I like tea. A lot. It's awesome with my Saturday morning chocolate chip pancakes, and it even makes my Monday morning toast taste better. This is why I was so excited to visit David's Tea.
Dara and I wander into the Queen Street West store, stopping to giggle at the 'David's Tea girls have gone wild (for the new spring collection)!' sign on the sidewalk.
Dara first notices the design of the store. It is bold and eye-catching with a relaxed vibe. She also mentions the flowers on the front window match the flowers on the spring collection tins.
Kim, who is very friendly and knowledgeable, is working when we arrive, and is handing out samples to customers as they browse the shop. She offers us a sample of the tea of the day - caramel pear. It doesn't taste much like caramel, but it's still really good - like fresh pear juice has been squeezed into my tiny porcelain cup.
As I sip, my eyes wander about the store. There are so many loose-tea-filled silver tins lining one side of the store that it's a bit overwhelming. I ask Kim what she likes and she brings over Exotica, Read My Lips, Vanilla Oolong and Kenya Silverback White.
One sniff of Exotica later, I am in love. Seriously. It is made with lemongrass, red pepper, cinnamon, pineapple and orange peel and reminds me of sitting on a patio in the middle of summer. A few more sniffs and I realize it also smells like my grandmother's sponge cake.
Read My Lips seems like it should be featured for Valentine's Day, but it's actually part of the spring collection. A black tea, the chocolate pieces, peppermint and red candy lips make it not only great to smell but also really fun to look at. We continue exploring.
There's a small counter at the front of the store that seats five or so, for those who'd like to have a cup of tea ($2.50) instead of getting it to go. Buying en masse does seem to be the way to go, though (and the better value - starting at $5.50 for 50 grams, which makes about 25 cups), so that's what we do. After smelling almost half the teas, I buy a small tin of Exotica. Dara goes with Read My Lips and at the last minute throws in a turquoise mug to brew the tea in ($18.50).
Only after we purchase our teas do I notice the cupcakes. No idea why I didn't see them right away - if there's one thing I love more than tea, its cupcakes. They look absolutely incredible, and Kim tells us they are made by a local baker. Guess I'll have to get one next time.
Writing by Laura Stricker, photos by Dara Skolnick.
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I went into David's Tea a few months back and wasn't particularly fond of the service. The staff were very aggressive about making sales, which wasn't the type of experience I was looking for from a tea shop. I haven't been back since.
Having tried quite a few loose tea vendors over the last few years, there is absolutely something different about David's Tea. I've never had tea that tasted as good as ALL the blends I've tried (and I try on average 5 new teas each trip). The sales staff, in my experience, are lovely and one in particular remembered me after my first visit, as well as what I'd bought. I've been recommending David's to everyone who asks about what I'm drinking.
I'm going to have to disagree with Webeh on this one. My experiences at David's Tea have always been a delight! The staff is friendly, enthusiastic, and know a ton about the teas... oh, the teas! I must have tried 25, and still have at least another 100 to go... Thank you, David, for making tea fun again.
Love the place! I've been buying tea there and giving to family as a lil' gift.
Physically, store looks good. But the staff has mediocre knowledge about tea, and that's exactly what I came there for. It was not so busy when I went in, but I felt rushed to purchase something. Strike one.
When asked whether the tea was from Assam, they merely replied "it's orange pekoe". Strike two. Enough said.
Not a reputable tea store.
Davids Tea is an amazing experience. I didn't feel rushed to make any purchases- and that's pretty great because I went in really not knowing what I wanted to buy. but I ended up getting an amazing Oolong tea, and will be coming back again. Cheers
i suspect some of these posts are from either the owner or staff @ David's Tea.
if i am wrong, i apologize, but overly positive (or overly negative) reviews are suspicious.
To the reviewer: It's a super common mistake, so don't feel bad, but: Those are macarons, not macaroons. :)
I am not a fan of being approached or sold to when I'm shopping in a store, but my experience at David's was something much different. I had questions about all the different teas and left with several sample packages of tea and was given some real insight into the world of tea. It was a very pleasurable experience and I left with a huge smile on my face. I think when retailers in head offices talk about positive customer experiences they are trying to manufacture exactly what I had.
I see they took the paragraph about them out. Aww! Has anyone tried the macarons from here? Are they good? And does anyone know who their supplier is?
