Teavana is a specialty tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

 and tea accessory retailer based in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. Teavana currently operates over 180 company-owned stores in 36 U.S. states and Mexico.

History

Teavana started in Atlanta, Georgia in 1997, with the opening of the first teahouse at Lenox Square Mall. The husband and wife team that created Teavana invested their life savings into the teahouse concept after traveling abroad, noticing the gravitation of Americans towards fine wines and coffees in the United States.

In July 2011, Teavana filed terms with the SEC to raise $100 million in an initial public offering.

Tea types

Teavana currently offers teas and herbal infusions, with categories such as: white

White tea

White tea is a lightly oxidized tea grown and harvested almost exclusively in China, primarily in the Fujian province.White tea comes from the delicate buds and younger leaves of the Chinese Camellia sinensis plant. These buds and leaves are allowed to wither in natural sunlight before they are...

, green

Green tea

Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...

, flavored & scented green, "blooming" white, black

Black tea

Black tea is a variety of tea that is more oxidized than the oolong, green, and white varieties.All four varieties are made from leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis. Black tea is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine than the less oxidized teas. Two principal varieties of the...

, flavored & scented black, oolong, and pu-erh

Pu-erh tea

Pu'er, Pu-erh, Puer, also Po Lei or Bolay is a variety of post-fermented tea produced in Yunnan province, China. Post-fermentation is a tea production style in which the tea leaves undergo a microbial fermentation process after they are dried and rolled. This is a Chinese specialty and is sometimes...

 teas along with rooibos, "herbal", and Maté Yerba infusions. Teavana retail stores generally offer various blends of each type of tea, and consistently promote cross blending different types of tea.

Tea products

Teavana also specializes in the merchandising of tea products, including cast iron teapots, decorative teapots, Japanese-inspired teapots and cups, Sake ware, tea ware, tea kettle

Kettle

A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own electric heating element.- Stovetop kettles :...

s and Japanese hot water dispensers, tea measures, tea infusion and steeping ware, honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...

, world music

World music

World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...

, and tea and Asian books. Teavana also markets rock sugar.

Stores

Teavana retail stores are designed to be "part tea bar, part tea emporium." Asian and other cultural music is often played in the background. Retail locations offer samples of various tea blends and tea varieties at their front door and within the store.

Locations

By the end of 2011 Teavana will have over 200 stores in the United States along with numerous international locations in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

Teavana CAREs

Teavana has a longstanding relationship with CARE International. Through CARE, they donate 1% of profits from teas to the tea growing regions of the world. In July 2010, they extended this relationship in order to raise awareness to the plight of women in impoverished areas. A microsite was also launched at TeavanaCares.com to increase personal donations to CARE International. In addition, Teavana reacts to world events through CARE International as needed.

Sales practices

A Pennsylvania Teavana location was criticized by an online article in The Consumerist, for aggressive and dishonest upselling practices which involved scooping out much more tea than was requested, including tea in an expensive tin without the customer asking for the tin and without announcing the price of the tin. Writes author of blog: Customer states "I am not sure how widespread [Teavana] is, but it was my first experience with them (and my last). I do feel that my story should be taken with a grain of salt, as I have no idea whether this is a common business practice throughout the chain."

Teavana App

Teavana released their first iPhone/iPod touch Application through the iTunes Store in late December 2009 for free called "Teavana Perfect Tea Touch". The App includes a browse section entitled "Tea Touch", a musical timer for steeping tea, a tea blending suggestor that advises mixing certain teas together, a store locator, and a favorites section.

External links

• Official website
• Official blog