Teavana

Total disaster. Not only is the tea too expensive, but on my latest visit (2÷11÷16), my brief conversation with the clerk yielded to an argumentative conversation about whether or not they carry the same selection of tea kettles and mugs that they used to. My objective was to browse, to compare different styles and decide on a couple of items to enhance my current menagerie.
Teavana has relatively recently modified their floor to scatter different teapots and mugs and to diffuse (pardon the pun) one’s attention to their over-​priced electronic and ‘featured’ products. Their rock sugar, which used to be outrageously expensive ($ 15/​lb? From memory…) had come way down so we purchased some, much to my chagrin later, at patronizing this place at all.
However, I cannot convey enough my disappointment with the entire experience, except perhaps to say that the clerk was young or new. But it just wasn’t necessary to argue with me whether or not they had the selection of tea mugs that they used to have. One topical survey was enough to tell me that they did not have the selection I’d hoped for. It doesn’t matter what Teavana’s intent was or whether the store is smaller. Why argue with the obvious? Or the customer?
*If I knew exactly what I wanted, I wouldn’t need to visit a ‘brick and mortar’ store at all.*
A carefully polite request on their website got me no further. No apology. No additional information.
Teavana’s quality does not make up for their lack of service. And really, to be charging those rates, they should have one or the other.
There are several reputable online tea venders. Since what you get in taste tests at Teavana doesn’t match what you get at home, I’d recommend going with online samples until you find something you like, and avoid Teavana. Particularly the one at Dulles Towncenter.

Holy sticker shock! I ordered a lb. of tea at $ 80 because I saw a sign only listing tea in increments of 1 lb. I know what I’ll be drinking for the next month. The staff is very helpful, informative, and friendly. I was drawn in by the free tea samples. I never knew you could buy a cup of fresh brewed tea as well in any of the flavors they have available. You can use your Starbucks app for your purchase to win points towards free beverages.

Good tea, but very expensive. I was lured into the store after an afternoon of shopping. Holy crap their tea was really yummy. I ended up buying Youthberry & Orange blossom combo. They charge you $ 6 for the canister, so a «canister» of tea ended up costing $ 26. That canister made me 3 pitchers of iced tea, which tasted nowhere near as good as the sample. I searched around on the interwebs, and found out that Teavana apparently uses 3x as much tea as in the directions on their floor samples. Yikes.
Yeah, I’m not willing to spend $ 20 for a pitcher of homemade tea. ($ 20×3 = $ ⁶⁰⁄₃ pitchers … $ 20 a pitcher). Link here:
Oh. actually it would cost more, if you factor in the buttload of fancy German rock sugar they use. I like the tea, but I’m now on the interwebs trying to find cheaper alternatives. I’m sure they exist.

Love Teavanna. Always helpful and employee helped me get a replacement filter for the one I lost.

They always have fresh samples and the employees are so kind and knowledgable. the husky reddish haired guy was especially awesome!

I have recently discovered Teavana’s iced tea bar. It is pretty good. They will brew any tea to order. I was under the impression that they only sold loose teas. I really like their chai teas. It can get pricey on the better teas but good teas are a luxury. The time and effort that goes into tea production are clearly what makes the drinker feel appreciative of those who toiled and labored for it.
The staff is super friendly and informative. Drop by and order an iced chai tea, you will not be disappointed. If you are a gold card member from Starbucks, use the card or app to pay for your tea, free refills. I have been loving the teas there this summer.

A few weeks ago I went into this Teavana and saw they had this beautiful bone china blue sapphire tea set and it was on sale, but I didn’t buy it, because it was a total impulse. But then I couldn’t stop thinking about the set and how perfect it would be to use for my upcoming wedding, because it matched my colors perfectly, so I had to have it. When I went back, they were all sold out. Kim was working and she understood the importance of me having this set, so she looked it up in the system and found one that was available in another store. She called and asked them to send it to me right away, so I was super excited! A few days later, it arrived, but not in perfect condition. During shipping, two cups and one dish was broken. I called Teavana back and they searched and searched and searched for another one, and then called me back and said they had a replacement for my broken pieces! I was really excited, so I went back to the store to get the replacements. Turns out, Alex, another employee at the store, had purchase the set himself, and was going to GIVE ME his pieces to complete my set! Who does this?! I felt horrible taking someone else’s possessions, but after a short conversation, decided to take the kind offer. Now I have a perfect special touch for my big day, thanks to Teavana!
I’m not sure what I can do to thank the employees at Teavana enough, specifically Alex and Kim. There just aren’t enough people like them in this world not to mention in the service industry! Alex, I hope to pay your kindness forward :)

