Tazo

I was extremely sad to hear this store will close and make room for a teavana in early September. If you have enjoyed their teas at Tazo as I have. buy in bulk before they close forever! Many of the teas are not returning :(
I remember going to teavana, and most of the teas were EXTREMELY fruity or sugary. I like how at tazo tea, I can still taste tea and have a very subtle hint of fruit. I also remember their pushy sales people, telling me ridiculous things like «our berry mate is 100% caffeine!!»: /​I mean I was asking for the tea with the strongest caffeine content and asked for a comparison i.e. stronger than green tea? less than coffee? And they would just say «this tea has 100% caffeine!» over and over again until I gave up. Tazo would reply «any of our mates have about ¹⁄₃ a cup of coffee.» Now doesn’t that make more sense? I seriously hope Starbucks does not change the sales tactics of this store with some BS about the tins they sell and how it keeps the tea fresh for XXXX years longer or something like that. The Tazo folk just say «we’ll give you a discount if you buy a tin and bring it back to re-​fill», no BS.
Anyway, I’ll still probably visit (once after they turn to) Teavana and pray that the sales staff has not drank too much of the Teavana kool-​aid. Thanks Tazo!

It is so fun to go into the Tazo store and sniff all their teas. I like the way it is organized separating the teas based on if they are fruitiness, medicinal purpose, normal (i.e. plain black, jasmine, etc), and one other wall I can’t remember. They also have an area where you can choose flavors and they will mix your own tea leaf concoction. You can order single cups of iced, hot, or sparkling tea and they will make it while you wait. I had one of their earl grey short bread ish cookies and it was delicious! I just found out that Starbucks (which owns Tazo) just bought out Teavanna also. I think between the two stores I like the Tazo store better. However, the Teavanna store uses a really cool rock sugar to sweeten the drinks.

First tea room I’ve ever been to. The staff was quite friendly and personable.
They had quite a few options, but not exactly what I wanted. However, they do allow you to mix and match things here and there — something of which I like to consider myself a master! ;)
I ended up with an earthy, slightly spicy tea with a tangy, citrus punch. Rooibos w/​blood orange.
Sparkling iced tea is a great idea. Enjoy a refreshing tea and enhance it with bubbles (which theoretically should draw out even more flavor).

IT’S HOOOOOTTTT. Must find drink.
Oooh Tazo Tea.
Anyway, I really like tea. I am willing to fork up three bucks for a cup o’ tea (to be fair this was more like two cups LOL). This is especially true when I have been walking around and it is hot.
Anyway, this tea store is big.
Salespeople: Now, the reason I even mention this is because of peoples’ complaints about Teavana. The sales people here are nice. They aren’t pushy, but they do pay attention to you. I was honestly going to walk out without tea because there wasn’t a specific flavor I really liked, but I asked a random girl who had a cup what was in hers because it looked good. Well, the sales guy poured me up a sample, and it was a great fruity, green tea flavor.
Tea: You can also make your own tea blend! Cool. They also had pre-​made loose leaf.
Price: Honestly, pricing was better than Teavana. He made the tea exactly as I wanted (light ice=more tea).
A perfect, refreshing treat on a hot day… or I guess more times, a cold day.

If you’ve ever walked around U-​Village, I’m sure you’ve had a cup of Tazo Tea. They always make sure that their sample thermos is full of yummy tea. However, if you’ve never been inside, let me tell you about it!
The store itself is great. It’s a beautiful location with a peaceful interior — it makes me feel very calm. I know that sounds weird, but if you’ve never been here, I suggest you come and get a feel for the atmosphere haha!
The staff is very nice, as well. I found them to be all very social and knowledgeable. They gave a good recommendation when we told them to surprise us with something good.
So why the 3 stars? While I think that their tea is quite good, I found their prices a little too high. For me, it’s hard to justify spending $ 15 for some tea for myself. It makes the tea seem more like a delicacy rather than tea. I will, however, continue to keep this place in mind when I need a gift.

Service at Tazo continues to be amazing! «Barista» Tara was excellent today and it clearly very passionate about the brand and its products. It is great to see a company that knows the products they sell and can help personally create beverages to enjoy. Tazo has such a wide variety of flavors that you are sure to find a wonderful tea to enjoy!

This is a temple of tea, and I would like to volunteer to be its high priestess! The first Tazo Tea store in the nation is a brilliant success in my books. The store strikes the perfect aesthetic tone, with hits of whimsy (grass on the walls, tea pots and mugs hung with a just-​so air) and modernity (straight clean lines… that’s about all i know about modern design lol). I could get lost in the store, daydreaming about what custom-​blended teas to create. And at only 3 bucks an oz w/​a two oz minimum, you can afford to try more than one! I also love how I can get loose-​leaf versions of the Tazo flavors I’m already drinking in a bag. You can also get some tea beverages, like hot/​iced tea, tea lattes, and sparkling teas, but sadly there’s no place to sit. The employees are all very knowledgeable and very nice (and very cute), so all in all if you’re looking for a quiet yet thrilling place to get your tea on, cross the threshold and convert to the religion of tea.

