rev:text
| - I've been meaning to go here for a while, and brunchin' nearby in the west end made it happen. Turns out this business will have you smiling-a-plenty.
Plentea is an interesting tea shop concept, different from the DavidsTea-type of places. They don't have pre-made tea blends ready to go, and they aren't a fan of stuffing leaves in tea bags. Ingredients on a wall are taken as needed, grounded, mixed, brewed on the spot on order (in a contraption resembling an espresso machine). Watching this was like watching a Chinese herbalist get ingredients from various drawers and prepare an herbal mix. It's quite something, even if it takes a bit more time. And it does leaf some room for a bit of customization--want a bit of cardamom? I guess.
There is space to work, study and chill up in the mezzanine, and the staff/owners are happy to point you to the right tastes or draw a short conversation. I am a sucker for chai teas, and saw "Matchai" on the giant cleverly designed menu board on the wall by the door, so let's do it! I don't know how the spicy notes of chai works well with the creamy bitterness of matcha, but they make it work. It's quite something, even if it seems weird and interesting at first.
They're a plenteaspoonful with words as they are with teas (and coffee).
[TTC: 501 or 29 to Queen/Dufferin. Eastbound streetcar doors line up nicely with the entry, making Plentea a great "bus shelter".]
|