the January one is faster.

Eco-Cha Club Membership (September) - My First Shipment!

I finally received my first batch of tea from Eco-Cha!  It actually took almost 4 weeks to arrive but sometimes that can happen if it gets stuck at customs.  And, I also have received the October package recently so this post is coming a bit late.  Eco-Cha is a tea company based in Taiwan that sources tea from family run farms that use sustainable methods.  I joined their tea club recently as I thought that this was something different and what is sent out to tea club members is not sold on their website.  I'm really excited as I've never joined anything like it despite there being other tea subscription clubs.

This month's tea is an Organic Wuyi Hong Shui Oolong tea 有機武夷紅水烏龍茶.

There is 75g of tea per month and it seems like every month they send a little something with the tea; September's was a metal tea strainer.  I already have the exact same one, but it was a nice extra.

Hong Shui Oolong 紅水烏龍茶 has actually been on my radar for over 5 years now but the reason it's been something I've been searching for info about is because I bought some Hong Shui Oolong from a wholesaler in Taiwan five years ago which was very different from the Hong Shui Oolong I could find online.  Hong Shui Oolong is supposed to be a tea in Taiwan that is similar to Dong Ding Oolong 凍頂烏龍 in the processing and rolled into ball shape, but I believe it is slightly more oxidized and does not come from Dong Ding mountain.  The Hong Shui I bought was  rolled into strip-form like Wuyi style oolong and like the product sent this month by Eco-Cha.  Looking back, the wholesaler said it was grown in Miaoli at 400m and the cultivar is qing xin da pang or da pa (青心大冇?); this cultivar is usually used to make Oriental Beauty Oolong (or Bai Hao Oolong).

I do have book on oolong tea and it describes Hong Shui Oolong 紅水烏龍 and how it used to be produced many years ago as a 'foreigner's tea' but is enjoyed by the locals now.  The one I have already, is not roasted and seems to bear the same tea "soup" colour of a red tea rather than the lighter orange-brown that is more common for the Hong Shui Oolong described in everything I could find about it.

I'm inclined to think my initial batch of Hong Shui Oolong from five years ago may actually be something different (it does taste good though!).  The tea from Eco-cha although rolled into strips (Wuyi style), does bear little other resemblance to the tea I have; it has the roasted quality and the tea soup is also not as "red" as the name would imply, more similar to Dong Ding Oolong and fits with all the other descriptions of Hong Shui Oolong except for the rolling style.

I brewed the tea using their specifications, 9 grams per 175 ml with boiling water for 50 seconds.  I have to say though, I thought it was too much leaves because the flavour seemed muddled, tangy, and there was moderate astringency.  When I used less leaves (5-6 grams), more of the baked fruit flavour came out and no astringency.  The leaves will open up more and I think that makes a difference.  I brewed this tea three times in each instance and the it didn't appear to be watered down, just liked the outcome using less leaves.

It's a nice tea for the autumn but I think I'm still going to experiment with leaf to water ratio, water temperature and steep time.  I think there is definitely more potential for this tea.

However, I did notice that there were a number of sticks/stems in the batch where the leaves were not attached which is a little disappointing.

Nonetheless, this is still an interesting tea though; more so for the organic growing method used which is somewhat a new concept.  It is one of the reasons that I joined, to try new teas either grown differently or processed differently from what you could find on the general market.  I also love getting packages!

Looking forward to more tea from Eco-cha!

Crimson Teas - Try Some Pu-erh Teas

Last week it was raining and much like today's cold weather (can't believe snow in April!), I was in need of something.  Something soothing and warm, but I wanted something different from the light oolong teas I regularly drink.  It was a dark tea kind of day so I headed to Crimson Teas and I'm so glad I did!

