Tea Shop Talk

We don’t have a lot in my area unfortunately. Fava Tea Co. in Appleton, WI kinda looks like a tea warehouse lol they have about 317 and counting teas. Every day they have a black, green, white, oolong, herbal, rooibos, and mate ( I think those are the categories, I know there are a total of 7) out for sample and you can buy a 16oz prepared cup for 99 cents. www.favatea.com

I’ve heard there’s a Chinese tea house in Appleton as well.

Botanical Indulgence is in Neenah, WI and they aren’t just a tea shop, they’re a Natural Boutique© which is an educational retail venue that offers only clean, botanically based products void of any synthetic fragrance. They have aroma therapy, pet products, cosmetics, tea, etc

We have only one Teavana, located in downtown Charleston on King Steet. I really want to go down there now that I’ve gotten into tea. There are a couple of cute little locally owned tea shops around. If you don’t live/work in “downtown proper” it’s kind of a pain to get to the Teavana, and the little tea shops that I know about are either downtown as well or on the outskirts of town in Summerville.
I really want to make the effort to get to Teavana though so I can try their MateVan (think that’s the name)

I’ve been to that Teavana. They often have sales on cute tea cups, the Japanese-style ones, and usually have tea samples out to try. Which are the locally-owned tea shops you are thinking of?

Teavana is nice, but I feel like their demand to sell me something turns me off. Though I really do like such a wide selection and how they have delightful little free samples (which, now that I think, is a little conspicuous how i have yet to dislike any… oh no, here comes paranoia.) Though I can’t stop laughing when they start wafting the tea aroma in my face.

Does anyone know if there are any fair trade tea companies online that can order from? I know there are flaws behind fair trade, but its still a good factor. I’m always afraid of buying tea from someone who pays their workers two chestnuts and a ball of rice for their day of working.

I live in something of a coffee town, unfortunately. One local coffee shop does sell looseleaf tea, but it’s not the greatest quality. There’s also a recently-opened Victorian teahouse which I’ve only been to once, but it has lovely food, teas, and decor. It’s a bit too fancy and expensive to be a everyday thing, though.

i have 1 small tea shop near me Passiflora in New Hartford CT they have big jars of herbs and you can scoop out what you want. its a really cute place and there sandwiches are really good. they also display local artist’s paintings that you can purchase in the store. we have one more that i dont think you can classify it as a tea shop because there selection of teas makes my cabinet look like a tea walmart. i dont know what town it is in but its right on the border of mass and CT (about 15-20 min drive)

There are no tea shops in my little town. (The biggest town in the country, by the way)
But I often travel to Denmark, Copenhagen, where I buy most of my tea. The best one is probably A. C. Perchs. It’s so tiny and cramped, but full of atmosphere :) And you feel welcomed. And then there is Tante T. It’s a teashop with a café, cramped just like Perchs, but just as nice :) … There is a bunch of others, but these are my favourites.

In Kansas City, we have three tea shops that I am aware of, TeaDrops, Shang Tea, and Kansas City Tea Market. I’m fond on Shang Tea. Shang is a Chinese native who owns a forty acre tea farm in the Tai Mu Mountains in the Fujian Province. His white teas tend to win the province’s award as the top tea of the year. He was invited to Kansas City by a local university professor and decided to set up a business here.

What’s great about Shang is that he always takes time to make me tea when I come in and share stories about the process he uses to make his tea and tea customs in China, etc.

What is important is having a relationship with someone you trust and a tea seller that cares about tea as teafreak shared about Shang in Kansas City. My favourite tea house in Halifax, Nova Scotia is the Sawadee tea house…Mie Mie is friendly, welcoming and very helpful. She will chat and share stories and when it is time to sit and enjoy the moment while one is taking in the golden juices fm heaven she quietly goes about her day…I truly love the atmosphere, the selection of teas (over 150) and gorgeous teaware with just some food fine desserts and sandwiches on the side. There are some other tea houses – Cargo & James, The Mulan Tea House which also has the Chinese Cultural scociety, not too far away in Bedford is Calla Lily Victorian T House and then over to Dartmouth is the Rose & Kettle. I am blessed!

There is a little tea house in Ridgefield, WA (I lived in Ridgefield for several years) that is very nice, quaint… more high style for the red hats.

http://www.myrtlesteahouse.com/

I still go there whenever I have a chance, simply because I adore the owner – she’s so nice – and I love to have tea time with my daughters.