It’s been a long time since I had a tea place to write about in New Jersey. Where’s the tea love New Jersey? I live in a veritable tea desert so I was excited to see that my local mall would be getting a Teavana. Even if you aren’t a fan, something is better than nothing in my book.
They had literally just opened the day before my visit so things were still crowded and a bit flustered. Unfortunately the staff seemed to have been trained under the “old” regime because pushy sales tactics were spotted over and over again. I also overheard a staff member tell a customer that a Chinese and Japanese tea came from the same plant. I meant that not in the “all tea comes from Camelia Sinensis” sense but in a literal sense. He told her that one comes from the top of the plant, which is why it is more expensive, and the other comes from the bottom of that same plant.
I only hung around long enough to get a cup of monkey picked oolong to go. While they will probably never be my go to source for tea, it’s nice to have them there. I can also use and earn Starbucks rewards cards there. Now if only an independent shop would open up locally who can grab all of these new tea drinkers and educate them…
Speaking of tea places, have you followed Tea for Me Please on FourSquare yet? Save my Tea in New Jersey list and you’ll always be able to find a cup of tea 🙂