A week or two ago I saw an Instagram post from Gustahaus praising their yin yang tea/coffee mix 鴛鴦茶and although I love ordering HK milk tea at HK cafes, I was more intrigued by the Pu-erh (pu'er/puer/po lei) teas 普洱茶offered.  Pu-erh or also known as dark tea (後發酵茶, 黑茶) and is often associated with HK dim sum; the tea that gets dark, earthy or bitter (depending on quality) and strong very quickly.  Pu-erh tea though, can be quite soothing and it was that kind of day.

Situated on College St., at the edge of the UofT campus, most of the people there appeared to be students.  It's been a while since I've been in the area...I've probably been back to the campus only a handful of times after graduating years ago so it was a little strange for me to walk in.  There is a long communal table and the ordering is actually done at the back of the shop.

Crimson Teas offer 5 different types of Pu-erh: black, red, green, white (moonlight), and raw.  All are available for sampling which is awesome.  Pu-erh tea is different from others as there is a fermentation and darkening process the leaves undergo to create that earthy flavour and supposedly develop healthy microbes that aid in digestive health.

Aside from pu-erh, they also offer milk tea, a variety of other specialty teas, and coffee for those that really, really want to have coffee for very reasonable prices.  A small amount of baked goods and light snacks/meals are available too.

I had a cup of the white pu-erh.  It was lightly earthly with background notes of peach, similar to how white tea tastes.  The white pu-erh is made with leaves from Yunnan province that I'm told is plucked at night (hence the name midnight white).  They are plucking the characteristic fuzzy buds of the white tea before photosynthesis can occur and then process it to make a pu-erh.  If you have a chance to speak with Phillip (the owner), he can tell you about how the tea is processed in more detail.  I had the opportunity to chat with him about the heatlh benefits of tea too.  I've been in the process of writing a post on the health benefits of tea, and he ended up being a great resource; I'm sure I'll be asking more questions.

Besides the pu-erh, I also got a chance to sample the milk tea there and it is quite smooth and flavourful.  You add your own sugar and I must say, not much is needed.

If you're a fan of pu-erh tea, go and try it out.  If you've never tried it, go and try it out.  If you've never liked it, go and try it out and then if you still don't like it you can try something else.  Point is, go and try it out!
如過你喜歡普洱茶, 去試試看.  如過你沒有喝過, 去試試看.  如過你不喜歡普洱茶, 也要試試看或試別的飲料.  終點, 去試試看!

Crimson Teas

233 College St

Toronto, ON M5T 1R4

http://www.crimsonteas.com/

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Mabu Station 麻布小館

Large portion of grass jelly!  那份燒仙草超大啊!!

Mabu Station is a bright and cute space with comfortable seating.  A huge menu of food, desserts and drinks is available. When deciding on a place to meet up with some friends, both the menu and space made it a good choice.  Meeting up with girl friends for a late night bubble tea or dessert has been something I have missed and I'm glad a few Fridays ago (yes, it's been a while!) we headed to Mabu Station.

Shared the grass jelly dessert - one huge dish!  And I also had a milk tea.  Milk tea was average, but I quite enjoyed the toppings and grass jelly.  The bowl costs $9.99 now (used to be $6.99), but it can easily be shared by 2 or 3 people.  Another friend got a sago, purple glutinous rice and mango dessert and I would say it was really lacking in the mango department, needless to say she was pretty disappointed.

Service was also quite nice and quick when needed. We also weren't rushed, I think we were there for 3 hours!  Maybe during regular meal hours it may be a little more chaotic, but if you go after 9 pm, it's pretty laid back.

Mabu Station 麻布小館
5457 Yonge St (there are 2 sections)
Toronto ON M2N 5S1
http://mabustation.com/

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Jule Tea House

House special noodles ($7.49)

Jule tea house started out as just a bubble tea and dessert shop, but over the last few months to half a year (?), they started offering Taiwanese style meals which I was curious to try.  From the menu I think they say they named their tea house Jule because it resembled the pronunciation of the word 'to gather' together (聚) in Mandarin.

