Teavana in Appleton, Wisconsin
4/5
Edit
Cofftea rated this place
4/5
and said Edit

My review of my first experience with a Teavana store!:

As I walked up to the store I saw the tea samples by the door and began to brace myself for the worst of what I’ve heard about them.

I was immediately met by a very friendly middle aged woman who asked me if I wanted a sample. Yes, I know some people have experiences w/ pushy sales people so this may put some people off, but it sure is better than not being able to get the help of a sales person- and of course she only offered me a free sample. Free is good. :) I was prepared for this and quickly, almost to the point of cutting her off, replied “No thank you, I don’t like my tea sweetened.” This was a double duty answer because I don’t like sweet tea, and I wanted the sales person to be aware I knew they were sweetened so I would prevent some of the newbie horror stories. To my surprise she replied, “Oh that’s ok! We have an unsweetened one inside”. Unfortunately there was only one and it was hot, but there was indeed one and it wasn’t one of their funky blends! I’m definitely going to have to get some of their Monkey Picked Oolong in the fall. I then asked her if they had the Breville One Touch. After the sales woman showed my friend how it worked, we looked at the other teaware for a bit. I was shocked (and pleasantly surprised) that she didn’t try to sell me the Breville or any of the other teaware. After looking at the teaware (there is a copper tetsubin and some yi xings I want though!), I made my way over to the matcha and saw a former HS classmate of mine at the register. Casey and I exchanged a few words as I grabbed my matcha. The lady asked if I’d had it before and if I had the traditional set. I told her yes and gave her an estimate of my consumption. I think she was quite impressed! I then waited in line. As Casey ran my matcha thru the register, the saleswoman made my iced tea. After I checked out, there was no one else in line so Casey spoke with me for a few min- mostly about tea, but about the past 6 years since I’d seen him as well. My visit; however, did not end on a happy note… $4.99 for what appeared to be a 12-16oz glass of iced tea (not brewed to double strength to compensate for the ice I’m sure). The other tea shop in the city charges $2 for a 16oz cup- although you can only have one of the 7 samples on tap. Another weird thing about my iced tea… I ordered matcha in their Anjou Pear-adise Oolong… but it did not look or taste like there was any matcha in it. Has anyone ever had matcha there before? After getting our tea, my friend and I went to a different store and had to walk past Teavana on the way out. I stopped to sample the 2 sweet samples because, well, they were there lol. Surprisingly they were not sickeningly sweet but they were so hot that I nearly scalded my mouth! There was a different lady standing right next to the samples (a little bombardingly feeling) and she asked me if she could help me- I felt better when it was phrased, “Would you like to try a sample?”.

I’m very impressed with the reading material they give you. I especially loved the literature on the tetsubin and yi xings (something I definitely want to get into eventually). I also liked the product catalog, they have some teas that I was unware of.

So that’s my 1st experience w/ Teavana. Not perfect, but not nearly as bad as I feared!

Fava Tea Company in Appleton, Wisconsin
4/5
Edit
Cofftea rated this place
4/5
and said Edit

Largest selection (300+ teas) in WI. 7 samples/day and you can get a 16oz cup to go of any sample for just 99 cents. All teas sold by the ounce. Bring the pouch back and get 10% off when you repurchase the same tea. Loyalty program- buy $100 worth of product and get $5 back. Monthly Tour of Teas (except in the summer). Unfortunately very limited teaware.

Kavarna Vegetarian Coffeehouse in Green Bay, Wisconsin
5/5
Edit
Cofftea rated this place
5/5
and said Edit

Excelent food. Could have a bigger tea selection, but they have a DELICIOUS bowla matcha.

Profile

Bio

Are you a company or tea blender on sites like Adagio that would you like your tea reviewed? If so, please e-mail me @ [email protected].

What I most enjoy from obtaining samples from companies to review is that it helps me to better learn to drink and review teas from a more objective perspective, meaning more of the “This tea is…” point of view rather than the “I like/don’t like” this tea. I feel objectivism in tea reviews is EXTREMELY important because no two tea drinkers tastes are exactly the same. I’ve also been extremely surprised by several teas. I love recieving a sample I think I will be only writing an objective review on, only to completely fall in love with it upon tasting it.

