Established in 2009, Tao Tea Leaf is a Toronto-based retailer and wholesaler of loose leaf tea specializing in Chinese teas as well as tea and herb blends.
Tao Wu (a second-generation certified tea sommelier and tea exporter) and Mingzhu Gao (a certified tea sommelier who graduated from Carleton University and worked as an accountant) founded this specialty tea company out of love and passion for high quality tea. The tea has garnered a lot of attention, including first place at the annual North American Tea Championships. Blogto.com has named our retail tea shop as one of the best tea shops in Toronto and has also been featured in the Toronto Star.
Tao Tea Leaf is committed to transparency in the tea industry. They buy traditional handcrafted teas directly from the producers and tea masters who make them around the world. They hand blend and make the finest teas and herbal products to order. Their collection has grown to 180 unique teas and blends; this includes 53 certified organic products.
Every year they bring small groups of tea lovers to China for tea tours. All information about tea is honest and accurate, as are the stories behind each tea, and our customers expect a genuine, fully authentic experience.
Tea is all about sharing; Tao Tea Leaf offers in-store tea tastings and workshops to help newcomers learn more about tea and culture. They also offer tea tasting events and workshops, which have been presented in the past in collaboration with the Toronto Library, Harry Rosen and Park Hyatt Hotel, among others.
Tao Tea Leaf founded the first Toronto Tea Festival in 2013 and this tea festival is set to become an annual event. It is the largest festival of its kind in Canada, as more than 45 local tea vendors and more than 2500 tea lovers participate each year. The Tea Festival is a great opportunity to explore the world of tea.
You can buy hot or iced tea to go or tea bags to take home. The smallest bag costs $6.00, while one cup will cost just under $4.00. The teas are very tasty and the ginger green tea that was recommended to me helped soothe my lingering cough. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area!