Teavana / Tea

vanguardfitness

I don't know how popular this store is, but we have 2 of them on long island (Roosevelt field mall and Smithhaven mall). I bought a 13.7 ounce canister of Queen of Babylon (a white tea) which is not bad. Has an herbal/orange flavor to it (I actually think it's got small dried out orange peel bits in it). I'm running low and looking to get more tea but try a different flavor / type. Anyone have any ideas?

Seajolly

I love tea! Looseleaf is my favorite, and we have a Teavana here which I like but I actually think it's very expensive so I usually buy different brands. My favorite brand is David's Tea, which has store locations but I usually buy online because there isn't one near me. It's typically $5-7 cheaper than Teavana for the same amount of tea (approx 4oz or 100g) plus they give you a free tin if you buy 100g.

My other favorite (non-looseleaf) tea brands are Yogi, Choice, Republic of Tea, Alvita, and Yorkshire tea for black tea. I drink all types: herbal, green, red, white, black...

EvanKeel

IMHO

Buying tea at Teavana was both expensive and unpleasant. I felt like I was in the finance office of a car dealership. I was 99% sure they were going to try and sell me on a service plan for my tea.

Perhaps your stores are better, but they won't get any of my money again.

kbanzhaf

I like the Yogi Egyptian Licorice tea.....seems expensive to me, but it's a treat. Like making it as sun tea too.
Kaye

megsmom2

Everything Ive ever tried at Teavana has been delicious. Expensive, sure...but I am worth a little indulgence.now and then!

shmiracles

i am a tea addict!
and David's Tea is my love. thier new spring collection comes out on wednesday and i've already placed a new order.

my current favorite teas from David's are Santa's Secret, Read My Lips, Super Ginger, and Glitter & Gold
they have sample boxes you can order too if you aren't sure what you like and want to taste a variety.

i also buy from a great local store near me, as well as Kusmi, Verdant, Della Terra and Adagio.
there are so many great tea companies, ones much better than Teavana in my opinion, ...and also Starbucks has bought Teavana so it's probably gonna change and grow soon.

i spend a lot of time at this tea website: http://steepster.com/discuss
where maybe you will find some answers and be inspired to love tea too?

kent4j

I like Wild Orange Wulong Oolong Tea and toasted Nut Brulee as an after dinner substitute for dessert.
I'm going to check out David''s because Teavana is expensive.

ThatSoundsHard

A teavana just took over the tea shop in my local mall.

I'm a pretty big fan of their "super fruit" green tea.

I also buy a green tea by touch organic online. It's about $6.00 canadian for an 80g container and it's just an all around nice green tea.

Seajolly

i am a tea addict!
and David's Tea is my love. thier new spring collection comes out on wednesday and i've already placed a new order.

my current favorite teas from David's are Santa's Secret, Read My Lips, Super Ginger, and Glitter & Gold
they have sample boxes you can order too if you aren't sure what you like and want to taste a variety.

YES, David's is sooo good! Really love their branding too, I'm a sucker for good branding. :blushing:

swiftjen77

I drink plain green tea from a tea bag (Lipton, Salada, Tazo, etc). I have a Teavana here and I always laugh to myself when I pass it because I'm thinking "How much different can gourmet tea taste from grocery store tea if you're still drinking it plain?".

So, for you who like the gourmet stuff drinking it plain? Is it still way better than grocery store tea when nothing is added to it? I may stop in there sometime if you can convince me to try it.

Mokey41

I love their Zingiber Ginger Coconut but I got a bit fed up with paying shipping, them being out of stock or going into the store and them constantly trying to up sell me on things I didn't want or measuring out way more than I ask for.

I recently found a local person who is trying to start a business selling teas and coffees to provide jobs for foster children with special needs. She ships free within Canada but I'm not sure about to the US. http://www.believebistro.com/

I'm drinking their Bourbon Street Vanilla right now and I love the Belgian Chocolate as well. Ginger Bounce is quite close to the Zingiber Ginger Coconut too.

Mcmilligen

I don't know how popular this store is, but we have 2 of them on long island (Roosevelt field mall and Smithhaven mall). I bought a 13.7 ounce canister of Queen of Babylon (a white tea) which is not bad. Has an herbal/orange flavor to it (I actually think it's got small dried out orange peel bits in it). I'm running low and looking to get more tea but try a different flavor / type. Anyone have any ideas?