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Are you interested in redoing or starting your own tea related website or adding Search Engine Optimization? If so, please contact me at my work e-mail address: [email protected]
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Tea tastes:
I will ALWAYS pick loose leaf over tea bags. I only drink bagged tea if that’s my only choice or I find a flavor that I can’t find a loose leaf version for. When I do drink bagged; however, I always weigh my bag and am constantly curious as to the weight/flavor ratio- sometimes I am quite surprised by the flavor punch of light bags.

I have a preference for organic and fair trade teas (preferably both), but would never pass up an amzing tea just because it isn’t organic and/or fair trade.

I love savory teas.

I’m currently searching for a chai flavored soy powder or a soy based chai mix (either already mixed or a recipe).

I hardly EVER sweeten my teas. I feel that sweeteners (unless flavored like tea honeys, brown sugar, ice cream topping syrups, flavored coffee syrups, etc) do not add anything to the flavor profile of tea- in fact, I’ve found that they dumb down the flavors.

I NEVER serve my tea over regular iced cubes- I always make tea cubes.

I LOVE cooking w/ tea and making smoothTEAS.

I LOVE tea blending.

I rarely drink herbal teas unless they are mixed with true teas. My favorite herbals to mix with true teas are: spearmint, peppermint, lemongrass, rose hips, and gingeroot.

I can’t stand anything w/ fennel or anise. Hot black teas (except orange pekoe bagged tea that you get when you go out to eat and chai teas) tend to upset my stomach.

I drink matcha daily and love flavoring it. I’m also in a constant search of preflavored matchas.

I’m constantly searching for information on how to prepare tea authentically according to its country of origin.

My Tasting Notes Ratings (edited 8/8/10)
1: I can’t even stand the raw leaf enough to make this (I’ve never owned a tea w/ this rating, but I’ve smelled some before buying resulting in me NOT buying them that were that bad)

2: I steeped this tea but couldn’t stand the aroma enough to get it past my nose

3: I immediately gagged at the 1st sip and spit it out.

4: I manageed to get the 1st sip down, but I tossed the rest.

5: I drank the 1st cup but I can’t bring myself to resteep

6: Made it thru the entire set of infusions but I can’t bring myself to tinker w/ the parameters and won’t be making it again.

7-10: Does not taste anything like the ingredients or name suggests (i.e. Adagio’s Sour apple)

11-25: I can taste some of the ingredients, but the flavor is severely lacking

25-49: Teas that I would not consider bad in their flavor profile, but certainly below average

50: Average.

51-69: Teas above averge, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling them “good”.

70-75: Very good, but still room for improvement

76-85: Above average flavor profile

86-90: REALLY good flavors

91-99: Almost PERFECTLY achieves the goal of the ingredients and name of the tea.

100: Abosolutely perfect teas!

Other Interests: GOD! and all things pertaining to Him and His children, my dog Madison, travelling, and coffee.

Favorite Music: ANYTHING Christian. I don’t normally listen to secular music, but I do love jazz and swing.

Favorite Movies: Romantic comedies mostly. My Sister’s Keeper, P.S. I Love You, Fireproof, National Treasure Trilogy (I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE 3rd ONE TO COME OUT!), Night at the Museum 1 & 2, Sister Act 1 & 2, Yes Man, Bruce & Evan Almighty, rarely watch animated movies but LOVE anything 3D.

Favorite Books: THE BIBLE!!! & My Sister’s Keeper

Favorite Quotes: “A sad soul can kill you far quicker than a germ”- John Stienbeck "

Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing”- Aristotle

“You should always carry burdens, but they should never be your own”- me

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” ~ Winston Churchill

“Mom was right, ‘because I say so’ is enough- at least when it comes to God.”- me

Favorite Foods: fried calamari, lemon chicken, anything w/ buffalo sauce.

Favorite Places: WA state, Switzerland, Orlando

Places I Want to Visit: Hawaii, Africa

Anything Else: I was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida which is the failure of the spinal column to close en utero. Because of this I am a parapelegic and use a manual wheelchair.

Location

Oshkosh, WI

Website

http://www.adagio.com/signatu...

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