So *this* is where Tazo hides most of its tea, aside from the dozen or so types you see at Starbucks and grocery stores.
It’s a nice idea. There are some things I really like about it, such as the custom-​made carbonated tea and the creative flavors. (i.e. Sugar Plum Green Rooibos) They also have equally creative treats, like the curry white chocolate bar, but sadly those don’t necessarily translate so well into taste.
There are some things I really don’t like about the store, like the price (everything is like $ 15 for a tin that holds a couple of oz – that’s bad, even for a frou-​frou specialty store), the placement of the labels on the tea-​tins which borders on sloppy, and the kind of creepy ambiance. I felt like I was in a sterile Victorian dollhouse.

I love tea stores. We were greeted upon entering the store which was nice. The store layout being divided into 4 sections was explained to us. I really liked the store décor. It was chic and modern.
The tea barista friendly enough. She didn’t make any suggestions however was able to tell me she preferred an Earl Grey latte to the Cinnamon one on the menu. Any tea can be made into a latte and you are able to smell whichever tea your heart desires. There is one big table to sit at and enjoy your drinks as well.
Most tea accessories and pots seemed very over priced. Not many prices shown around the store for products and the staff wasn’t overly friendly after the initial greeting.
There was a man working behind a counter across the tea bar. I have no idea what he was doing. He wasn’t dealing with any customers yet never approached, spoke or made eye contact.
I’ve been to many tea shops and this one had a great tea latte and beautiful décor but the customer service was severely lacking and borderline cold.

This place totally takes tea to a whole new level… I’m not even a tea drinker and it made me want to drink it.
As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by an incredibly knowledge staff member who showed us how the store was divided into 4 sections with different themes of tea. The tea sold here is all loose tea and they’ve got some great accessories to steep.
In addition to tea, they have some really great treats including tea-​infused shortbread and tea-​infused chocolate. We sampled the shortbread, and I bought an earl grey lavender chocolate which had a really subtle hint of earl grey but had a really heavy aftertaste. Really good!
We also sampled 2 of the teas… one, I can’t remember the name, was green and really coated your mouth and had wheatgrass. It began with an m. That’s so not helpful. Then we had a fruity iced tea that was sparkling — it was really interesting. It tasted like a cross between passion tea lemonade and Refreshers from Starbucks.
I liked the sparkling iced tea but wasn’t as crazy about the wheatgrass.
The store itself is beautiful, they’ve got some really fun accessories — I’ll definitely have to come back!

Omg I love this store. I love tea and this store is a tea haven.
Yes, it’s part of Starbucks so it has that corporate upscale U-​Village feel. It really fits in perfectly with U-​Village.
The first time I came in, I just browsed and took a catalog because it was rather overwhelming.
The 2^nd time I came in, I immediately grabbed a sample of the Settle tea. My stomach was kind of crazy that day and this tea was perfect. It really did soothe my stomach!
The reason I had come in was to get a gift for my fellow tea loving friend. I was helped by a young man… I think his name was Sean or Seth? He’s a wonderful sales associate– Tazo, hang on to him! He showed me around the store and told me he could custom blend something for me as well. Seemed like the perfect gift!
The sales associate custom blended a Settle tea with ginger and lemongrass for me.
He was very friendly, rang it up for me and was with me during the entire transaction from beginning to end. He was never distracted by someone else or anything!
This store has a huge variety and it’s so much fun browsing. I do have a couple cons though:
–Wish you could try all the samples because it’s hard to buy a tea not knowing what to expect. I just got lucky I wanted the sample one!
–Price! One 4oz tin was $ 16…not cheap!
I’m planning on going back this weekend for some Settle tea myself!

I’m having an tough time with Tazo. truth be told. Maybe I’m just a tea curmudgeon.
In theory, and from a design perspective (and I love modern design) Tazo is a great new take on retail.
White, pristine, modern and attractive, it’s a shop you might find in a spread in Dwell Magazine (and I love Dwell Magazine.) I want my kitchen to look like their retail space.
Tazo is a Starbucks enterprise and its a gourmet wine shop meets retail apothecary, with an almost art-​gallery like feel. Walk in here, and you and your friends can partake in a high-​end tea tasting. What’s not to like?
I came in during the holiday rush, and caught up in the moment, I thought I might almost be willing to fork over unbelievable amounts of money for the unique experience of making a custom blend concoction for my husband with the help of skilled tea artisans (a near thrilling concept) should I be afforded the opportunity.
But this is where things fell short.
The artisans were busy. The shop was crowded. This store looked nothing like any other store I’d been in. For instance, where was the line? Could I order a tea while I was waiting? I looked around but couldn’t figure the flow out. Could I even order tea here to drink? Where did the line start? Where did it end? Where would I sit down once I had my tea since there are no chairs or tables? Where was the cash register? Who could help me? Where in the heck is the line? And finally, what am I doing in here?
I love innovative concepts, but there is a disconnect when you go into a tea shop and you can’t figure out how to order and enjoy a cup of tea or purchase a product.

