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*NikkiBell*
05-25-2009, 11:00 AM
I'm a big Teavana fan. Anybody else drink loose or other fresh teas here?

DisneyKevin
05-25-2009, 11:08 AM
I'm a big Teavana fan. Anybody else drink loose or other fresh teas here?

When we had dinner with Frank and Cathy (ebay tshirt winners) at Shulas, the restaurant served an unsweetened bottled iced tea called Republic of Teas. The flavor I had was Blackberry Sage.

I'm not usually a fan of bottled iced tea other than Diey Snapple (which is my addiction) but this was outrageously good.

I have not been able to locate the bottled version in stores, but I did find the tea bags from the same company in the same flavor.

It's not cheap....50 bags were $8.99, but it is absolutely worth it in my opinion.

Just awesome stuff.

froggy5657
05-25-2009, 11:19 AM
I have been known to enjoy a few cups of Tea

katscradle
05-25-2009, 11:33 AM
When we were in Florida a week ago I had high tea at the Grand Floridian with a friend. We both had the princess tea. She had done the high tea several times before and she really liked that particular tea, so I went with a safe bet for my first time. I loved it! Now you can buy this tea which comes loose leaf from them, but it is very expensive. I think 2 ozs. was $20.00 however I do think it is worth it to have something like that for special occasions. When I go back in December I will buy some to bring home with me. Now I just need a good presspot. :)

disneydreamgirl
05-25-2009, 12:22 PM
My DSis is a tea expert...we enjoy loose tea all the time and just love it! When you find out how some of the major tea companies process some of their products, especially decaf teas (ie. use of formaldehyde), it makes the price of the more expensive teas worth paying for.

DSis actually conducts tea blending sessions where people come and make a custom tea...some people do it for baby showers, weddings or just for fun...it's pretty neat.

Love, love, love my tea!!!

BriarRosie
05-25-2009, 01:18 PM
Yes, I'm a Teavana fan!

I've got the Perfect Tea Maker, the German Rock Cane Sugar, the whole nine yards.

When I go there, I ask them to make me a combo of the Maté Vana with the Almond Biscotti. Yum. Currently my two teas I have from them are Haute Chocolate and the Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls blended with the Tropica.

It's a good thing the tea in canisters last a long time, because they can be expensive!

wishspirit
05-25-2009, 02:02 PM
I like a nice cup of tea, no specialised suff as yet, but with a teaspoon (and a bit) of sugar, a splash of milk and a nice (english) chocolate chip biscuit to dunk! Yummy!

kim532
05-25-2009, 02:08 PM
My DH is big into tea. Started on a trip to China and snowballed from there. We have 2 tea sets we bought in China and some other teas from Teavana. He pefers it to coffee. We have about finished up all the Ginseng Vitality herbal tea from Teavana.

*NikkiBell*
05-25-2009, 02:56 PM
I love hearing about all of the teas you guys drink! I have no problem spending money on good teas. The health benefits are great in the fresh ones.

Kevin, I can feel a new type of dining report in your future...teas! Let me know if you want help! -wink, wink-

I stopped drinking coffee in September. Instead, I drink a coffee replacement tea from Teavana called Mate Vana. It is a smooth blend with a hint of chocolate. It contains a different type of caffine which goes through your system differently than coffee. You don't get any side effects as a result like the jitters or "crashing." I drink it plain or blend it with a red tea, Rooibus Chai.

I have about 20 other kinds of tea here at my house. Sean has another 20-30 at his house so we're never without it. My favorite is the Azteca Fire which is a spin on the classic mole. It has strawberries, chilis, and chocolate. I absolutely love it!

Lori, I like Tropica too. It's great iced or blended. I'm actually drinking Strawberry Paraiso iced right now. It's a new one they came out with in the early winter and even has POPCORN in it! I asked the manager why (we've become very good friends...she even is in DVC!) and she said it is used as a starch to give it thickness.