The tea house has really nice seating and is quite spacious so it's definitely a nice place 'to gather' with friends.  Soft music plays in the background and on the back wall they also have a nice green wall to add to the comfortable feeling of the space.
這個茶館很寬敞, 是一個很好的地方和朋友聚集在一起. 音樂播放輕輕的, 後牆有綠色植物給人以舒適的感覺.
I ordered their House Special Rice Noodle which was a spicy mala rice noodle with pork ribs.  The meal was decent and it was indeed spicy, but portions were a bit small.  If you were a big eater, you'll need to add a drink and a dessert to be full. Otherwise it's good as a light meal.  Too bad there isn't a drink special if you order one of their meals.



Jule does have a number of desserts on offer that makes them a little unique, but I wasn't up for trying them so I can't comment.  The bubble tea we ordered was the regular milk tea and on a previous visit I had ordered the same but with tapioca.  Both occasions the milk tea was good but the tapioca could have been better, they were not all soft and chewy.

Overall, the food and bubble tea didn't blow me away, but it's a good place to hang out with friends as the seating is nice and service was decent.

  

MaMa Beef Rice Noodle (soup was a little lacking in flavour)

Jule
20 Carlton St.
Toronto, ON M5B 2H5
T:416-509-7888
https://www.facebook.com/JuleToronto/

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Black Tea from Taiwan - Golden Dragon Red Jade Black Tea

Leaves after the 2nd steep...love to look at these after they've all opened!

Gosh, as much as I tell people about the good oolong teas from Taiwan, Taiwan black teas are really good too!  Here are my tasting notes for the Golden Dragon Red Jade Black Tea from Taiwan Tea Crafts.  Again, this tea was part of my gift set that I got for Christmas.

I have several black teas from Taiwan, but I don't have this varietal.  It's made from the T-18 cultivar or some know it as Ruby 18 which was developed by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station (TRES) by combining an Assamica leaf variatal with a native Taiwan wild leaf varietal.  I had read how popular it was so I was eager to try too, but the price was so high or supply just went quickly. So I'm so happy to have it and have tried it now!

我有幾種台灣紅茶, 但是沒有這一種.  這個 Golden Dragon Red Jade Black Tea 栽培品種叫紅玉十八號 (T-18).  是台灣自製的.  前幾年, 我聽說很好喝, 所以我也要試試看, 可是 那年價錢很貴也貨量快就賣完了. 現在我很高興可以品嘗這個茶!

Anyway, enjoyed it very much!  我很希歡!

1st steep

Vessel...175 ml/6 oz gaiwan
Wt...approx. 3g tea leaves
Temperature...95°C

Infusion time...1 min

Aroma...
Very nice and strong!  Notes of cinnamon and I was thinking camphor but I wasn't too sure.

Taste...
I tasted dried fruit, more specifically I think dried longan taste with notes of cinnamon and what I think was camphor or mint like.  Luckily the description of the tea made me feel a little more confident (there was camphor in the taste profile).  I know tea taste profiles can be subjective and it should be more about what you yourself experience, but sometimes it's nice when you and someone else can taste the same thing.

This tea was not astringent at all, very smooth so this tea definitely does not need milk or sugar.

Steeped two times and the tastes were very similar except the first infusion carried more aroma.  My third steep was actually several hours later.  I left the house and came back and decide to refresh the tea with some near boiling water and then brew my third cup (2 min infusion time).  Surprisingly, the flavour was still fairly strong but the camphor was missing and there was maybe a hint of bitterness.  Not sure if it's because I over steeped it or if it's a result of the time between steeps.

It was picked in 2014 but still is quite fresh.  I've found vacuum packed teas can last quite a number of years.  This tea is also grown in their own tea garden where they had to tear down an old one and start anew.  I always thought tea gardens lasted and lasted but I guess they don't...they need to be revitalized in some way or in their case replanted from scratch.  As the tea tree matures, I'm sure it will produce very good tea!

I'd definitely recommend this tea for those interested in a black tea with strong dried fruit and spice notes and no astringency.