While there is a good variety of tea, it’s super expensive. Hard sell doesn’t even begin to describe the experience that you will have! I have found less push people on a used car lot! If I decide that I need more tea, I will be ordering online. I purchased 5 different teas and asked for each one to be 2 ounces. Guess what, not a single one of them was actually 2 ounces. One was 4, one was 6, one was 3… Come on guys, pull it together! I’m trying to buy tea, not spend a whole paycheck here!

Sad to say my visit at this Teavana was awful. Don’t get me wrong the staff was very pleasant. The only mistake I thought they had made was placing the wrong tea in my bag. However when I took the tea back to the Pentagon City Mall the staff there was shocked that I didnt get the full discount that I was entitled too because I had brought in my canisters to get filled. I was over charged by $ 80!!! Awful!

I went into this Teavana location and had an experience which is pretty interesting given the hard sell approach in the other review.
I went in today to get a gift certificate. There were maybe 2 other people in the store and there were 3 Teavana clerks. I went up to the cash register, picked up a gift card, and waited for one of the clerks to assist. At this point two began helping other customers in the store and the other continued doing essentially nothing behind the counter. Having worked retail before I understand when you’re busy you can’t immediately help every customer, but you also should give some indication you recognize their presence. However, none of the three clerks so much as looked at me, standing there at the cash register with a gift card ready to be bought.
I don’t know if this is part of their hard sell approach but it definitely lost a sale for them today. I wouldn’t recommend this location or, now that it’s part of Starbucks, this franchise.

Through the years, Teavana has been creeping closer and closer to where I live. When it first came to NoVA, I was really happy to see it in Tysons Corner. Fair Oaks was next — even better! Then, it was in Reston Town Center — way better! And, now — much to my surprise! — It’s at the Dulles Town Center Mall. For me, it can’t get any better than that.
This Teavana opened 2 weeks ago. Today, I popped in to buy tea. Much as we really like Teavana’s teas, it’s never easy to get in and out of the place, due to the hard sell. It should be a simple process if one knows what one wants, right? Wrong! Through the years, I’ve learned to resist the hard sell but the clerk that I dealt with at this Teavana was a bit more slippery than some. Here’s how it went:
Clerk: Welcome! Have you ever been to Teavana?
Me: Lots of times. (Then I go to grab some tea bags and go to the counter to place my order.)
I’d like 8 ozs of Earl Grey Crème and 8 ozs of Rooibos Tropica, please.
Clerk: If you buy a pound, you get a 10% discount, so do you want a pound of each?
Me: I’m buying a pound — 8 ozs of each, so I’m already getting a discount.
Clerk: But you can get a bigger discount if you buy more.
Me: I know that but this is what I want right now.
Clerk: (Eyeing my box of tea bags). Do you want to learn about a different way of brewing tea? That way you don’t have to keep buying tea bags.
Me: No thanks, I like using tea bags. That way, I don’t have to wash anything.
Clerk: Oh, okay. Do you need any tins?
Me: No, I have some at home.
Then the clerk fills up the first tea bag and goes slightly over 8 ozs (big surprise — not!). I look — it’s 8.4 ozs. and tell him that it was okay that he went over. His next move — very slippery — he takes the scoop and puts even more tea in the bag!
Me: I meant that it was okay that you went a little over. I didn’t want you to add even more!
Clerk: Oh, sorry. (He takes out the extra tea). With the second bag, he goes a little over 8 ozs. — no problem. He then rings up the purchase and actually remembers the 10% discount.
I know that I could order the stuff online. However, in many ways it’s just so much easier to pick up the tea when I’m shopping. So, the upshot is this — great flavored teas and a huge selection. However, word to the wise — beware the up sell. For example, if you go in the store and ask about green teas, they will try to sell you the most expensive stuff first. Don’t be afraid to ask how much per ounce the cost is. If it’s more than what you want to spend, ask them to show you something cheaper.
This Teavana is a small-​size shop — not the smallest one I’ve seen. If things are slow when you are there, the store size is no problem. However, I can imagine what it would be like if it is ever busy.