I recently bought a packaged loose tea while at WDW, but have yet to try it. It is the Mad Hatter blend. I might try it tonight and let you all know how it is. We're also dying to go to the high tea at the Grand Flo. However, Sean isn't sure if it'd be something okay for him to go to. He thinks he'll be the only guy. I really would love to do a review of it male tea drinkers here on the DIS. -hinthintKevinhinthint- ;)

BriarRosie
05-25-2009, 03:04 PM
I love hearing about all of the teas you guys drink!

Kevin, I can feel a new type of dining report in your future...teas! Let me know if you want help! -wink, wink-

I stopped drinking coffee in September. Instead, I drink a coffee replacement tea from Teavana called Mate Vana. It is a smooth blend with a hint of chocolate. It contains a different type of caffine which goes through your system differently than coffee. You don't get any side effects as a result like the jitters or "crashing." I drink it plain or blend it with a red tea, Rooibus Chai.

I have about 20 other kinds of tea here at my house. Sean has another 20-30 at his house so we're never without it. My favorite is the Azteca Fire which is a spin on the classic mole. It has strawberries, chilis, and chocolate. I absolutely love it!

Lori, I like Tropica too. It's great iced or blended. I'm actually drinking Strawberry Paraiso iced right now. It's a new one they came out with in the early winter and even has POPCORN in it! I asked the manager why (we've become very good friends...she even is in DVC!) and she said it is used as a starch to give it thickness.

I recently bought a packaged loose tea while at WDW, but have yet to try it. It is the Mad Hatter blend. I might try it tonight and let you all know how it is. We're also dying to go to the high tea at the Grand Flo. However, Sean isn't sure if it'd be something okay for him to go to. He thinks he'll be the only guy. I really would love to do a review of it male tea drinkers here on the DIS. -hinthintKevinhinthint- ;)

I was going to get the Maté Vana with Rooibus Chai as my next purchase. And because Rooibus teas (the Haute Chocolate being one of them) or "red" teas as they are called are caffeine-free, those are a great choice for those who can't drink caffeine. (I'm getting it with Maté Vana because I don't drink excessive amounts of caffeine anyway.) It's funny, because I was just looking at the Teavana catalog yesterday!

Tell Sean that real men go to the Grand Floridian tea. I have always seen men there, albeit the women outnumber them. They even have a menu option marketed to men. I think you'll both enjoy the break in your day. I'm planning on booking an ADR there for December, since October will be mostly geared toward the food and wine festival. :goodvibes

dancin Disney style
05-25-2009, 03:15 PM
I am a tea-aholic.....

Right now I have just sat down with my laptop and a cup of tea. You could almost set your watch to my 4pm daily cup of tea.

I only drink Tea, no coffee. I really just like the plain old Tetley. Once in a while I will have a chinese jasmine tea.

*NikkiBell*
05-25-2009, 03:32 PM
I was going to get the Maté Vana with Rooibus Chai as my next purchase. And because Rooibus teas (the Haute Chocolate being one of them) or "red" teas as they are called are caffeine-free, those are a great choice for those who can't drink caffeine. (I'm getting it with Maté Vana because I don't drink excessive amounts of caffeine anyway.) It's funny, because I was just looking at the Teavana catalog yesterday!

Tell Sean that real men go to the Grand Floridian tea. I have always seen men there, albeit the women outnumber them. They even have a menu option marketed to men. I think you'll both enjoy the break in your day. I'm planning on booking an ADR there for December, since October will be mostly geared toward the food and wine festival. :goodvibes

I'll have to talk to him. We are going wtih another couple and if I can convince this guy to go, Sean will go. The more men, the better for tea! lol What are your Food & Wine plans? Sean wants to do PFTS again, but I'm not keen on it because we're being dragged to Universal by the other couple. I don't want to spend money on both things. We might do a different event though.

DFD
05-25-2009, 03:47 PM
my all time favorite for a kick of caffeine is the Ginger peach Apricot flavored and scented balck tea...

and for downtime... it's the Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls Scented Green Tea :cloud9:

HillPete
05-25-2009, 06:19 PM
There is a Teavana at the mall where I work (I work at Lush Handmade Cosmetics). The Teavana folks love the Lush folks and give us lots of tea!! I'm a huge fan of Grean Tea Heaven and Tranquil Dreams.