I haven't been in Toronto long enough to know who has good macarons and who doesn't, but I'm curious about the ones here, since David's tea is a place I pass fairly regularly.
Yeah me too. It seems like all the restaurant reviews have some comments that acts like the restaurant is the best thing since sliced bread.
Also to the photographer, THANKS for the WIDE ANGLE shots of the entire place. I was getting claustrophobic of how there were microscopic shots of only the food in every other review.
How did the tea taste after you 'cooked' it?
Also since we are in the discussion of Teas, Twinings makes some really good flavored teas. Its all over in London, but haven't seen them around in TO.
We monitor all our comments for suspected activity like this. I think your suspicions are certainly valid but the only way we can actually "catch" an owner or competitor in the act is when they do stuff like making multiple comments under different user names from the same IP address. Or perhaps write a positive comment on one place and then really negative comments on all the competitors' reviews. These are usually clear signs that someone is trying to "game the system".
I've got a bad craving for some tasty tea and a pink macaron now.
But I'll have to settle for a cup of Tetley and a Mars bar from the vending machine. :(
I was really excited about the David's tea opening last year, and I was hired on to work for them in the first few weeks. I was asked to do some research on local bakeries for them, I'm interested to know if they went with the ones I suggested...
But they dropped me before the store even opened, and I'm pretty sure I did nothing to deserve it! This kind of turned me OFF the whole "David's Tea" experience and I'm perfectly happy going Tealish for my tea, even though it's out of the way for me.
I was just in David's a few days ago. Staff was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, a medium firm sell. I asked about the purveyors of the macarons and the cupcakes - two different independents without stores, but I of course can't remember the names, sorry.
Atelier Thuet has pretty good macarons (the caramel is mind blowing)
and in response to pwik tik nik
I wrote a good review for David's Tea but sorry, I don't work there, neither do I own the place or have any interest other than being a customer. Is it really that difficult to believe some people might like something enough not to complain? Sorry but as cynical as I often am, I gotta call you on yours.
Please tell me about the macarons.
Haven't found them here really (one lame-o one from Pusateri and okay ones from the frenchie place in Summerhill).
Really? I had just the opposite experience. I've been in a couple of times to try their North African teas. Not quite like the real thing but they're great. I found the staff really friendly and knowledgeable. I would give them another shot...
Also, they have these neat starter packages where you get 6 teas an a strainer ball. Great way to start out.
I found them on the net through sweetspot - truly a great find.
i really like the place but have to agree that the staff was a little too aggressive for my taste, although the more friendly sort of aggressive -- especially when they first opened. i've been a coupla times recently though, and they seem as though they have mellowed out considerably.
good tea. i also bought my mom a kickass teapot for christmas there.
the name "pwik tik nik " is also suspicious
I'm not going to claim to know anything about tea - but I'm well versed in customer service and I've always found these ladies great.
I've been treated with a lot of patience while making them drag down over 10 containers of tea, digging out gift wrapping or spare boxes during the holiday rush, and even when I ask stupid questions like "Do you have any tea, that's more like coffee in caffeine content - but tastes less harsh than your X blend?"
Seeing that people are suspicious of positive reviews convinced me to write my own. I had a great experience in the store because it really is a great store. It's very professionally designed and I immediately assumed that it was a big chain new to Toronto, but in fact the Queen St. location is the first (of more to come). I didn't feel pressured at all, but instead had all of my questions answered with enthusiasm and friendliness. I was there to buy a gift, and ended up choosing a few items including some beautiful glass mugs, but I didn't actually buy any tea so I can't rate it.
I did try the macaroons though, and they were delicious :)
Tealish is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better.
They got a coconut-lime macaron in today and it was really good.
I went into DavidsTea for the first time a few days ago and was blown away not only by the product (awesome) but by the staff (even more awesome). A girl named Vicky was helping me and she was very friendly and patient and answered my million questions with a smile! I hadn't intended on buying anything but came home with two tins of tea: green and fruity (roobios with mangoes) and Earls Garden (earl grey with raspberries). Both are delicious. I would recommend this place to anyone.
