Teavana

Loose teas in black, white, and the grassy green. Samples of hot and cold tea. And friendly staff. It’s a tea drinker’s paradise. Got to try five kinds of tea. Bought a cast iron tea pot – 30% off, how awesome – and had a blast talking to the staff who suggested teas and were patient when I was torn between two beautiful teapots. I even bought the warmer and got a gift of tea lights. Oh, Starbucks, if only you gave out the ounce of tea for birthdays again.

I really like teavan teas!!! They have a very fun selection of teas, including many desert style teas like chocolate and such. The workers are very attentive and love to talk about tea, so i can tell they enjoy working at teavana. 5 stars for the workers!!! 3.5 stars 4 stars for the teas. Some taste artificial but most taste very good!!!
I like that you can order tea by the cup hot or iced, but you can’t order anything off the wall like you used to. I will still come back to shop here for tea!!!

I came here while shopping at Oakbrook mall, even though I didnt buy anything the staff was extremely helpful. As soon as I walked in I was greeted by a staff member. He asked me what I was looking for I let him know I had a return.
I had purchased a Teavana Perfectea Maker and within 2 weeks of using it, it cracked :(
I explained that to the man and he said no problem, well take it back and exchanged me for a new one. I was in and out in under 5 minutes, now thats great customer service.

I have to give the staff of Teavana at Oakbrook major kudos. They’re informed, pleasant, and very helpful.
Shamefully, I have to admit that I became one of «those» customers — «Can I help you with something?» «Yes. I want something. But I don’t know what the something is, other than a few unhelpful details.»
I had been charged with picking up tea for my mother. «It was strawberry something. Possibly pre-​packaged. Probably decaf?» And that was all I had to work on. So I had to come to these poor employees with that deeply unhelpful description and Jon at Oakbrook really did a delightful job with sorting out what it was that I was looking for. He was incredibly helpful. Five stars for my experience at Teavana.

Avoid this place the customer service is terrible. I waited in line for over almost 15 mins to order a cup of tea only to have the an employee tell me «Here’s the list of teas let me ring up the person behind you.» Teavana train your employees in customer service. The employee bypassed me because I was buying a cup of tea and not a tin of tea like the dude behind me. Rude.

I was love stopping by the store and getting free tea. They’re always very friendly to you and offering you teas. Very friendly and well educated employees happy to visit every time I come. Also on a bunch of teavana equipment and tease. Great products and they are catching up to Starbucks. Actually were bought out by Starbucks

I got the worst service from this location. They were so disorganized and rude that it makes me never want to go back to any of their stores. I’ve been to the old orchard location which is busier and had a much better experience.

I love this place. My favorite is the Orange blossom, and peach something fruity that they usually sample. Try to mix it and get a cup Frm the tea bar. It would be nice if Starbucks carried the same thing since there one company. :)

The tea itself is fantastic however some of the sales associates can be pushy and condescending which may ruin your experience. I witnessed one tell a customer that the way he boiled water was the «worst thing he could do to it.» Not everyone is a tea aficionado or aspires to be, some people are just looking for an alternative to coffee. I try to come in knowing exactly what I want and prepared to firmly decline any up-​sells. Also, beware of the «heavy hand.» I asked for 2 ounces of two different teas and each time the same associate bagged almost an extra ounce which in an effort to not be difficult I accepted, however can lead you to spend $ 10+ unintentional dollars and I don’t always appreciate that. One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch and not all staff members are created equal. Ben and Mackenzie were awesome! Mackenzie greeted me with a smile, made a polite suggestion of adding fresh ginger to one of my favorite teas and it has changed my life. The Body & Mind tea is phenomenal and does not compare to anything you can buy in average retail outlets. I recommend feeling out who is helping you because the product is totally worth it.

6÷6÷2014 Update: It’s good to see that this Teavana location has started making individual tea to go again. For a while they had stopped offering cups of tea, and I was ready to stop coming here altogether.
The tea selections are good, but very expensive for what you get. Some of their tea costs over $ 16/​ounce. You can save money by buying their basic black tea ($ 3.98/oz) and adding your own flavorings at home.
I will say though that their Oprah Chai is amazingly good! Unlike many of their other expensive teas, this one is worth every cent you pay for it. Highly recommended.
I may up my review if they start offering more reasonably priced options.

