Cha Do Raku

Jea

5.0

Maybe I'm a little biased toward Japanese comfort classics, but this entire setup feels like it was ripped out of a Kyoto alleyway. Japanese lady running the entire operation by herself, with a small tea room in the back.

The tea menu was a mix of premium sourcing from Taiwan & Japan. The owner mentioned the Japanese options are heavily focused on Uji tea. I've had Uji matcha before, but the pour here cranks the umami to an absolute extreme. It honestly tasted like 90% rich chicken broth with just a fleeting hint of bitterness at the very end.

Fascinating brewing mechanics as well. By using a 50:50 hot & cold water mix to hit exactly 40°C, she was essentially running a targeted extraction. Cooler water pulls out the sweet, savory amino acids like L-theanine, but it's not hot enough to drag out the bitter catechins locked in the leaves.

Also a standard pour numbs your palate through thermal shock & masks delicate flavors. But at just above body temp, TRPM5 channels fires at maximum efficiency. So the liquid hits your tongue at the perfect thermodynamic threshold where your brain is most hyper-receptive to those savory glutamates.

The food selection was low key what really hooked us tho. Ochazuke (rice in tea broth) was one of my favorite childhood comfort food, & it tasted exactly like the ones I had in Japan. The green tea broth used for this dish has a much lower umami profile with light, earthy notes. They cut their smoked salmon thick (like a steak), but serve it cold. That temperature contrast against the warm broth & the density of the cut made its texture really unique.

Samantha

5.0

A group of 7 of us in town for a bachelorette party enjoyed brunch at Cha Do Raku yesterday. Shiho was wonderful to coordinate with over email & kind enough to allow us to store our bags as we were on the way to the airport. The Japanese brunch experience was incredible - a simple yet elegant array of bites with a cup of tea to start & end the meal - & we were thrilled to explore the well-stocked tea & ceramics section of the store. Highly recommend for a calming & delicious experience.

Ian

5.0

A small, pleasant, & relaxed tea shop that's great to sit down with a friend & chat over some exotic tea.

Erw

1.0

Prices have become completely absurd. You're paying at least 3-4x for what it's worth.

Tiziana

5.0

We've been to this tea shop twice in a week & absolutely love it! It is very authentic & a little piece of Japan right in Montreal. They have a great variety of imported teas within different price ranges. We did the tearoom at the back both times & is a lovely experience. The owner, I believe her name is Chiro, is very friendly & welcoming. She explains the teas very well & how to make them. The desserts are wonderful & such great quality. They list the ingredients in the menu which is very nice as you rarely see that. We will keep coming back!

Nirojan

5.0

Amazing experience. The tea room & food!

Miyuki

5.0

Shiho was super nice & very knowledgeable. We did the tea tasting & it was worth the price, the tea was amazing, the experience & explanations were great. The homemade miso soup & tofu she handmade were delicious. & the store itself is nice as well. Highly recommend

Gian

4.0

pretty good tea, uncomfortable seating

WWJ

3.0

Les portions sont petites, & en plus, c'est cher pour un salon de thé.

So-Huei

5.0

I was surprised that the tea shop had a small cafe area inside of tea shop. Their teas are very interesting & flavorful. I would to recommend this place to my friends who are interested in Japanese teas. I would like to try their ochazuke next time, which must be authentic & tasty.