I tried David's tea and am not that fond of it. The staff was rude. Since I'm a busy gal, I do recommend boho tea (www.bohotea.com). It's a cute online store that has only organic teas. Their online staff was quick to answer my questions and the delivery was pretty smooth.
i love davids tea. its an amazing place.
i live in the other end of town, yet i find myself making
weekly trips there
a few people said they try to push sales, i totally disagree
i think it's that the employees are just enthusiastic
the only problem i have come across, is when it gets busy they
tend to just focus on a few customers and ignore the rest
oh well, the tea is totally worth it ..i have yet to try one
i didnt like
and for some reason i never noticed the cupcakes either !! lol
i guess i just get wrapped up in all the tea :D
I second the first comment, very aggressive staff!, At tealish however, they are very relaxed and let you wander and look without making me feel uncomfortable, and were sooo sooo very helpful when I asked for help. Also I think some of their teas are better priced, and they have a wider collection of flavoured green tea.
I visited David's Tea yesterday {the yonge and eglinton location} and really enjoyed my experience. I had been up late working the night before with the help of some kicking horse and just wanted to get the jitter inducing caffeine out of my system. The Staff had the perfect remedy and promptly recommended the helpful pu'erh ginger. My colleague and I stayed for 2 hours, shamelessly engaged in a business meeting on our original cups of tea and were left uninterrupted. The place was immaculate, bright and airy. I will be returning there for my tea whenever necessary. No, I don't work there or know anyone that does, I just found it lovely and thought I should say so.
Hey, Im down with the new Matcha craze lately, great lattes, but recently I found an awesome Matcha cookie at Yonge and Eglinton, check it out..... I go in pretty often and Ive never noticed it before so it must be new
I really enjoy them. I'm not much for aggressive salespeople, and I can really see how one might see their attitude as aggressive, but I just found it incredibly enthusiastic. I ended up having a chat with one of the women there about tea and travelling and it was really nice. I also ended up leaving with a few teas. I found them online initially and was pleased that they had a store here in Vancouver. I find any store where the salespeople are willing to show the goods to people over and over with continual sincere good cheer amazing. I mean, I looked at 20 or so different blends the first time I was there and they were willing to show more. I don't think I should have to qualify my comments to say that I don't work there or anything... I just really like them.
I've been going to the new location in West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, AB since it opened up this month (March, 2010) and I love it! It has a great atmosphere and wonderful staff that are very polite, energetic, and knowledgeable of their products! The tea is fantastic and I have already purchased 7 tins of their product and tried approx. 20 different teas! Great place, great tea, great staff and the health benefits are the icing on the cake!
I just visited David's Tea in Moncton, New Brunswick for the first time and I absolutely loved my experience. The girl who helped me was a doll (Betty, I think) and she was very knowledgeable and showed me just about everything in the store. Honestly, I usually use tea bags but I bought several loose leaf teas (one called green seduction that smells like heaven) and a gorgeous teapot. I'm hooked now and this is my favorite new spot. I did spend way more money than I expected but not because she was pushy, only because I loved everything! A really fun place.
I visited Davids Tea about 2 weeks ago in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I found the staff fun and enthusiastic and not aggressive at all. I too spend more money than intended, but l loved everything I tried. I have been back to the store almost daily for a single cup of tea to try several varieties before I make a large purchase. I even have the brochure which I makes notes on so I can remember which teas I like best and why. So far the organic white strawberry and the white tiger top my list!
i've never had any issue with the staff at david's
i love the tea's - but mind you, they'll smell much stronger than they actually taste. especially if you get an iced tea, really tastes weaker than flavoured water at times.
I've been to DavidsTea in Oakville, Ontario. The store layout was nice, the product labelling and accessories were funky. It just seemed a little low end (unlike, say, Silk Road Tea Co. here in Victoria, BC---which I have no affiliation with whatsoever). I found the staff to be rather inconsistent. I went there twice, and did indeed experience the hard sell technique, which actually turned me and my cousin off and we ended up leaving. I came back the second time on my next trip by myself and experienced the same hard sell, but the girl who served me was nicer and took a lot of time to help me find the tea I was looking for. But I hate being "stalked" by staff: just greet me and then let me do my shopping, unless I ask a question.
Anyways, the tea blends are great although the tea itself is of fairly low quality. Price point is okay but not really a great value considering the quality of the tea (lots of dust, broken and small leaf fragments, sticks and twigs, and excessive use of flavourings to cover up the quality of the tea itself). My favourite blend isn't tea at all, it's just chopped nuts and beetroot. I also enjoyed the Coffee Pu'erh (my first attempt at drinking pu'erh, I have now bought a bunch of aged raw and cooked pu'erh from quality factories in China).
