4.5 star
Tea Dynasty located on Yonge Street just South of Bloor does look like one of those DavidsTea or Teaopia franchise stores that I frequent.
However, at Tea Dynasty you would not find those non tea products that the other place carries. Here all the tea are mostly Chinese tea or Chinese tea blended. What I would say is Real Tea.
The other difference is here the staff really knows their Tea and really care about their products they are selling. For every tea they sell, they put that in a tin can since it is the best way to make sure the tea leaves are fresh and instructions are given to make sure that the customers knows what they are doing without ruining their tea.
Me and my friend did a free tea tasting of 3 different tea:
Black Tea: Golden Needle of Tanyang Congou ($17.99/50g)
Oolong: Big Red Robe ($17.99/50g)
Tea of the Week : Fruity type blended green tea
Using the traditional Chinese tea set, the staff made the tea and shared them with us. It was a really enjoyable experience. He even suggested us to come back to try a few more teas before actually buying some to drink at home. (since one can only taste a few tea per session before your taste buds lost their senses)
I really suggest beginning tea drinkers to go and visit Tea Dynasty and taste some of their tea. Tea quality and pricing are reasonable starting from $5.99 to $23.99/50g. You might not find the most exotic Chinese tea here but it is priced well for everyday consumption.
Super friendly and knowledgeable staff makes Tea Dynasty's tea shopping and tasting experience awesome!
Free WIFI and all the prices are taxes in. There is also a little seating area if you do want enjoy your cup of tea here with some sweets.
They accepts Visa and MasterCard.