DavidsTea vs Teavana

I liked David’s Tea a lot. It seemed like they had more variety, and I could get smaller sizes. So far, I’ve liked to two of their holiday black teas.

Teavana used too much sugar in their samples. Rooibos really doesn’t need much (or any) sugar. There was one I thought I’d like from them, but I left after I heard they would only sell me 2 oz.

Davids is a delight- the staff is super friendly, and knowledgeable. And the no-minimum thing is a huge plus.

Teavana is alright. It costs an arm and a leg to find out what you like; they are typically pushy, and I find them to be not very well trained. However, there are a few blends from there that I like to keep around. And as stated before, their samples are not trustworthy- they don’t follow their own brewing instructions, and sweeten way more than you’d think, so the tea you make at home is NOT what you get in stores.

Overall, Teavana wouldn’t be so bad if not for the outrageous prices. You can get higher quality tea for lower prices at other places, which is what really bothers me.

David’s Tea all the way… 1) you can get smaller quantity. I love the I can only get enough for a cup of tea. 2) I love their variety. 3) the staff is friendly without being pushy. 3) the samples are not overly sweet. I don’t like that Teavana sweetens their samples. 4) I love David’s tins… its a silly thing but at $2.50 it is a reasonable price to keep my teas.

Davids for all of the reasons discusssed above (ability to buy small amounts, friendly but not pushy staff, variety, affordable tea ware). If I were to have any complaints it is that there seems to be an obsession with coconut in their blends, and I have found that some of their flavoured black tea blends are too strong, and I need to cut them by a half or two thirds with a plain black tea in my cupboard to enjoy them. The strength issue may be because I pretty well never add anything to my teas and maybe they are designing them for people who enjoy tea with additives.

I tried my first sample at Teavana today and to be quite honest I wanted to dump it at first sip. It was so sweet it was sickening. Once I got past that, the flavour above the sugar was not bad, but if anything their samples would make me never want to buy their tea. However, they do have some very pretty canisters and teaware and the staff at the store I was in were very pleasant they acknowledged me and than left me alone.

Of the DavidsTea I’ve tried, it’s pretty hit or miss. I seem to either really like it, or really don’t. But I’m still willing to try new stuff there, but I always check people’s thoughts about each one on Steepster before making the plunge. I’m much more optimistic of the vendors I’ve just ordered from (first purchase from each. Just waiting for them to arrive) than DT though :)

I don’t have any Teavana’s near me, but from what I’ve heard of them, I’d avoid it even if it WERE near me, since they seem kinda … I don’t wanna say shady, but I dunno… They have some business practices that really rub me the wrong way and they seem like they’re very expensive too.

I obviously can’t weight in impartially but I am super happy to see such positive experiences with DAVIDs. I really like all of the tea’s I have had from Teavana, but I agree their samples are super super sweet.

I really adore David’s tea! I love how they go out of their way to make your day. I was in store and one lady came in clearly upset and one of the staff talked to her. Turns out, her husband had died 3 years ago and she wasn’t over it yet. The sales associate helped the lady pick out her tea and ended up giving her 100g for free and a mug to go with it! All because the lady was having a tough time. I thought that was very sweet and thoughtful. The staff at David’s tea didn’t have to do anything or care, but they did.

All the positive experiences with David’s just echoes what I have to say about them. Its such a nice comfortable tea shop. Its fun bright and the staff are always amazing and not pushy at all. They are always smiling and really do go out of there way to help people out. It always feels so calming and friendly in Davids tea. However I find with Teavana it seems a bit pretentious. Maybe its just me. The staff are a bit stuck up and SUPER pushy. I do love some of their teas I must admit and their tea accessories are very nice and seem like great quality.

The amount of tea you get with a cup to go a Davids is hilarious I find. I think its enough for 3 or 4 cups. Also has anyone ever tried to get a different color tea tin when you get over 100g, or is it always a silver one unless you pay for it??? I love their tins at Davids.

I am new to trying DAVIDsTEA as of this month but so far I like everything I have tried. I am a fan of dessert teas and flavored black teas though.

As for Teavana, I only go in the store to either smell the tea (because I’m at the mall) or buy a glass of tea ‘to-go’ for $2.50 (because I’m thirsty and want to try something new) – I never buy in store partly due to the staff politics and because I know I can get a better deal online. Then I only order online when they have a decent coupon code, the last one was like “$10 off a purchase of $30 plus free shipping”. I do like their tea.

One positive thing I want to mention about Teavana. Before they starting popping up near me, so many people had not really tried loose tea in my area. So if nothing else, they have educated people about the variety of loose tea and it can be a gateway to finding smaller companies and this community.

I’ve ordered from both online, and I love them both. Teavana is where I order the flavored tea and tisanes from, and Davids is where I order it plain. Davids gives you samples and tins for free. Teavana is expensive. I do resteep to make the cost come out more tolerable. I’m not rich and never will be.