Saturday TeaRoom 12/20/08 Teavana?

[gingkoseto]

Now, to defend them a bit... they're running a gateway business. They are going after yuppie Starbucks-type consumers who would never buy a first flush Darjeeling or a shincha or a Dan Cong as their first tea purchase... they wouldn't "get it" and might not be ready for the unflavored/unsweetened realm. In the beginning of my tea journey, that would have been the case with me... coming from a "sweet tea" world, I didn't arrive to my current palate overnight.

Sarah

That's a good point. Starbucks is introduction of coffee to me. Afterward I moved to better, less expensive whole bean sources and only visit good, local cafe. But it was Starbuck's showy presentation and being everywhere that made me feel coffee was not resistible.

But I am quite concerned about the lies told by teavana. Those seem larger lies than starbucks would tell. All the myths and lies teavana spreads is very bad for general public's understanding on tea.

[Salsero]

I haven't got into puerh (yet ).

Mmm, I am tempted to claim that it is not tea but turtle soup. Thanks for the comments.

This particular puerh is actually oolong! Specifically a Wuyi oolong of the Shuixian varietal.

[Chip]

Several weeks ago I visited a Teavana for the first time. It was at an upscale mall. It is very appealing from the outside, all the tetsubins lining an entire wall, and every tetsubin matching accessory known to man from cups to saucers to trivits. It is rather daunting. But it is not Iwachu grade stuff, but still nice to look at.

The "associate" never once asked what anyone might have wanted or was looking for, it is a control the customer technic. Frankly, I do not like to be controlled like that, it is very presuming and pushy. And as was mentioned in another thread, a lot of pressure to buy buy buy tetsubin, he even asked my fave color and then went that route.

Anyway, I came away with several Japanese Washi canisters that I liked (online, many vendors do not give the option to select a style washi paper or even a color. I have visions of receiving pink papered ones, so it was nice actually picking them out).

I would certainly walk into another one since it very eye appealing. But shop there for tea, tetsubins, no way jose!
.

[Chip]

Oh, started the day with a mini session of Gyokuro Gyoko Hou from O-Cha. Sweetie joined in, and there were many onlookers today, Gandalf, Pyrit, Wulong, TEAh, Ceylon, Koi, Honi Belle, and Lili.

[murrius]

Other: didn't even know they existed until I found TeaChat.

Long Jing this morning. Going to go do another steep and watch the leaves dance in my glass tea pot!

[geeber1]

I haven't been to a Teavana, but after reading about their sales techniques, I think it would be too much high-pressure to go into one of their stores. Isn't tea supposed to be relaxing?

This morning I'm having a third steep of Nilgiri Glendale Handmade. Excellent!

[olivierco]

Darjeeling Namring SFTGFOP1 after dinner.

[gingkoseto]

I haven't got into puerh (yet ).

Mmm, I am tempted to claim that it is not tea but turtle soup. Thanks for the comments.

This particular puerh is actually oolong! Specifically a Wuyi oolong of the Shuixian varietal.

Oh I missed the part that the tea today is actually a oolong Lasting 11 days that's legendary!!

[Victoria]

I haven't been in a store. I choose other because I like their teaware and will continue to buy teaware there.

I sensed the poll was more about the tea - I have only had one from there a Jasmine Green, gifted to me. I am really not interested in their teas.

No tea yet today, went out for breakfast and had coffee. It was definitely a coffee morning.

[Janine]

I haven't been to Teavana too many times. There's one in a shopping center in Stanford, CA. The past couple of times I've been shopping there and needed a break I've gone to Teavana. But I make them let me look at and smell the tea before I order, and then I make them brew it the way I tell them to They're very cooperative. So, it's been fine for a pick-me-up when shopping.

This morning, a "Monkey-Picked" TieKuanYin from Red Circle Tea that has been sitting in my cabinet for about a year. Quite nice! With a slight more richness than I remembered.

[auggy]

I have shopped there before and probably will again (but online). Their darjeeling helped me like darjeelings, but I now know places to get better ones. But I love their rose marzipan tea. A lot. And can't find it anywhere else. So that's the only thing I would ever see myself buying from them. And if I could find that elsewhere, I would probably never shop at Teavana. And even if I buy from them again, it will be online. It's nice to be surrounded by tea things in the store, but their staff is annoyingly pushy. Oh, though I did get 2 very cute cat cups there. Yay!

Anyway, I came away with several Japanese Washi canisters that I liked (online, many vendors do not give the option to select a style washi paper or even a color. I have visions of receiving pink papered ones, so it was nice actually picking them out).

Of course, if that ever happened, you would then have a very nice Christmas present for me.

Darjeeling Namring SFTGFOP1 after dinner.

Same here, actually. Well, except for the 'after dinner' thing. Mine is before lunch.

[Ron Gilmour]

I'd never heard of Teavana before joining this forum. Given what I've heard here, I wouldn't buy tea from them. If I came across one, I'd probably go in and maybe look at some of their teawares (which look pretty descent online). Also, since I've heard that the salespeople follow you around, it might be fun to run through the store really fast and see if they can keep up.

In my cup now: 2007 Spring Feng Huang Lin-Tou Dan Cong from HouDe. I don't know what most of the name means, but it is astonishingly good tea.

[omegapd]

But I love their rose marzipan tea. A lot.

That's one of the ones I was thinking about in my post. Problem is, the on-line store I've found is out of it almost all the time. I still have some, so hadn't gone into a full fledged search yet, but it is definitely good stuff.

EW

[Charlotte]

I have mixed feelings about Teavana. A friend recommended them to me. I went to the store and it was high pressure sales! I bought the monkey picked oolong and frankly, fell in love with the stuff. I bought a few other things and DIDN'T like them. I ended up with a cherry white that on first smell was fab, but tasted like a luden's cough drop. YUCK! I really don't care for the artificial flavors/scents they use. The initial whiff is great, but after a while the artifical stuff gets to me.

I also ordered the monkey picked online only to find out after a week that it wasn't in stock so they canceled my order.

If I found an oolong that I liked as well as monkey picked, I wouldn't go back to teavana.