While it’s true Wegmans is a chain supermarket, it’s worth noting that it’s ranked the best chain supermarket in the country by consumer reports and it’s tea section reflects this. They have an enormous selection of boxed and bagged teas from numerous vendors and surprisingly they also have a decent loose leaf selection. They stock the usual suspects of pure loose leaf teas as well as a rotating selection of blends and herbal teas. They prices are quite reasonable, on the low end if anything. You also scoop the tea yourself so you can try as little as you’d like without worrying about minimums or over filling. I don’t know how often the stock is turned over but the teas I’ve tried have all been fresh and quite nice. I can confirm that at least two other Wegmans locations also carry loose leaf but I’m not sure about the chain as a whole.
This lovely shop is the best in Western New York! The staff is very friendly and very knowledgeable, not to mention generous with samples and demo’s. Their selection is vast and covers just about every tea category, whether you’re looking for a tasty Rooibos or an ancient Oolong. In addition to their loose leaf selection they also stock many different tinned teas and tea accessories, along with unique honeys and custom sugar blends. I highly recommend stopping by!
Condrell’s is primarily a candy store so it makes sense that the vast majority of their tea’s are desert tea’s, delicious ones. Custom blended with Condrell chocolate and caramels, you get a freshness that you might not get ordering online. A nice surprise was how many of their tea’s were low caffeine or caffeine free! A must shop for any tea lover with a sweet tooth!
Blue Mountain is definitely more of a coffee store but their selection of tea’s is respectable and the staff is very friendly. With the crossover to coffee their selection of tea accessories is very good, a wide variety if pots, cups, ect. The last of smelling tins is disappointing, but the blends are familiar enough as to not to need many.
