Starbucks to Acquire Teavana for $620 Million

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I still miss SpecialTeas.

Sigh.

I hadn't realized that Tazo was Starbucks. Explains why it's so poor.

I stopped at a Tazo the other day for an Earl Grey. I thought I would puke. It was probably the most disgusting thing I'd ever tasted. I threw it out, rather than throw it up.

We have a bunch of Teavana shops around here.  We've stopped for free samples and chatted with the employees, but it just isn't as good as SpecialTeas was.  Not as bad as Tazo, though!

I was waiting for that to happen. There is one Starbucks tea that I can stomach which is their "awake" tea. All the rest is horrifying crap.

I enjoy the teavana samples and I loved the Assam I bought from them but I am too much of a plain black tea drinker to really embrace their overpriced nature. :/ Plus I get my tea in India.

What I find funny is that Starbucks is my go-to when I'm on the run (in the city; at airports) and need a cuppa. Tazo is crap compared to the stuff I normally drink, but it's a step or two above the Celestial Seasonings I see at many chains and leagues beyond the no-name swill they serve at Dunkin' Donuts.

Why are quick-service chains so determined to ignore us tea drinkers??

Just not enough of a market in the US I guess although it is probably different in the UK. In India you can get tea/chai at every corner but high end American style coffee shops are far more prevalent than tea houses. I am not sure why...

Tea's gaining ground here, but I think coffee stands up better because it can sit a little longer.  You don't want to let it sit more than three hours, but I find that it's still palatable up to that point, whereas tea needs to be enjoyed within an hour of brewing.

#6 - I go to Starbucks for a caramel frappuccino when I need something sweet and fatty to jumpstart my day.  And by "fatty", I'm talking about the milk and cream that goes into it.  Starbucks really has dessert drinks down to a science.  But when I want a good cup of coffee, I go to a local café where they do single brews.

Also!  I think it's easier to save bad coffee with cream and sugar.  Tea isn't so flexible.  It takes patience to get it right.

I had a chat with someone that works in Teavana last week and they said something about Starbucks bringing in some of their tea selection. Honestly I think they seriously need it, cuz their herbal choices sucks big time.

Well it's not that bad a thing. Starbucks clearly has the real estate and teavana does very nice tea. Maybe now I will actually start patronising my local Starbucks(es).

On the other hand, I hate the thought of corporatized tea.

I wonder how I'd have felt if Specialteas sold out to Starbucks instead of being absorbed by Teavana first.

Ye gods! I am missing Teavana in the UK, and getting to the end of my little hoarded packets. I had been thinking of ordering online, but it sounds as though I'd better send it fast before they do something terrible to it! (Even though it is *FAB*ulously expensive even before you add the international shipping costs...)

ETA: But if the Starbuck's acquisition means the possibility of Teavana arriving in the UK, then maybe I'm all for it :-)

I'm a little worried because I personally think that Starbucks SUCKS BIG at tea. I'm thinking they're gonna ruin Teavana if they mess with it.

12> I would have expected there to be much more and better choice in regards to tea availability in the UK. Of course, I am a hardcore black tea drinker.

13> Or maybe Starbucks knows they suck at tea and this is their way of working on it... ? Fingers crossed anyway.

14> "Proper" unadulterated black teas are widely found in the UK; I've been drinking rooibos since the 1980s, and green tea is increasingly popular; chai is also becoming more widespread, with Starbucks probably helping to boost it. White tea is a rarity, and I don't think I've ever seen mate. I found Teavana a bit frustrating when trying to get a plain oolong tea without lots of flower petals or other added aromatic detritus. But I do like some of their mad concoctions.

15> Lol, they do have some nice mad concoctions.

On a side note, I have never understood the rationale behind calling (I am assuming) masala or spiced Indian tea, chai. Chai just means tea in Hindi. I found it particularly hilarious when it was first introduced to Starbucks and they were calling it a Chai Tea Latte. Because the literal translation was "tea tea with milk". Ridiculous. I feel like they should just call it spiced chai or spiced tea or masala tea or masala chai.

And it is super easy to make with spices at home if anyone wants to learn how.