Didn’t have a good experienced being rushed by an attendant named Penny. She insisted on using the same sampler cups for all the teas in the store. That really messed up our experience since she kept touching the cups with her hands and sticking fingers inside. It was interesting (and additionally irritating) that she was only insisting that for only certain types (read ethnicities) of folks. Others she would not. So we felt even worse.
In addition, she was more worried about making a sale than helping us gain a better understanding of teas. In addition the tone was condescending.
«Beet sugar is not sugar, it digests as a vegetable!» — so then it should be the hottest selling item for diabetics — shouldn’t it? No, we didn’t engage her on that. But by this time, we were ready to leave.
We purchased a green tea that our friends had gifted us before but chances are after the experience, I can hit their competitors in Naperville where I have had a much much better experience.

Love loose tea! Went here for my first time last week and we were immediately greeted by an employee who stuck with us the entire 20 minutes we were in the shop. He was attentive and extremely helpful/​patient.
Only reason why I don’t give 4 stars is the price. $ 26 for 2 ounces?! I know that’s not every tea, but come on! I got what I was looking for and was satisfied, I just wish you wouldn’t charge so freekin much. I might have to find an alternative store because I’ve heard of other places that don’t charge nearly as much for good quality tea.

We stopped in some of the shops, then decided to get a quick tea.
Starbucks can make a tea quickly, efficiently and still is delicious. so why can’t Teavana?
Well, I know there is a certain process. But, after I ordered, I really wanted to just walk out. It literally took 12 minutes for the woman to make 2 hot teas!
They don’t appear to have an efficient process. Everyone was taking turns making tea instead of just having one person make the tea. So employees were waiting around to use the tiny area. It was good tea, but $ 9 for 2 teas? Um, no thanks. I won’t do that again. Also, there were 5 employees working in that tiny little store. Definitely overkill because they weren’t properly utilizing the staff. Some were just standing around.
The only thing efficient is harassing everyone that walks in. Anyone that has walked by a Teavana knows that they give samples. Then, they harass you into buying something. I wanted a tea, but my fiancé didn’t. Then she said «but you seemed to like this tea? are you sure you don’t want it?» «no thank you» «are you sure?» «no, I don’t want any» «OK. but you seemed like you really liked it.»
OMG. Just stop.
They are worse than car salesmen.
It’s really good tea, just too expensive and the employees are way too pushy & aggressive. A

My tea supply was running crazy low, so I came to this Teavana location a couple weeks ago to stock up. It was a crazy cold day, and this is located in an outdoor mall, so it took a bit of navigation and frozen toes before I found the store.
Once I found Teavana, I walked inside and was greeted by a million employees. OK, maybe not a million, but there was someone waiting to help me in nearly every aisle. And the store itself is TINY. I honestly didn’t even have a chance to look around because so many people were offering samples and talking to me and blocking everything. It was overwhelming and annoying. I know that you have to make sales (do they even work on commission here?), but LET ME LOOK AROUND! Sigh.
So, I wasn’t able to explore. But I got what I came for anyway, which was a new supply of tea. The woman that ushered me to the counter (a little bit too quickly…) listened to me, offered various suggestions and made sure that I was happy with my purchase (a few different teas) before leaving. I’m thankful for that, but just wish I wasn’t rushed.
Also, something to note — the salespeople are pushy. It’s good to know what you want, or you may be swayed by all the tea scents and end up purchasing much more than you need. Fortunately, I knew exactly what I wanted and avoided unnecessary purchases.
There aren’t too many Teavana locations near me, so I’ll probably come back to restock my supply; however, I’ll make sure to dodge all the employees and browse until I’m ready to pick out my teas.

Okay so I used to be an avid teavana customer but was absolutely turned off genome employee. She asked while ringing up my loose leaf tea if I had tins at home and I answered by saying i use glass jars. (I’ve been fortunate enough learn from tea masterthat as long as you keep tea in an airtight and dark container, it’s fine). She then crudely replied with «ohhhhh… you really should use tins». I said I preferred glass very simply and she said «alright, it’s your tea.» In a very condescending manner.
I respect that the staff is encouraged to make sales on tins, but if a customer says they preferred otherwise, you don’t argue with them. I said I no longer wanted my purchase and left. I’ve Also learned since leaving that the fruit they dry and put in their tea is coated in sugar to make it sweeter. Not my taste anymore when it comes to tea!