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Green Tea from Taiwan (Baguashan 八卦山): a pleasant and mild green tea

After the first infusion

For Christmas I received a really nice set of tea canisters containing a variety of tea from Taiwan.  (Would have loved to show pics of the canisters but my photos weren't very good.) I was super excited as there was green tea as part of the mix!  Taiwan is not known for green tea and they don't produce very much of it, but they do produce it.  Oolong teas are really their forte but this one was a nice change.  I remember after drinking the first cup, it sort of gave me a "Spring" like feeling...but, then again I also drank this on New Years Day when the sun was shining and it was much warmer than you'd think for January weather!  (Whatever it was, it was a nice feeling!)

This tea was from Taiwan Tea Crafts, which ships tea directly from Taiwan.  I've recently come across a number of websites (in English) offering Taiwan tea that are based in Taiwan and ship worldwide.  Five years ago there weren't that many but now there are so many options.  You can get Taiwanese oolong teas on almost any online tea shop but, most of these new ones mention that they work directly with the tea farmers indicating product authenticity.

Made from the Qing Xin Gan Zi  (青心柑仔) tea varietal, this tea was also hand-picked from the southern most tip of the Baguashan (八卦山) mountain ridge in Nantou County. Usually, Qing Xin (青心) is the only term referenced on a lot of sites, but I like how they were even more specific.  I only thought there was one Qing Xin varietal, but since I've been reading some text I bought from Taiwan, I've learned that they are further divided.  Qing Xin Gan Zi is mainly used to make green tea while Qing Xin Oolong  (青心烏龍) and Qing Xin Da Pan* (青心大冇) are normally made into various oolong teas.


Baguashan Qing Xin Green Tea

Dry Leaves...3 grams
Vessel...Ceramic Gaiwan 175ml
Temp...80°C boiled water

First cup

Infusion time...1 minute.

Colour - lovely light green/yellow, clear
Body - medium thick, nice mouth feel.
Taste - vegetal and grassy but not as sharp as other green teas...there was a bit of creaminess to it.


Second cup

Infusion time...1.5 minutes

Body - lighter than the first
Taste - vegetal but lighter.  I may have to adjust timing or temperature of this second cup as I thought it could have been better given the leaves were still quite rolled after the first infusion.


Overall, I really like this green tea.  It's more subtle than other green teas and the hint of creaminess is perfect for a light roasted oolong tea lover, but it does have a distinct vegetal grassy taste.  From the website, the tea was picked in Oct 2015, so a winter tea.  This is also unusual because most green teas I know of are picked in the spring.  I wonder what kind of difference there would be if picked in the spring vs winter?  Anyway, I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more news on green tea in Taiwan.

*Not sure if this is the right English translation because the Chinese character is usually known as "mao3" when it is written elsewhere.

Lunch AND dinner at ZenQ

ZenQ near my place had started offering food and I've been meaning to give them a try for some time now.  The brand started out trying to establish itself as a dessert and tea place, but the expansion into Taiwanese meals is welcome.  From 12-9 pm they offer a selection of their dishes + drink (a select few) for $9.50.  (I think the Markham location is a little cheaper for their combo?)  ZenQ is actually owned by the same parent company as Chatime, La Kaffa International which I found interesting because I'm sure they must be sourcing the same tea.

For a late (and actually quite rushed) lunch, I ordered the crispy chicken rice combo and I wasn't disappointed, actually quite happy.  The meal comes with a side dish of vegetables, a good portion of chicken and rice with some minced pork on top.  Taste was good and it wasn't greasy.  I would have liked a little bit of basil on the crispy chicken to add to the flavour but it was still ok.  The regular milk bubble tea was good as usual.  I've gotten takeout drinks from them often and it's always been pretty good. 

So...usually I'd try out a place and then move on to try another place but...



