Need help tea shopping!!!
Hi Steepster peeps! I wasn’t sure what this fell under, so if it is in the wrong category, I’m sorry!!
I have a problem. My problem is Teavanna, and their prices. See, I have a 15 dollar gift card, but can’t figure out what to buy to ensure it stays below 15 dollars so I can cover shipping and tax too so I won’t go over. Unfortunately, I’ll have to really narrow down what I pick and….I need help with that!
So, any advice on what’s good and cheap? Please and thank you SOO much!!
Teavana does free shipping promos from time-to-time. If you are not in a hurry, I’d wait for one of those. Maybe they’ll have one for Father’s Day.
Teavana uses the lower food sales tax if states have it, which is awesome. This made me laugh the one time I ordered online because I was completely not expecting to only be charged like 40 cents on my $14 order. So if you wait for free shipping that should be a nominal part of the cost.
Unprepared tea (loose or bagged) is treated as a food for tax purposes in most states-and tax on unprepared food is usually very low.
I used to live in Tennessee, where for the longest time anything else you bought was taxed at a ridiculous 9.25% (up until the beginning of 2008 when they were finally kind enough to tax grocery items at 7.75%) so 3% still brings me joy.
Thanks for the tip. I wasn’t too worried about tax, mainly shipping, and also deciding on what to buy, but knowing tax is lower is good. :-)
Oh jealous. Here in Ontario, we suffer with the ridiculous tax rate of 13% on what seems like practically everything, including restaurant meals. Luckily grocery items (aside from junk foods, etc.) and tea are tax-free.
@Krystaleyn – NS is 15% on most things (“healthy” food items [including tea!] have no tax though. And luckily, books are only 5%)
@Uniquity – brutal. SK has only 10%, and of course everyone likes to go to Alberta for the 5% there, so I get pretty whiny about 13% :P
In Bosnia: 17% base tax + 0% tax on tea. We only pay taxes if it’s over 25 EUR worth (or actually paid, you can swindle the customs there :) ).
I looked through your tasting notes and you seem to really like earl greys. Teavana’s earl grey creme is pretty tasty and decently priced. If you like herbals, and I know you like orange, you should try their wild orange blossom. :)
Now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, and see what you like, I have a couple fruity ones from them that I like. Strawberry lemonade is good, especially iced, and you could easily mix it with some other fruity teas too for different fruity flavors added. Fruita bomba is good, and my favorite is Blackberry Mojito, but I think the greens are kind of overpriced for what they are (mostly fruit pieces). Sevenberry sangria might be another one you might like because it tastes a lot better if you sweeten it, and it’s more like an herbal than a rooibos but at least it’s priced more like it.
Sorry if I’m posting a second time. I don’t see that the first went through, so we’ll try again!
Wait till Teavana has free shipping – usually around holidays / selling points.
Also. I won 2oz of Teavana’s Earl Grey Cream in a giveaway. I haven’t tried it yet, since I don’t drink a lot of EGCs and still have a lot of David’s to work through, but if you’re thinking of ordering it, I’d be happy to send you a sample!
In regards to the Strawberry Lemonade: it’s good, but not worth the price. Go to a health foods store (I go to Trader Joes) and get freeze-dried fruits, and make your own. I fill up an infuser basket with strawberries, raspberries and oranges, and steep it in the refrigerator overnight. It’s delicious, and a lot cheaper :)
Also – definitely check out the Swiss Vervaine Melange. It sort of smells like a cough drop, but it’s surprisingly good iced with a little honey. Same with the Citrus Lavender Sage – sounds weird, but is actually fantastic.
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