The short of it:
Teavana sells fine teas which are precious things, but which come with a precious price. Teavana staff practice hard sell tactics. DO try the teas and perhaps purchase some for home, but DON’T wander into Teavana unprepared.
I have a little (I’m holding up my right thumb and index finger with a tiny space between them) education and experience in coffee and tea, but was unprepared for my first encounter with Teavana. They hooked me with delicious samples as I walked through the door. I left almost $ 30 poorer even though I like to think I’m tough when it comes to salespeople. I do not have $ 30 to spend on tea! The Teavana salesperson bested me.
But here’s the upside…
These three teas (a mere 2 oz. each) are lasting forever! It takes only a scant amount to make a flavorful cup or pot of tea, plus many fine teas may be re-​brewed. Most of the tea I have in tea bags give out after one infusion. It may well be that this fine tea is less expensive cup for cup than the cheap stuff in the supermarkets. And while I do not know this to be a fact, I honestly feel I am getting my money’s worth. I am enjoying my teas!
So let me offer some advice:
1. If you don’t know much about tea apart from tea bags available in supermarkets, do a little internet searching about grades of tea and the like, or ask a tea-​loving friend. Perhaps browse Teavana’s website too. This may allow you to appreciate the teas you will see and taste at Teavana and judge whether or not they are fairly priced.
2. Practice your most emphatic, car-​salesman-​resisting, door-​to-​door-​salesman refusing «No’. You will need it. You do not want to feel swindled or leave with an empty wallet.
3. Note that you can return any tea you purchase — that’s what I was told — good to know if the Teavana salespeople get you with their Jedi Mind Trick.
4. Unless you want to purchase the pretty Teavana tins, you may go to the nearby Container Store to purchase inexpensive plain tins to protect your investment in tea.

I LOVE Teavana! This is a newer location by me. I usually go to the Woodfield one. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, the sample teas are Soho good that you can’t pick just one, try them all! I’m thinking of the amount of rock sugar that they put in their sample teas that make it so yummy! Sugar high!
This location is across the Sears dept. store in this outside mall.
You can buy loose tea or even order a hot or cold tea of your choice for a fancy price, like Starbucks prices. Oh and I think you can use your Starbucks cards here too, but don’t quote me I saw someone who asked and I think the cashier accepted it so ask first.
They have some nice gift sets for tea lovers as well. I bought their purple tea tumbler for hot or cold tea that comes with it’s own little mesh basket inside to steep your loose leaf teas in it! I LOVE it, I even bought one for a friend’s birthday gift!
When I buy teas, I stock up cause you get a better deal when you order a 1lbs of one kind of tea or several types of 2 oz of loose leaf teas which I did. Keep in mind it does get pricey so don’t go overboard or you’ll end up with a $ 50 bill at the end!
I sometimes wish they had sales of their teas or a coupon like buy 2 oz get the 2^nd at half price or a membership card of the amount of purchase you get something free.
I recommend to take a current free booklet in the store that has the details of the teas and prices per 2 oz. They sometime change their seasonal teas every few months.
If you’re a newbie of teas, just get a couple of 2 oz of different types of teas. All you need is 1 table spoonful of the tea for a hot cup or thermal full. Remember it’s quality tea you’re purchasing. It’s not Lipton tea!
I did buy the canisters to keep my teas in as it does WORK for keeping the teas fresher, longer. I reuse it when I switch out a new tea or refill the existing flavored one.
It’s nice that it’s in this outside mall, at times it does get hot inside cause it’s not that big of a space. It gets crowded, lots of lights, and they make hot tea too. So be careful NOT to bump into anything, break it you pay for it.
I enjoy their different types of teas. I’m more of a Green tea or Roobios (red teas) fan. The more fruity flavor ones, I don’t usually need to add any sweeteners unless it’s Stevia.
The quality of the tea is so good you can reuse the teas leaves again for a 2^nd time. I heard up to 4 times a day but the flavors/​strength does fade away after 2^nd time.