Come dinner time...I decided to try their takeout.  Yes, I do things in bunches!  The other entree I was thinking of trying at lunch was the three cup chicken so for dinner, this is what I got for takeout.  The takeout container is not a bento box style but still comes with your main and sides.  There is actually more rice in the takeout container.  Flavour was good and is very typical, could use more garlic but I was happy there was basil.  This time I had a honey jasmine green tea with my meal and it was a nice refreshing drink!

For bubble tea places, this place offers quite a decent meal combo and the hours they offer it is really great as you can have it for lunch and dinner!

  

 

ZenQ (North York)

http://www.zenq.ca/

5437A Yonge St.
North York, ON M2N 5S1
T: (647) 350-ZENQ (9367)



Leaf de Tea - one of the best bubble tea deals in Markham!

Leaf de Tea has been around for years but last weekend was my first time trying out their tea.  We were at the First Markham food court and I wanted a milk tea after lunch and noticed Leaf de Tea.  It had the shape of Taiwan in their signage so I wanted to take a closer look. 

I was really surprised to see the prices were so...I don't want to say cheap because the word also has the connotation that the quality is not there...but, you get exceptional value!  How do you beat $2 for a regular bubble tea?! 

Got a regular milk tea and the jasmine milk tea, both without tapioca.  The regular milk tea was quite good, I forgot to ask for half sugar and it wasn't too sweet.  I may ask for less sugar next time but this was definitely pretty good as is.  Tea was flavourful and smooth.  The jasmine milk tea was also good but quite a strong floral taste.

This has got to be one of the best bubble tea deals in Markham, taste and price are both very good!  It doesn't have the youth appeal or social media marketing of Chatime, but it's definitely a good option for a tea drink if you're at First Markham.  And if you're hungry they also have food, also for a great price.  One special included 10 curry fish balls and a bubble tea for $5!!  Anyway, will be back to try other teas and their tapioca for a better review...and their food!

Oh, and free wifi offerred?!  Interesting for a food stand in a food court.

 

Leaf de Tea
First Markham Place
3255 Highway 7, Unit 250
Markham, ON L3R 3P9

Green Grotto Tea Room - Now Serving Downtown

 

 A few months ago I heard that there was going to be a downtown location for Green Grotto.  If you've been reading my blog, you should know that I've been a fan of Green Grotto for years.  I've even been to their first location at Yonge and Finch many, many years ago! 

The Warden and Steeles location has been my favorite for a number of reasons but I was dismayed that the food menu and drink quality did go down the last time I was there.  So, I was hoping this location would redeem themselves.  They don't have as many food items as the Markham location and only had one special, the rice special for $9.99 on weekdays 2-5pm.

Minced pork on rice + appetizer/side dish + drink.  Nice deal, but not for big eaters.  The mince pork on rice was a very small bowl (and doesn't come with egg), I would hope not their full size when ordered a la carte!  It was smaller than the free popcorn bowl (another plus for this place)!

The pork was good, saucy but not too fatty.  I selected the fried oysters as my appetizer which was not bad, comes with seafood sauce as the dipping sauce.  I might come back for this special, but I'm not sure if I'd come for the food in general since downtown there are so many other options.

Now, food being average is kinda expected at bubble tea places so how does the tea fare?  Ordered a hot ginger black milk tea and it was perfect for a chilly fall day.  Lots of ginger flavour, maltiness from the black tea and the right amount of sugar (I did not have to ask for an adjustment in sugar). 

Magazine selection again is above all other tea houses, but is slightly smaller than the Warden location.  Cafe ambience is the same as other locations with "cafe music" playing in the background. Service was quick and polite (but this is at 2pm on a weekday).

Definitely a good spot for downtowners to relax with a bubble tea and snacks or dessert.

Green Grotto Tea Room (Downtown Yonge)
35 Saint Joseph St
Toronto, ON M4Y 1J8

Chachago - New Kid on the Block

If you haven't been downtown near Eaton Centre lately, you'll be surprised to find a number of bubble tea places have opened within a 5-10 minute walk of Eaton's.