I'm sipping some iced Rooibus Key Lime right now. It's a little weird. Don't think I'll get it again. DDad got me the Perfect Tea Maker and some German Rock sugar for my birthday earlier this month. I've been a tea drinkin' fool ever since! (OK I was a tea drinker before, but now my tea is perfect!)

I also love Darjeelings and Assam Gold Rain. DDad's family is English, so ya gotta have some black tea in the afternoon!

--H

pklein09
05-25-2009, 06:19 PM
I'm also a tea drinker. For loose tea, I like the Assam blends. I like my tea with milk and sugar....so no herbal teas for me. As for bags, I like PG Tips and Barry's. I have ordered from Teavana, but the price holds me back. I also prefer to sample them first to make sure I like what I'm buying because of the price.

christygobar
05-25-2009, 06:41 PM
My DH and I LOVE fresh, loose leaf teas! But I have to recommend Adagio (http://www.adagio.com). The downside over Teavana is that you can't smell them ahead of time, but they have awesome sample tins that you can buy for $2-3 each and try different teas. The ingenuiTEA set is worth the purchase, definitely. You get a sampler and everything.

We've found they can be a little cheaper than Teavana too. But we like that place as well. My husband likes the Blueberry Acai White Tea.

I actually found out about Adagio at F&W Festival 3 years ago. They had their Fruit Sangria tea (now called Fruit Medley) out in one of the tents for sale (along with some other items I don't remember now) and I bought one. I am still hooked :) They have a nice White Peony white tea as well.

Anyways, totally worth a look :thumbsup2

*NikkiBell*
05-25-2009, 07:30 PM
That's a great tip, Christy. I have gone to Food & Wine twice now, but haven't seen too much tea for sale or to sample. I did get a great crushed ice oolong there last year. Nothing beats the frozen chai from the tea stand at AK though. You can get that year round and it is worth every penny!

I just made a cup of a tea that was new to me, Masala Chai. I added a splash of french vanilla creamer. Delicious!

klam_chowder
05-25-2009, 08:07 PM
I don't drink coffee so I'm a tea drinker too - not to be confused with a tea-totaller :lmao:

I drink everything: green teas (Japanese, Longjing), oolong (Ti Kuan Yin). For black teas, Darjeeling is my fave. The only tea I drink not "straight up" :rotfl2: is Earl Grey with honey & lemon - I always drink this when I feel I'm coming down with a cold and I swear it shields me :rotfl:

Usually I stick to the above but I'll occasionally buy some fun herbal teas: currently enjoying blueberry, and maple cream. Of course Jasmine is a standby I always have on hand. :)

Had a bad experience with Teavana so haven't been back. Great thread OP! :goodvibes

cheers,
:flower3:

*NikkiBell*
05-25-2009, 08:20 PM
What happened at Teavana? I haven't had any issues (yet anyway...been about a year with them so far) and have become very good friends with the staff.

YellowMickeyPonchos
05-25-2009, 08:26 PM
I love all sorts of herbal teas as well. We have a combination of Teavana's Ginger peach and Blueberry for the girls.

I would issue a world of caution when having Mates for the first time if you have high blood pressure. Folks with high BP can have extreme responses and BP increases with Mate. My blood pressure isn't that high, but I drank about 12 ounces of a yerba mate and within an hour started feeling slightly woozy. When I looked the tea up on the US military website (a great place to find info on what is considered reference for any "substance" that a soldier might come across or ingest), if said it had contraindications for high blood pressure.

Most people can drink it just fine - after all, it is the national drink of many South American countries! :thumbsup2

simonkodousek
05-25-2009, 08:42 PM
I am ADDICTED to Teavana teas. There is a very noticeable difference between their loose teas and other brands. Plus, it is so much better for your body than coffee. :)

klam_chowder
05-25-2009, 08:44 PM
What happened at Teavana? I haven't had any issues (yet anyway...been about a year with them so far) and have become very good friends with the staff.