I love Tazo tea since I first tasted the Giant Peach Tea at my local Barnes and Noble café. I came here during the holidays to pick up a gift for a tea loving friend. The staff was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and didn’t look at me strangely because I didn’t know everything about Chinese green tea tips!
My friend loved her gift, I loved my experience, I’ll definitely be back!

I like that this is more than just a tea store, and that they freshly brew tea for you as well. Ice tea, tea lattes and also sparkling tea. The strawberry sparkling tea was really good, especially paired with their savory madelines. They also take starbucks card, which is a plus because you earn stars for free drink! No more ordering boring ice tea at sbux at u village now, time to be sophisticated at the new tazo store.

I’ve been a Tazo fan since I was in middle school. I love Tazo and will continue to be a fan.
I was absolutely giddy when I heard they were opening a store in U-​Village. I had never heard of a Tazo store! Katy H. said this location is the only Tazo store in existence. How cool is that?! And we get the privilege of having the store in our backyard. Awesome.
As a Community Manager Unilocal Event (CMYE), Katy H. set up a tasting for us at the store.
We had the pleasure of being treated to a trio of Earl Greys for a tasting with James from Tazo. We even got a complimentary Earl Grey flavored chocolate to pair with the tea. James was very knowledgeable and gracious and showed us around the store after our tasting.
I bought a tin of the peach cobbler tea and the hula mate. I cannot wait to drink them at home. They smelled wonderful.
If you buy 4 or more ounces of tea the metal tin is free. Great deal! The teas ranged from $ 2.95-$ 3.95/ ounce as far as I could tell.
The décor is whimsical. Think Alice in Wonderland meets herbalist Very fun!
I can’t wait to go back to the store. Everyone was so friendly and our time here was very pleasant. I really hope they succeed!

I’m loving the off shoot shops that Starbucks is generating now: Tazo and Evolution Fresh juices! Customization you’ll find here, is its top service to creating a tea blend to fit you or perhaps another tea lover.
I didn’t have a chance to create my own blend because I ended up getting lost amongst all the kitschy and fun tea accessories that lined the walls. The tea variety is much more expansive than what you’ll be finding at your Starbucks as well, which makes this place for a must stop in.

Tazo is one of the new Starbucks affiliated businesses operating in the ever yuppifying University Village. The staff is perky and abundant, with general knowledge about most of the teas, and a couple of employees who are a bit more hardcore about specific kinds of tea available. With 80 (their claim) varieties and countless others available for custom blending, this is definitely a place to check out of tea aficionados with some cash to burn. The space itself is beautiful and well laid out, with a small corner in back dedicated to ordering custom cups of tea, and possibly pots.
The caveat here, with most stores in U Village, is the price. Cheaper teas run $ 2.95/ounce, and more expensive up to $ 9.95/ounce; you can purchase by the ounce, or purchase a tin, with prepackaged tins available in 2 through 4 ounces. You can honestly find most of the teas i saw here at Remedy or Uwagimaya’s for cheaper, but of course they wouldn’t come with the fancy logo and embossed tins, and (of course) being able to brag about having bought it at the Tazo store. I personally walked out purchasing a couple varieties of tea– but with my 30% Starbucks partner discount (which they will honor here, fellow partners), the price was much more reasonable than if I had not had one.