Chachago, a franchise from Taiwan,  recently opened on Elm St.  I'm not very familiar with this franchise but it seems like it'll be an okay place.

Signature drinks include a fresh taro milk tea which was recommended, so I went with it.  My first bubble tea ever was a taro milk tea and I loved it.  But, fresh taro milk tea is a little different from the powdered kind.  More "starchy" and definitely tastes like it should if you were to boil and make fresh taro root yourself.  It was good and I liked the milk tea (the powdered taro milk teas usually lack tea taste), but it was a bit chunky and I would have preferred it to be smooth.

I also got to try their regular bubble milk tea because now until the end of the month, they offer a BOGO; if you buy one of their 5 signature drinks, you'll get a free bubble milk tea.  They seem to only have one size drink, a large size at other places.  I liked their milk tea, it was flavourful and perfect for me at half sugar (I think full would be too sweet though).

Seating available and service was nice.

Chachago
3 Elm St.
Toronto, ON M5G 1H1
T: 416-591-7109

 

Infuse Cafe - A Brewing Revolution?

Hmmm, reverse atmospheric infusion?  Vacuums?  I really need to brush up on my sciences!  Infuse Cafe has been open for about 8 weeks and they are trying to get the word out that their tea brewing technique (R.A.I.N.) produces a more flavourful tea. 

 

I had walked by before but only when my friend sent me an event by Toronto Commons did I decide to make an effort to visit this cafe. (Here is the next event in Oct.) Infuse serves organic teas (specifically Rishi teas) and a few coffee beverages.  They are not in the business of adding ingredients such as tapioca to their drinks so don't mistake this for a bubbletea place.  Hot, cold, and milk teas are available as well as some shakes like the matcha one that I was really tempted to get.  But, selection is limited.

 

First impression is that it was pretty good.  I ordered an iced Jasmine Green Tea with half sugar.  They suggested full as it could be bitter due to the strength of the tea but I usually drink my teas straight (at home) or with half sugar (when I'm out), so insisted on the half.  It wasn't bitter and half worked for me.  Liked that they are willing to make recommendations though. 

My second visit I got a hot tea, the Jade Cloud.  The aroma is like dragonwell tea but the flavour is not as "grassy".  It's quite flavourful though.  There was a small amount of bitterness to it but not a bad type of bitter.  Overall, okay, but I liked the Jasmine Green better.

The Bkon Brewing Machine that is used, brews tea and also works for coffee.  I'm not sure if the taste is that much better with this brewing technique, but I'd be interested in seeing a side by side comparison of regular brewing and brewing by R.A.I.N. However, if it tastes good, does it matter? Maybe the question I'd like to ask is, do you get more antioxidants out of the leaf? Since they mention the "deeper layer of soluble material is extracted" in phase 2 of the technique, they are referring to the flavour but does this mean antioxidants too? That would be really something!  Or actually, as my mind starts going off on a tangent...if the tea is more flavourful, offering single estate ceylon teas (from differing tea gardens) for example could be interesting.   Maybe you can really taste the nuances of each? Anyway, tea geek, I know. 
 

In terms of atmosphere, there is a good amount of seating, but it doesn't have that cafe feel yet.  This might change over time.  I did notice some artwork on the walk and if you go to their website, they do mention that they are trying to work with local artists and kinda act like a "gallery" where you can purchase the pieces and proceeds go all to the artist.  This concept is not new, but I find it great that they do this!  It'll be nice to see it more apparent when you're in the shop.

Service is super nice and they really seem customer service oriented.  They offer a discount for students and if you work in the area, which is nice. Not sure if that‘s just an opening special but their prices are average compared to other tea shops.  And, they are on vicinity rewards which also is a plus!  Would recommend trying them out if you're in the area.
 

 

Infuse Cafe

354 Yonge Street (Yonge & Elm)
Toronto, ON, M5B 1S5

http://www.infusecafe.ca/

(Soon to open at Yonge and Shepherd)