Nothing terrible - just a lot of high pressure sales. A new store opened in the mall and they were out front hawking tea samples and of course when offered I couldn't resist and like a moth followed the light to the counter at the back of the store.

The staff wasn't very knowledgeable (when I asked if they had Darjeeling she asked if me what type of tea that was). :rolleyes1

But the kicker was when said I only wanted to buy a three ounces to try. She asked me if I would like to buy half a pound, I cheerfully said would come back for more if I liked their variety. She went on to ask me FOUR more times (you get 10% discount, etc.) if I wanted to buy half a pound, even tho I said, no thanks after each attempt. Finally I said I really had to get going and she tried to x-sell me 3 more items (a canister, etc.). She seemed incredulous that I would not buy anything else from her. :confused3

It may have been a one-off experience but it's the only Teavana around me and I just don't want that type of hassle again. :flower3:

cheers,
:flower3:

minie_meese
05-25-2009, 09:14 PM
We have a Teavana in our area but I usually go to a tea shop in our local grocery store (Wegmans). The people are very knowledgeable and they have a terrific variety of fresh tea by the cup or loose by the ounce. They have dry leaf samples of each variety for you to smell before you try. They seem to have a large variety of Japanese green teas. My husband usually gets matcha which I have not acquired a taste for. I've tried 8 or 9 different green teas and like most of them a lot. The tea shop is about half way though the store so it's kind of nice to just stop for a bit in the middle of shopping and have a quiet tea.

IWISHFORDISNEY
05-26-2009, 06:07 AM
We are all hooked on Teavana even my 4 year old. I like Matte Vanna and Roobios Tropica mixed with Jasmine Dragon. Another great combo is the Plum mixed with Cloud 9 (reminds me of mulling spices mixed with tea soooo good). I just found this Carribean one that was mixed with Roobios tropica which is great for iced tea. Mmmmmm

Luv2Camp
05-26-2009, 06:33 AM
I love, love, love Teavana! I have a Thermos of sweet cranberry at work with me today. I'm a Republic of Tea addict too. I have a deal with a friend to come clean out my tea cupboard if anything ever happens to me.....People would think I'm crazy with the amount of tea that I have stored up! ;)

dixiegirl
05-26-2009, 07:36 AM
Huge tea drinker here! I always use loose tea - never bags. :scared: Don't mind spending the extra $ for good tea - well worth it. This time of year I usually buy alot of the fruit teas for iced tea. Also make Moroccan mint tea with the gunpowder green tea and tons of fresh mint - it's fabulous!!! Brew them together in your tea pot, add a little honey (my fave) or sugar and your good to go.

disneydreamgirl
05-26-2009, 10:50 AM
Huge tea drinker here! I always use loose tea - never bags. :scared: Don't mind spending the extra $ for good tea - well worth it. This time of year I usually buy alot of the fruit teas for iced tea. Also make Moroccan mint tea with the gunpowder green tea and tons of fresh mint - it's fabulous!!! Brew them together in your tea pot, add a little honey (my fave) or sugar and your good to go.

Love the suggestion for the Morrocan mint tea...thanks!

We have no Teavana nearby, but it sounds heavenly!

luke
05-26-2009, 12:38 PM
I like a nice cup of tea, no specialised suff as yet, but with a teaspoon (and a bit) of sugar, a splash of milk and a nice (english) chocolate chip biscuit to dunk! Yummy!

arrrgghhh, sugar? Way to ruin a good cup of tea ;) :lmao:

I'm with you tho, I love a good English cup of tea, usually have about 4 or 5 a day, wonderful :)

:goodvibes

cj9200
05-26-2009, 12:46 PM
We're also dying to go to the high tea at the Grand Flo. However, Sean isn't sure if it'd be something okay for him to go to. He thinks he'll be the only guy. I really would love to do a review of it male tea drinkers here on the DIS. -hinthintKevinhinthint- ;)

My dad introduced me to tea and that trait was passed to my 15 YO daughter who LOVES tea. Men do the Grand Floridian tea, me included. On our June trip, she will be there with her best friend and I am purposely excluded. Instead, I will be waiting for them at the Tambu Lounge at the Poly having a cocktail and crab cakes. If he is not comfortable going, send the men on their way to do something else. You can then tell him how great it was.

