Like Icha Tea, Crimson Teas is a Chinatown tea shop that offers more traditional tea tasting experience. In this review, I’ll be taking a look at their Milk Tea and Raw Pu-erh Tea!
Store
Located on 415 Spadina Ave., Crimson Teas is definitely not your traditional bubble tea store. You won’t find crazy concoctions or tapioca pearls here. Instead, the menu is shortened and more refined, opting for a more authentic tea offerings.
The menu you’ll find on their official website is outdated as the prices have gone up (I don’t think it’s been updated since the cafe’s launch). However, it should give you an idea of the type of drinks they provide.
I have to point out that the interior design is top notch. The bold red walls are adorned with engaging artworks while the long wooden tables and wood stump chairs are visually creative as well (though the latter can get uncomfortable after a while).
While the back of Icha Tea’s store (where you can get their tea bar table service) is dimly lit and a bit more cozy, Crimson Teas gets a lot of natural light thanks to its ceiling-high windows. Overall, it’s just a chill place to be.
What I Ordered
Before I go into what I ordered, let me start with a story! I originally wanted to get the Floral Tea ($9.50) but then the owner started talking about choosing the type of tea that suits not only your tastes but health needs as well. He took my pulse, told me to stick out my tongue, and suggested I try some pu-erh tea, specifically the “raw” variety. I have to admit, I was immediately hooked (more of that below)!
He then made the Moonlight White pu-erh variety so I gave that a try as well. And then he brewed me a cup of the milk tea and said that I’d probably enjoy it (of course I did, I love all types of milk tea whether it’s HK-style, Thai, and everything in between). Of course, during all of this free tea sampling, he was also talking about the health benefits of pu-erh tea, bringing up some peer-reviewed articles on Google Scholar.
I ended up buying two cups of tea (even though I already had about 3 cups already, haha).
Milk Tea
At $4.00, the price of this drink has increased throughout the years (starting at $2.50 a couple of years ago). However, even with the price increase it’s still one of the cheaper places when you also factor in just how much you’re getting. I mean, just take a look at that gigantic cup!
The milk tea uses orange pekoe black tea with a few tablespoons of evaporated milk. You can add some sugar to sweeten the drink. With my drink, I asked for “just a bit,” so the actual measurement was probably eyeballed.
Overall, the milk had a very creamy taste thanks to the evaporated milk. However, unlike the milk tea I tried at One Pear Cafe, the milk tea at Crimson Teas had a more nuanced flavour with a very subtle bitterness. I couldn’t taste a defined sweet flavour, so next time I’d probably just skip sugar altogether.
Raw Pu-erh Tea
With a more prominent bitter taste than the milk tea, the raw pu-erh came in a similar large mug and had a transparent yellow color. Even though there’s a bitterness to the drink, the tea was surprisingly smooth and had a crisp flavour. At times, it reminded me slightly of apple cider, not because it was sour, but because the aftertaste had an almost fruity tang.
Side note: The mug of raw pu-erh tea cost $5.00, almost half of the Floral Tea’s $9.50. I think this goes to show that it’s not just about promoting the more expensive things on the menu to make money, but the owner is truly passionate about making sure his customers get the best tea for them!
Would I Drink It To The Last Drop?
Milk Tea
For milk tea fans, you definitely have to stop by Crimson Teas and try their take on it. Not as sugary as Thai milk tea and not as bitter as Hong Kong milk tea, the drink here emphasizes a subtle savoury taste.
Raw Pu-erh Tea
Both drinks get a solid 4/5 from me! With a clean taste that’s subtle yet still refreshing, the raw pu-erh tea was a great choice. With 5 pu-erh varieties available (Black/Red/Moonlight White/Raw/Green), this drink makes me interested in trying out other types.
One Last Tip
Crimson Teas also has a selection of delicious of rice and noodle dishes. The first one I tried was this one, the BBQ Pork with tea rice. So flavourful!
Their dim sum platters aren’t bad either!
ONE LAST DROP 