To summarize: it's a cute store, interesting concept, fun accessories and flavours of tea but it's not for the tea connoisseur (or even amateur), it's more geared towards people just getting into tea or that like the odd cup of very flavoured tea (teens, young adults, occasional/rare tea drinkers). If you're a serious tea drinker, you're probably going to go elsewhere for quality tea (and at a better price). It's fun but it doesn't take tea that seriously. The staff are overly aggressive and they really don't know their tea, unfortunately.
I recently went to the new David's Tea in the Montreal Eaton's Centre.
It was opening weekend and (naturally) was very busy and had an excessive amount of (very friendly but not pushy) staff. I usually prefer to browse on my own and am put off by overly social staff but I actually found the staff very helpful! Especially in going over the tea sampling and ordering process. I picked an initial tea and the salesgirl recommended a similar popular tea which I loved even more.
As a non- expert on tea I cannot comment on the specifics of their teas or the in-depth knowledge of the staff, but for someone who enjoys tea in general and is looking for great variety, decent prices, and good service I highly recommend David' tea. (I have been back to restock and purchase a very cute reasonably priced mug)
I wanted to make an update to my earlier comment. Ironically, I ended up in Oakville again and I made a recent trip to the store again and the staff were extremely helpful and not pushy at all. In fact, they were very pleasant and charming and we had a nice chat. I ended up buying a bunch of tea and a nice mug. I sort of wish I could delete my last comment as it was more based on my first visit (and I think I was in a really bad mood that day LOL).
The tea is delicious, however I do still believe it is of low quality tea and uses flavourings to cover the quality of the leaves. However, the flavours are fun and there is a nice wide array of types and flavours of tea. The accessories are very nice, high quality accessories, and the store is fresh and fun looking. Again, for general tea lovers like myself, the tea is decent but it's not gourmet or high-quality (and in fact, I believe the owner/founder of the business said so himself as his target market is not for the high-end tea snobs).
Steeped Tea is better. It's been around longer, and when I went to go check out David's Tea, I found that a lot of their hardware (teapots, etc) are virtually identical to the ones Steeped Tea has to offer. Also, while I was looking around, there were 2 sales associates too busy talking to each other to bother talking to customers. I actually got them a sale by telling a customer how great the Brewt is. They owe me a commission.
I'd rather have a tea party in the comfort of my own home, and be able to sample the different teas available than have to go and buy from people who obviously can't be bothered to stop their conversation to help a customer.
Hi Jackie,
I read that you are from Vancouver as well. I am fairly new when it comes to drinking tea and one of my co-worker's recommended the store. I am worried that I will get completely lost or ignored if I go to the store. I have done some research and have made a list of possible teas that I want to purchase. From your experience, will the staff let me wander the store or even better if they can educate me a little about my selection to help me choose which teas from each category I should start with.
Thank you in advance for your time.
I have recently bought a gas burning stove. It has become very difficult to steep tea on this new stove, as there are no heat settings low enough to allow it to steep slowly. It keeps burning! Is there anything available in stores that can make my gas stove steeping experience less steamy?
I know this is a little late for a comment, but there wasn't even a David's Tea in Edmonton when this was written! There are two stores that I know of now, one in West Edmonton Mall and one in Southgate. I haven't been to the WEM one but I have frequented the Southgate one, and I have to say that it is one of my absolute favorite stores. I was really surprised to read some of the negative reviews on here, but maybe it's a store-to-store kind of thing because the staff at Southgate are absolutely amazing. A typical venture into the store for me begins with me being greeted and offered a taste of the tea of the day immediately, and if they're busy with a customer, then I am always at least acknowledged. They let me know about the tea I'm tasting and then ask if I'm looking for anything in particular. I have never felt pressured to make a decision and they offer amazing suggestions. They are so friendly and all seem so excited and happy to work there and I feel like that really makes a difference when I shop somewhere. I almost never shop at the tea shop that I used to because the customer service there is nothing compared to David's. I love the tea and haven't found a flavor I didn't like. I find the prices to be super reasonable - the same amount of tea at the place I used to go to would be double or triple the price I pay at David's.