DeborahB
05-26-2009, 03:44 PM
Great topic, OP!

Yes, I too am a tea lover! I hardly ever drink coffee at all. I enjoy Teavana and my favorite there is Darjeeling. I also like their Pi Lo Chun which is a green tea.

But my newest fave is actually a bag....made by Mighty Leaf...the bags are like little silk purses that are individually wrapped....and filled with loose tea.
My current love is called Green Tea Tropical...."Smooth green tea leaves harmoniously blend with sweet tropical fruits of pineapple and guava"...and it does! It's lovely at night with it's light caffeine...and you get green tea benefits. I found this at Stop and Shop, and they have other flavors, too.
Expensive, but I love it!

katscradle
05-26-2009, 06:13 PM
I love hearing about all of the teas you guys drink! I have no problem spending money on good teas. The health benefits are great in the fresh ones.

Kevin, I can feel a new type of dining report in your future...teas! Let me know if you want help! -wink, wink-

I stopped drinking coffee in September. Instead, I drink a coffee replacement tea from Teavana called Mate Vana. It is a smooth blend with a hint of chocolate. It contains a different type of caffine which goes through your system differently than coffee. You don't get any side effects as a result like the jitters or "crashing." I drink it plain or blend it with a red tea, Rooibus Chai.

I have about 20 other kinds of tea here at my house. Sean has another 20-30 at his house so we're never without it. My favorite is the Azteca Fire which is a spin on the classic mole. It has strawberries, chilis, and chocolate. I absolutely love it!

Lori, I like Tropica too. It's great iced or blended. I'm actually drinking Strawberry Paraiso iced right now. It's a new one they came out with in the early winter and even has POPCORN in it! I asked the manager why (we've become very good friends...she even is in DVC!) and she said it is used as a starch to give it thickness.

I recently bought a packaged loose tea while at WDW, but have yet to try it. It is the Mad Hatter blend. I might try it tonight and let you all know how it is. We're also dying to go to the high tea at the Grand Flo. However, Sean isn't sure if it'd be something okay for him to go to. He thinks he'll be the only guy. I really would love to do a review of it male tea drinkers here on the DIS. -hinthintKevinhinthint- ;)


Please let me know what you think of the Mad Hatter as that was the other tea that I was thinking about that day. I sounded very good!

Tell Sean not to worrry and book it for the two of you. When we were there, there was quite a few men attending the high tea as well. I think there are 2 or 3 different gentlemen's tea combo's for him to pick from. None of the men looked out of place there either.
If Sean loves tea then he will certainly enjoy this as much as you will. :):banana:

MinnieVacations
05-26-2009, 08:30 PM
Aaahhh Disney and tea. My two biggest passions in life. I love loose tea. I try to avoid bags when I can. I have a Teavana here as well, but there is a great tea shop in Old Town Alexandria that I visit when I get down there that has much more variety. I have the Zarafina tea pot. Its fantastic. It makes a very consistent cup of tea. I recently bought some tea from Tealightful Treasures. They're like Pampered Chef but for tea. I have the "First Dance". Its delicious. The party was tons of fun and we got to try many different teas. If you have a consultant in your area I highly recommended them.

DVCJones
05-26-2009, 09:51 PM
Another loose tea drinker here.

We just got a Teavana at the mall and I have been trying their samples. I am waiting to find a new favorite.

I have always purchased my tea from local tea shops. My favorite is called Courtship. I think it is only made on Cape Cod. Has anyone else tried this? A blend of black tea leaves and ginger. Yummy!!!

We joke about it being like crack. We call it "crack tea" because it is that good. whenever I serve tea to friends, the become addicted instantly...hence the name "crack tea":rotfl2:

sanapunk
05-26-2009, 11:09 PM
Ohhh teavana :love: I love Plum Harvest and Strawberry Paraiso!