I'm going back to Teavana to get a whole canister of their Chai Oolong tea. If you like cinnamon as much as I do, this tea is addictive! It's definitely my favorite so far.

Ramberta

Teavanna is lovely and all, but it smells more like perfume than tea. I've tried several varieties and did not particularly like any of them. Stick with the big English brands, like Lipton or Bigelow. Can't go wrong with a nice Earl Grey or English Breakfast, and my favorites are Green or Chai.

Brittany_Kayy

I don't know how popular this store is, but we have 2 of them on long island (Roosevelt field mall and Smithhaven mall). I bought a 13.7 ounce canister of Queen of Babylon (a white tea) which is not bad. Has an herbal/orange flavor to it (I actually think it's got small dried out orange peel bits in it). I'm running low and looking to get more tea but try a different flavor / type. Anyone have any ideas?

There is also one at the waltwhitman mall here on Long Island too I love anything from teavana

tracymat

I'm in love with My Morning Mate from Teavana. It's a wonderful coffee replacement.

MG_Fit

I'm not a fan of fruity teas, however:

Pineapple Kona Pop mixed with Blueberry Bliss is good. Also strawberry Lemonade

MissKitty9

I drink their Youthberry tea---- it is DELICIOUS. Here's the description from the website:

"Youthful and fresh, this clean and crisp, pale pink, blushing tea is made from candied pineapple and mango pieces with Fuji and Golden Delicious apples added for spirit. 'Superfruits' red currant and acai berry create a youthful glow in this medley of smart, bright, refreshingly soft white tea.

Refreshing sweet pineapple and fruity acai berry infusion with subtle floral finish."

I can drink an entire pot of this stuff

FunkyGranolaTree

Hey im from LI too!!!! i love them Slimful Decandance Chocolate ( a great afternoon treat when you are craving). i also really Love a mix of the Samurai Chai Mate and the White Ayurvedic Chai..... it is a supercharged really flavorful tea!!

Seajolly

I drink plain green tea from a tea bag (Lipton, Salada, Tazo, etc). I have a Teavana here and I always laugh to myself when I pass it because I'm thinking "How much different can gourmet tea taste from grocery store tea if you're still drinking it plain?".

So, for you who like the gourmet stuff drinking it plain? Is it still way better than grocery store tea when nothing is added to it? I may stop in there sometime if you can convince me to try it.

Have you ever tried looseleaf tea (not in small packets, but rather you have to scoop the tea out and put it in a tea ball or other straining device)? If not, then YES, there's a huge difference in both the quality and taste of looseleaf teas such as Teavana. Usually the packaged grocery store teas are of a lesser quality because they take the small leftover bits and package them in the packets in the tea boxes you buy at the grocery store. The better quality whole pieces are usually packaged into looseleaf teas because you are paying more. I say try it!

melinda200208

I love that tea!!! I have only bought it once and am almost out myself. I can't remember what I have. If I remember, I will check when I get home.

lisamarie327

I really like the superfruit unity. Teavana always has a flavor or two you can sample when you visit there store, so I always try to make note of which ones I like. Most of them are really good, but a few are too terrible to spend all that money on without trying it first.

cicisiam

:laugh: Very good description. Thank you for the chuckle.

FitandFab33

Someone gave me some kind of expensive set from Teavana.. and I can tell you- Monkey-picked Oolong tea tastes like monkey-harvested pee. Steer clear of that one. The rest of the "Balance and Harmony" set is pretty good (my fav is the white ayurvedic chai).

I love the intensity of their teas...

vanguardfitness

I really like the superfruit unity. Teavana always has a flavor or two you can sample when you visit there store, so I always try to make note of which ones I like. Most of them are really good, but a few are too terrible to spend all that money on without trying it first.

Yeah, I'll try the samples when I get there. The Queen of Babylon that I bought had an tag of over $100 but I bought it at 75% off around the holidays. Hope they still have these sales. Didn't know teas could get this pricey.

There is a Davids Tea in manhatten. Maybe while I'm out there for St. Patty's I'll stop by

sarabella1987

I like the fruity ones so my faves are pineapple kona pop, peach tranquility, dragonfruit, summer breeze, iced princess (makes really good iced tea), and strawberry lemonade!

ahviendha

I drink plain green tea from a tea bag (Lipton, Salada, Tazo, etc). I have a Teavana here and I always laugh to myself when I pass it because I'm thinking "How much different can gourmet tea taste from grocery store tea if you're still drinking it plain?".

