| Type | Tea Shop |
| Serves | Loose-leaf |
| Features | Tastings |
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In a word: magical. If you weren’t into tea before coming here, you will be after. I bought their Jasmine Dragon Tears and it was the one of the best teas I’ve ever had. I miss it fervently (I should order more online one of these days). The building feels like something out of a storybook, and Karen is one of the coolest and most hospitable people I’ve ever met. Ask her about her travels as a tea sommelier — you’ll be super jealous. I’ve travelled through southern Ontario a fair bit and visiting Tea Leaves remains the biggest highlight. I hope I get to visit again one day.
This was the highlight of my one-night Stratford stay. We participated in a delightful tea tasting paired with local honeys, and I talked to Karen Hartwick a little afterward as well as picking up a few teas from her incredible selection.
The space is absolutely charming, the teaware was beautiful to browse, and the teas are of an excellent quality. Karen was lovely: very passionate and knowledgeable but welcoming and so willing to share her knowledge. She made everyone feel included despite varying experience levels and I think everyone in the group left having learned something and enjoyed the tasting.
Customers can stop into the shop where Karen will offer a tasting of teas chosen for you, and help pinpointing your tastes or finding a new favourite. I didn’t get to take advantage of this but it sounds like a wonderful system.
I’m looking forward to drinking the lovely teas I left with as well as hopefully making it back soon for more tastings or seminars. It was a really great experience hearing from someone so connected to the teas she was selling.
ETA: Wonderful tea shop and amazing teas. But, I received the tea of the month subscription as a gift. In over five months, I’ve only received two of my shipments and both required us inquiring what was going on. Ruins the experience!