MinnieVacations
05-27-2009, 09:00 AM
DVCJones- where in Cape Cod do you get the "crack tea"? I'm not from the area but a good friend of mine goes there every summer. I'm thinking of asking her to mail me some. I'm always looking for a new tea to get addicted to.

katscradle
05-27-2009, 03:28 PM
I live in Ontario, Canada, just 20 minutes north of Toronto.
Does anyone know if there is a Teavana up here?

H20DogsNDisney
05-27-2009, 03:36 PM
i love Teavana. I do wish Teavana was a lot close to me the closest one is 45 mins away. I have a few cups in a week in the winter and spring and summer i have ice tea.

Candy30
05-27-2009, 03:47 PM
I love this thread. Subbing! I love tea. I have never heard of Teavana! I get tea from off the web called Good Earth tea. You can get their teas in loose or bag form. I looooooooooove the sweet and spicy tea. Add a little cream and yum. I have a box at home, a box at work, a box at my Mom's.....I love their Chai too. I had their chocolate chai and it was ok. I am so interested in this Teavana. Please tell me if they have a website! I love a good cup of tea.

I found the website. Katscradle the website is www.teavana.com I think I found my new favorite tea site. Does anyone have recommendations for a tea that is sweet and spicy? Something spicier than chai but with a sweetness to it?

DVCJones
05-27-2009, 04:12 PM
DVCJones- where in Cape Cod do you get the "crack tea"? I'm not from the area but a good friend of mine goes there every summer. I'm thinking of asking her to mail me some. I'm always looking for a new tea to get addicted to.

Hi,

It is called The Dunbar Tea Shop. I couldn't remember the address, so I googled it.

Here is a link to the website. http://www.dunbartea.com/
If you like black tea, you will LOVE Courtship...a.k.a. "Crack Tea":)
It is a little pricey though!!!
Enjoy!
-Pam

*NikkiBell*
05-27-2009, 06:34 PM
I love this thread. Subbing! I love tea. I have never heard of Teavana! I get tea from off the web called Good Earth tea. You can get their teas in loose or bag form. I looooooooooove the sweet and spicy tea. Add a little cream and yum. I have a box at home, a box at work, a box at my Mom's.....I love their Chai too. I had their chocolate chai and it was ok. I am so interested in this Teavana. Please tell me if they have a website! I love a good cup of tea.

I found the website. Katscradle the website is www.teavana.com I think I found my new favorite tea site. Does anyone have recommendations for a tea that is sweet and spicy? Something spicier than chai but with a sweetness to it?

I adore Teavana's teas! For something sweet and spicy, I'd recommend one of their newer teas, Samurai Chai Matte. It has a citrus undertone with a kick and I think you'd like it. It has 100% the amount of caffine as a cup of coffee.

minie_meese
05-27-2009, 07:12 PM
I live in Ontario, Canada, just 20 minutes north of Toronto.
Does anyone know if there is a Teavana up here?

I think the closest Teavana to Toronto is in Buffalo at the Galleria but you do have something similar called the Tea Emporium http://www.theteaemporium.com/locations.html

I've visited a few other really nice tea shops, one in DC at Dupont Circle called Teaism, the other is very different from the others but a neat place - it is part if Pearl River Market in the SOHO district of NYC - http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/index.html I don't see the tea shop on their web site but you can't miss it when you are in the store - it is in an open mezzanine. You can sit and enjoy a pot of tea and watch all of the people in the store. My daughter and I stop in there whenever I go to visit her in NY.

MinnieVacations
05-28-2009, 06:22 PM
Doesn't Palo's have an afternoon tea? If any of us are going on the podcast cruise maybe we could all get together for tea? My husband would never have afternoon tea with me and I'd love to try it on the cruise.

BriarRosie
05-28-2009, 09:18 PM
Doesn't Palo's have an afternoon tea? If any of us are going on the podcast cruise maybe we could all get together for tea? My husband would never have afternoon tea with me and I'd love to try it on the cruise.

I wanted to do the tea on my one and only Disney cruise. I'm not sure if it was just on 7 days or longer itineraries, or if all had it.