I can’t even believe what happened when I was here most recently.
Two iced teas out, so I sample them. One of them was really good. I’m chatting with the nice associate, and she asks if there was anything I needed that day.
The whole reason I stopped in was to get a cup of iced tea to stroll around Oakbrook with, so I let her know. I told her I like sweet teas usually something sweet mixed with something «healthful» …typically green tea.
She pulls out a tin of tea, opens the lid…“IS THAT POPCORN!!!” immediately comes out of my mouth. There was popped popcorn IN the tea she selected me. The very first suggestion she had. It’s like this girl knew my soul. I told her how I love popcorn, so what does she do? She scoops me out a piece of popcorn and candied guava to eat right then and there. Made my freaking day.
By far my best experience at Teavana yet. She actually ended up mixing 3 teas for me. It was delicious. But now I kinda need to know how my popcorn tea tastes by itself, so I will be back to check that out. It’s the Strawberry Paraiso White Tea incase you need to check this out yourself.
Sidenote: My friend and I realized it is way worth it to buy the big jar of German Rock Sugar if you plan on buying some, it’s about triple their smaller little bags and it comes with the jar for only slightly double the price. Totally worth it.

I mean, I’m not sure what to make of my experience here. It wasn’t all that bad, everyone was actually very nice and pleasant.
Was there some form of Teavana trickery involved in my transaction? Possibly.
I always park at Nordstrom and use that as my starting point when I go to Oak Brook and was making my way back from buying some undies at the Secret That is Victoria’s (Not for me, HEY NOW!) when I got drawn to Teavana by the lure of a tiny cup of tea. I almost never indulge, because, well, I just don’t. It’s not that I don’t like tea, I just haven’t had the urge to buy tea from a special Tea store. I get my tea from Woodman’s, TJ Maxx, or Mitsuwa, and it’s cheap as hell.
But something inside of me whispered, «Try the tea. It’s going to open your mind» So I did. Tried a Chai blend that they were peddling, and it was really delicious. The aroma from the tea, the delicate flavors, the warmth of the steeped liquid and the slight chill in the air from the wind all came together in a symbiotic whirlwind that sucked me into the store.
I knew what I wanted, and it was the exact same blend of tea I just tasted. So me and the wife stepped in line and were asked, «Have you ever purchased tea from us?» «No» was our reply. So the guy helping us explains how it works.
Buy a tin. Small one is $ 6, the bigger one is $ 7.
Fill it with tea. Minimum of 2 ounces per leaf.
So we chose the bigger tin, so that we could come back and fill up the tin after using whatever we purchased today. The tea blend we tasted was the White Ayurvedic Chai and the Samurai Chai Mate‘. Our friendly tea monger took the big tins with the tea in them and wafts the tea so we could smell them. They are odoriferous, in a good way. And also not cheap. At $ 10 and $ 6.20 per 2 ounces, respectively, I started doing some ninja math in my head. Because we had planned to just load the tin up to the brim before finding out the pricing scheme, I thought maybe that might dent my wallet badly. So I re-​evaluated the need to purchase so much tea and went with 2 oz each for a total of 4 ounces.
So after scooping our tea into our new tin, Mr. Dude asked if we «wanted a couple of cups started» Those were his exact words. «Can I get a couple of cups started for you?» I assumed that meant they were going to get a couple of cups of tea started using the loose leaf tea that I just purchased. That’s what seems to make the most sense to me. So he tells us to meet him down at the register.
I get there and I’m watching things get added.
Tin — $ 7
Ayur. White — $ 10
Sam. Chai — $ 6.20
Medium Tea x 2 — $ 9.90.
+ plus tac = approx. $ 36.
Wow. I totally got Jedi-​ed.
«
“You will buy a tin»
«You will do something dumb like spend $ 10 on tea even though you just spent $ 23 on the ability to make this same tea at home.»
Seriously, why would I spend roughly the amount I spent on 2 ounces of tea on 2 cups of tea. 2 ounces yields toughly 10 – 12 servings at home.
It’s good, as far as my non tea-​speaking ass can tell. But I sure felt like someone got my goat when I left. But at least we have this kick-​ass tin in our kitchen!

I love this place! It’s like a little piece of heaven to me! Last year for my birthday I got hooked on loose teas and this is the place to go if you have questions and want to try new things.
The staff is super helpful and knowledgable on the teas they carry and I haven’t left once with a tea that I disliked. They help you narrow down based on your preferences and always have samples of different types of teas to try.
The store space is a little small for the crowd it attracts but overall I love it… wish it had a place to sit and sip!