As a kid growing up, I remember always having teas in our house. Mom would always have a cleaned-out an milk jug filled with fresh-brewed tea. There was nothing fancy about our tea; we loved the individual packets that you’d put in water and boil in the microwave. We drank it by the gallon, without sugar, mind you (we were not a sweet tea family).

During high school, I got my first real dose of a true sweet tea. My buddy Louis’ mom makes the best sweet tea in the world. I’m not kidding either; this stuff was addicting and probably had more sugar in it than an ice cream factory. To this day when we all get together at Louis’ folks house, we go through gallons of that sweet tea.

After I got married, my wife’s mother introduced me to a more sophisticated style of tea. A lot of time it was still in the packets but with more unique blends and flavors. Most nights, she enjoys a nice cup of warm tea or even an afternoon tea and has learned to appreciate their calming effects.

Through all these experiences, nothing prepared me for what my wife and I found this weekend. We found “Tea Nirvana,” or Teavana, actually. Teavana is a shop we stumbled upon while visiting the Galleria Mall in Dallas, Texas. Walking through the doors was like stepping into an enlightened bliss. You quickly become immersed in the tantalizing smells and aromas, and it is truly a wonderful, sensory experience.

While walking through the store, we where greeting by one of the best sale people I have ever encountered. She was great at explaining about the various different teas and showing us their amazing tea sets. She brought several tea samples for us to try and also helped make sure we walked out of there with some great tea. I wish I could remember her name, because I would have loved to put it in this post. With the tea we got, we went home to enjoy a blissful afternoon of tea.

Here is the tea we got that we enjoyed in tea set my wife had been given by her mother. Its a beautiful Korean tea set that a friend had acquired for her mother while traveling in Korea.

White Ayurvedic Chai & Samurai Chai Mate

You would not believe the smell when you open the container of this tea. A unique feature of these containers is that they seal shut, keeping your tea fresh between uses and helping it stay flavorful and fresh longer. It one of those things better seen than explained, but it is very useful.  We were told by our wonderful sales person that the teas we had sampled were not sweetened with regular sugar, but they where actually sweetened with German rock sugar. German rock sugar is pure, unprocessed sugar crystals.  They make the tea extra wonderful tasting.

German Rock Sugar

Teavana’s unprocessed German rock sugar simply adds a touch of sweetness without changing the taste of the tea.

White Ayurvedic Chai & Samurai Chai Mate in Korean Teapot

This tea is positively delightful and would be great any time of year, but it’s best especially in the colder months. It was amazing how the teas combined to make a great cinnamon-flavored tea. Every time you open the canister, the tea fragrance fills the room. I highly recommend this blend.

Teavana believes in giving back to the world community where their teas are grown, so  they donate 1% of all profits to CARE . CARE is  a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.

You can follow them on Facebook here or find their website here. Make sure you check out their Tea of the Month club. We are and will most likely be getting into the 12-month plan.