A Tea lovers nirvana, a delightfully Martha Stewart stylized and decorated spot, just a few storefronts from the Starbucks, where the Lululemon used to be, which is now moved just eye/​ear shot on the lower level of the Room and Board.
You walk in, it’s a clean, brightly lit and you are immediately greeted by someone there. As you look around, the store is divided into a few sections. It might take you a moment to get a feel of it, but it makes sense. Let’s start with the wall… (All samples are in jars, for you to sniff at, or take a pinch to squeeze and pull out some of the nature oils.)
Also, remember, you can buy by weight if you just want a little bit of the stuff.
1. Pure Leaf — This would be the unadulterated pure form of teas, they are clean, and a delight if you are into exploring the clean essence the tea. I enjoyed the many types of black tea, and massive varieties of Green and White tea.
2. Healthy — They have a few selections of tea which are dedicated to health considerations, with leaf and other natural ingredients geared to that segment of people. I saw a ginger infused tea in this section, smelled amazing, healthy or not, I might get a tin of it.
3. Mixed Teas — The far war from where you walk in, there is a large wall, two sections of fragrant and mixed flavors… the aromas there were fantastic; I recommend that you take a moment find a staff person there to help show you around that section, and to learn more about the teas.
Next is the mixing station in the middle… after you get an alchemist’s dream; it’s the perfect place to take your favorite Tazo and blend it yourself. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I wished I could take two tastes and put them together. Well, here’s your chance, and once you get a mix going, you can head over to the Tea Bar, and give your personalized mix a try.
I think this is a great start to what we already have in Seattle, which are the many Tea shops. I like Miro and Remedy; but this place has potential… I would have expected more seating, you would expect a tea shop from Starbucks would encourage people to hang around, but this is unfortunately is more of a hipster/​Martha Stewart tea boutique.
Worth coming, sure, but don’t expect to spend much time here, come in /​buy /​then leave.

I think Starbucks Corp has taken over U.Village. In addition to the three Starbucks in the village and Evolution (an organic juice/​smoothie bar featuring Starbucks’ newest juice brand), now the Tazo brand has its own store where the Lululemon used to be.
From the outset, the swanky lighting and minimalist décor is probably the first and biggest factor that draws you in. The free samples of tea on a blustery day is also comforting. But once inside its slightly chaotic with gawkers, shoppers, and tourists trying to figure out what they just stepped into and staff people shuffling around trying to help them. The store opened in mid-​Nov 2012 so this review might be premature but as for the tea, there’s lots of it.
Most of it is on the walls in sample jars that you can smell. The rest is prepackaged loose leaf in containers on the shelf and if you find a flavor that you can’t find on the shelf you just find the nearest «tearista» and they’ll pack it for you.
The store itself is lovely, the tea mixing experience is fun, and the staff is pretty helpful. But overall, for what it is I tend to think everything is highly overpriced. The tea on shelf runs about 12 – 15 bucks a can. Loose leaf tea by the ounce runs 2.95/oz with a 4 oz min. The loose leaf tea at Remedy Tea, Whole Foods and PCC runs cheaper and is arguably of better quality.
Those flowering tea bombs that everyone loves go for 9.95/oz. I asked the lady how many bombs does an ounce get you and she said «probably 2.» Either way, I swear you can get them cheaper at Remedy.
The tea mugs and pots they sell are nicely designed but nothing you couldn’t find in the dish/​tea section at Uwajimaya. Tazo also doesn’t carry nearly as many tea gadgets or the variety of practical drinkware as Teavana (i.e no commuter mugs at Tazo).
So overall, yes visit Tazo once and take in the «oh look what Starbucks has done now» gawk factor. The novelty of it all is fun. Mix some tea and get a shortbread cookie. But personally I wouldn’t go rush out and make Tazo a go-​to place for all your tea needs. Stick to Uwajimaya for a bigger, better selection of green tea and Remedy or Whole Foods for other loose leaf options.

Tazo (from Starbucks) just opened a 1,700-square-foot store in University Village devoted to tea! And it’s GORGEOUS!
Here you’ll find a shabby chic collection of whites and greens. The décor is whimsical yet simple. Much like you’d expect to find in a fairytale tea garden but with a pop of Kate Spade-​esque style. I absolutely adore the space. Think Alice in Wonderland but subtract the psychedelic drugs. There are giant topiary chess pieces, big royal gold frames with cute teapots on display, and swirls and shapes that remind you of crowns and hats and all things tea garden.
The pops of color here are found in the various products ranging from glass jars of colorful loose leaf teas to cute mugs, tea sets, tea spoons, jars of organic tea infused honey, flavored sugars, and a variety of other cute gifts and packaged goods. Edible items like chocolates, cookies and even savory madelienes are all infused with tea as well!
In the center of the space there’s a lovely white chandelier that draws you into the space. It’s clear that this spot is devoted more to selling tea for home brewing than to in-​store tea drinking, but in-​store drinking and sampling can be done here as well! While checking out the space and shopping around I spotted a communal table with stools that sat at least 8 – 10. There are about 80 loose-​leaf teas plus a blending station for customers to create their own with ingredients ranging from rooibos to chocolate teas, hibiscus and marigold petals. Browsing the room I spotted two really cute «tea trees» where customers can look at and even open and smell the various tea varieties available for mixing.
And finally, a small tea-​barista bar at the back will serve hot and iced tea, tea lattes and sparkling tea drinks steeped and carbonated while you wait. Having bought out Teavana, TAZO (and Starbucks) are really taking tea to a whole new level.