In April 2011, Tao, founder of Tao Tea Leaf, taken a small group (3 people) with him to China for a wonderful tea tour. The participants involved were: Tao Wu, founder of Tao Tea Leaf and leader of the tea tour; Bill Kamula, chef instructor at George Brown College responsible for teaching the Tea Sommelier course; Matthew Wocks, a Toronto based photographer (http://flimnit.com); and Tim Johns, chief software designer at Icewire Technologies. Read more about Our 2011 China Tea Tour

In April 2012, Tao is planning to bring another small group (at most 5 people) with him to China for a wonderful tea tour. During the tour, the group will meet tea masters and visit tea gardens of Pu-er tea, Black tea, Oolong tea, White tea, and Green tea; also we will meet Yixing Tea Pot master, the master will show us how to appreciate and use this type of teapot, will make a pot in front of you and you will have a chance make a Yixing clay cup by yourself.

Base on 2011 Tea Tour, The food will be great and the scenery will be breathtaking, resembling something out of National Geographic.

The tour will begin when all guests meet in Shanghai on April 14^th and end on April 30^th. To register for the tour, please contact us by email: info@taotealeaf.com or telephone: 647-728-3858 before February 28,2012.

Maximum 30 participants per event ▪ Reserve your spot early!

Dear Valued Customer,

Please join us in December as we celebrate our second year of providing quality products and services to people who share our love and passion for tea.

With over 130 types, our loose tea selection has largely expanded to over 50 USDA-Certified Organic teas as well as a number of teas from other countries.

DETAILS

Special “Mystery” Tea Tasting – Chinese Snacks – Meet Fellow Tea Lovers

Free Gift Raffle !

 Location: Tao Tea Leaf, 934 Yonge Street

 Timing: 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. each Saturday

RSVP: info@taotealeaf.com

Note: be sure to state in your RSVP email the date you want to attend and the number of guests who will accompany you. We will confirm your registration via return email.

Be sure to watch our website for Online Shopping Specials during November and December over the next two months.

We look forward to seeing you! Remember, book early. Sessions fill up quickly!

All the best,

Tao Tea Leaf

Ever since tea was discovered, it has been thought to have wide-ranging health benefits and it is interesting that modern research is proving that many of the claims made over the centuries are in fact true. Tea’s most obvious asset is that it is a completely natural product and contains no artificial coloring, preservatives, or flavorings (except, of course, additional flower, fruit, or spice flavorings in scented teas). It is also virtually calorie-free if taken without milk or sugar; and can play a major role in maintaining bodily fluid balance.

Steep oolong tea is rather demanding in terms of amount of tea leaves, water temperature, steeping time and number of infusions.

1. Amount of Tea Leaves

Compared with other kinds, steeping Oolong tea needs more leaves. Use about 7g which is about one-third to one-fourth space of the teapot, and the loose-bar Oolong leaves take up half the space.

 2. Water Temperature

The new tea trees provide the raw material for manufacturing

Modern tea studies commonly classify Oolong tea into Fujian(North Fujian Oolong and South Fujian Oolong), Guang Dong Oolong and Taiwan Oolong.

 South Fujian Oolong tea is lightly oxidized, mainly produced in south Fujian counties, such as Anxi, Yongchun, Nanan, Pinghe, Huaan, etc. Anxi Oolong is the best known.

Learn Gong Fu Cha with Tao

Here is a collection of links to tea lessons on our blog:

A. Gong Fu Tea Basics

• Oolong
• North Fujian Oolong
• Puer:
• Pu-er: How to Pry Pu-er Tea Cake and Brick

• A Lesson in Cleaning Clay Teapots
• Instructions for Using Cast Iron Kettle

Modern tea studies commonly classify Oolong tea into Fujian(North Fujian Oolong and South Fujian Oolong), Guang Dong Oolong and Taiwan Oolong.

North Fujian Oolong is high oxidized. It mainly grows at Wuyishan in north Fujian. There is a small yield from Jianou, Jianyang. The picking and processing start from late April.

 Care instructions
The surface of the kettle can be cleaned with a dry cloth. The original gloss can also be regained by wiping with a wet cloth while still hot.
If you do not intend to use the kettle for a long time, make sure the inside is completely dry and store in a well-aired place.
If a long time has elapsed since the last use, it is advisable to follow the steps outlined in the Before use section one more time.

Tip: Cast iron kettles are not suitable for use in microwave ovens.

On April 18, the instant we all stepped out of the plane and felt the heat and moisture in the air, it was obvious that the next few days would be spent in a much different climate from the region we had just left. Xishuangbanna is one of the sixteen prefecture-level divisions of Yunnan and home to many minorities, such as Dai, Hani, and Wa. We met up with three people who would be with us during our time spent in Yunnan: a driver, who would drive us everywhere we needed to go; a man who was in the tea business; and a woman who owned a farm where she grew many different crops, including tea. Tao told us that he could not understand our guides when they spoke in their native dialect (which sounded similar to vietnamese to my ear). We all enjoyed the sights of urban Xishuangbanna during the drive to a small tea plantation in a rural area of the city.

  

Jasmine tea is a precious species of scented tea. It is has a history dating over 700 years old. Some say that you can smell the freshness of springtime in quality jasmine tea. Its taste is mellow and refreshing. It has a durable and fresh fragrance.