So, for you who like the gourmet stuff drinking it plain? Is it still way better than grocery store tea when nothing is added to it? I may stop in there sometime if you can convince me to try it.

loose leaf tea is fantastic. the flavors are more pronounced, more full-bodied, and much prettier to brew and stare it. i have a blueberry acai white tea with dried out blueberries, and acai bits and when it's brewed, the acai slowly changes the tea pink, and the blueberries swell up and flavor the white tea. FANTASTIC.

and the bagged tea is hit or miss. some brands are quite good, others are old and when i pull the tea bag out, tea dust falls off it and the taste is dull. i'd rather pay more for a delicious tea than pay less for a crappy one i have to replace or throw out.

margarita_mrs

Teavana's tea is definitely yummy but sooooo expensive! I'm a DAVIDs TEA girl myself. In Canada, they now have tea tastings on Sundays. I'll be going soon!!

aseymour13

I love tea and do buy some stuff from Teavana but got to agree with some of the folks that it's expensive. I do like some of their teas though. I have the Samurai Chai that is really good and the Wild orange Oolong that my daughter and I are addicted to. I have been looking for some options myself as I really enjoy looseleaf tea. Going to try some of the suggestions. Thanks all

rocket_ace

I'm from Long island and have been to Teavana often in the past. but they've changed the last year or so. I used to like it because they had a great variety of teas (I prefer the "real" teas...particularly black teas) but over the last few years I've gone less and less because they are replacing all their more traditional real teas w/ flavored herbals....so I can no longer get my Lapsang Souchan or Keemum Imperial or even Scottish Breakfast, but if I wanted BubbleGum Chai Calypso, I could get that. Blech. Although, I think they are selling what people want to buy I guess. America has less of a tea history I guess (we are patriotically coffee drinkers), but even if you go to a fru-fru place like Whole Foods, you will still mostly see box after box of Ginger Roobis Floral crappy weird made-up type herbally-teas.

Sorry if I offend anyone BTW!! if you like something, then more power to you, and obviously people vote w/ their dollars. So, I'm probably coming off as a Tea dictator. But my only point is, just as a coffee place should have good basic coffee first and foremost, and then only should it add as extras vanilla peppermint chai latte frappe' juice-chinos....I think you should be able to go into a specialty tea place and order a reliable set of a dozen or so teas recognizable to tea lovers of all ages...and then add your Minty Pear White Teas and other artificially made-up blends.

Also, a pet peeve of mine is that mostly, they don't know how to brew the tea (particularly the one in Roosevelt Field)...they totally over-brew it. Also, unlike a starbucks, its tough to just get a cup of tea brewed up.....I'm ok w/ $5 for it, but given the lack of quality tea, the long lines, and inexperience in being able to brew....I just avoid now. Actually Starbucks went the other way - their tazo full leaf blacks brew up just great (Awake Eng Brkfst/Earl Grey are basic but satisfactory).

In the future, should I order tea, I will do so through the internet.

ps - on a side note, I was really excited that the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (a chain from LA) is now in manhattan...but my love was turned to loathing. Teavana comes off gifted in brewing tea compared to the dretch and clumsy brewing they do at the various branches in the city. Funny, because the chain is REALLY great on the west coast, but it seems they've hired employees here who have never had tea. I'll skip the tirade, but for example, they charge by the bag and are surprised when I want a tea in a small cup ($2.45 per bag...my fav being the dragon river pearl oolong)....because they say you can have a large cup for the same price.....because, you know, more water is better right? To add insult to injury they always mess up the order (putting the teabag in a large cup) so I have to tell them to re-make it - they don't seem to understand that adding more water to a good tea turns the tea from what its supposed to be to watery hot Gatorade...

gddrdld

Teavanna is lovely and all, but it smells more like perfume than tea. I've tried several varieties and did not particularly like any of them. Stick with the big English brands, like Lipton or Bigelow. Can't go wrong with a nice Earl Grey or English Breakfast, and my favorites are Green or Chai.

Bigelow is not an English brand. It was started in and is stil made in the USA.

NotBonJovi

Try Amazon. Sometimes I find good deals on tea there. There is a Subscribe & Save option which offers you the tea at lower price. You can always cancel the subscription at any time.

I work in Manhattan and there is a Teavana here, but as you said they are a bit pricey.