by I have always been a big coffee drinker. I also enjoy a good cuppa green tea — even though I’m an infamous bagger and not a loose leaf sort of fellow. That all changed across the last week as I discovered Teavana — the Tea Heaven place now owned by Starbucks. Lately, Starbucks have been making a big tea push. They purchased Tazo tea and now Teavana are deep in the mermaid fold. Starbucks seems to know their future is read in tea leaves and not coffee beans.
The key to making a great cuppa loose leaf tea is in the tea maker and Teavana makes a perfect one. You just steep and let gravity do the rest. Cleaning up tea leaves is a much simpler and crisper job than having to clean up coffee grounds from a French press.
My favorite Teavana tea is their Gyokuro Imperial green tea. It is lightly musky, delicious, shimmering, grassy, and packed with energy. I drink this tea all day long and I have both stamina and staying power.
As the oppressive Summer heat and humidity scales against proper human living, making iced tea is one quick way to cool off — even if for just a little bit.
Teavana has a new “modern” iced tea maker crafted for them in Germany, and while this teapot looks stylish and capable, it is confusing to learn how to use.
I had to take mine apart and experiment with regular cool tap water before I was able to figure out the complicated brewing method. Sure, you could use any ordinary tea steeping device to divine some Summer refreshment, but it won’t look as good on your table as this modern Bavarian beauty.
Our favorite Summer tea is a light Youthberry Orange Blossom blend with lots of dried fruit and white tea. The taste of the tea is refreshing and complex. This tea will cool you down and lift you up.
The only negative part of getting into loose leaf tea with Teavana is their high-pressure, unrelenting, sales staff in the stores. They will pester you and push you around and nag you. They’ll try to add teacups and teapots and teabags and upsell you more tea than you could ever drink in a lifetime.
Teavana does not take “leave me alone” for an answer.
It’s best to order online from the Teavana website if you want a kind and respectful experience. Walking into a Teavana store is diving into a sales abyss from which your wallet will never recover.
Thanks for the heads up, David. I have been meaning to visit Teavana — I’m glad that I have good experience shooting down upsales! 🙂 I have been using a tea maker similar to the first one you have pictured — it was a gift from a friend online, and I love how simply it steeps and separates the tea leaves! Great review.
You can also earn Starbucks Gold Stars at Teavana now and the Teavana card is accepted at Starbucks.
You know how to get me, David! Now I have to get some. 🙂 I love my gold stars. We bought a banana ($1) for Chaim and found out that it also got us a gold star. Nice!
It will be a good thing when we can redeem Starbucks rewards at Teavana. That’s coming soon.
Oh my ………… if there were ever images to induce the drinking of fruit tea with your experiences to match – this is it.
I think I am persuaded – I will look at the website and see if international deliveries are available – just look amazing.
It looks like they ship internationally!
http://www.teavana.com/customer-service/faq
Janna loves the Youthberry tea. It’s a little sweet for me just as it is with the candied pineapple and such, so for me, it becomes my dessert.
You can even make it more sweet by adding their special “German Rock Sugar” — it’s supposed to be made to go right with tea because other sweeteners mask the taste of the tea:
http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/rock-sugar-honey/p/perfectea-rock-sugar
They also have other fun teas — some with bits of caramel and such — lots of varieties to try and explore.
Both our Youthberry and Green Teas brew at 175 degrees — so it’s a good think we have our Zojirushi hot water machine — makes getting the temps just right a no brainer. SMILE!
yes I know – first thing I checked – have fallen in love with the lavender and sage herbal tea and some of the fruit ones as well .
I have french rock sugar – from La Peruche – wonder how different that is ?
Their teas are extremely fragrant and fresh. We buy by the pound. We also buy the tins. They’re specially made for the type of tea you’re buying. The Youthberry tin is very different from the Green tea tin.
Does your rock sugar look like the one in the photograph? I have a feeling they’re probably similar.
I like the orange Youthberry tea. It makes me happy to drink. I even like the green tea. It’s heavy and strong, but I can take it. Haha. The thing about the Teavana stores is, yes, there’s too much attention on you as a shopper, but you can’t stay away because the stores are so pretty and they have so many fun things. They really know how to sell.
I’m so glad you like this green tea. It’s expensive but, as you know, the difference is in the tasting. Can’t beat the freshness. It’s like drinking newly mown grass. SMILE!
I visit the Teavana website and want everything I see. I can imagine having all that right at eye level in person is hard to resist!
Once you sign up for the free email offers I think they have you. Free cup of tea, but you have to come in the store to redeem? Yes. I’ll be there right away.
Yes, they’re just like Starbucks in that way. Really smart in irresistible point-of-contact promotions. I wonder how they’ll redeem Starbucks rewards, though? They don’t have food or salads or sandwiches. Maybe free tea tins or something?
UPDATE:
Mixing teas is big at Teavana — they sell you double the amount of tea you think you need to replicate the taste test experience you have in the store…
That said… I stumbled upon a great “grapefruit” tea of my own making… the recipe is simple: 2/3 Youthberry Orange and 1/3 Gyokuro Imperial green tea — and when you taste it… you’re drinking grapefruit juice! Amazing mixology! SMILE!