I promised to limit the number of location-specific posts I write, and I plan to keep that promise. But occasionally I have to recommend something tied to a place, and this is one of those cases. If you drink tea and find yourself in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, you must take advantage of sample days at TeaSource on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Even without its sample days, TeaSource is a wonderful store for serious tea lovers. They sell well over 200 teas of all sorts, ranging from popular types of teas, such as black and green teas, to more unusual puer and dark teas. They offer classes covering everything from the history of tea to pairing tea with food. At the 2015 World Tea Expo they were named Best Tea Business. I’ve purchased some of my favorite teas from TeaSource.
The best days to visit the store are its sample days. For $5, you get a tray of five different teas. Every sample day has a theme. Sometimes the theme focuses on a variety of tea or a geographical area. Other times the theme might be “staff favorites” or “Halloween treats.” The samples are generous, so if you are caffeine-sensitive, you should try to go early in the day rather than a couple of hours before bed. Each tray includes a card that identifies the teas, and you can use the card to get a discount on any of the featured teas on the day they are offered as samples.
When I first decided to write this post, I tried to find similar sample trays at other tea shops for readers who live elsewhere. I’m sure they must exist somewhere, but I couldn’t find any. It’s too bad. If you have the chance to enjoy a sample tray at TeaSource or somewhere else, take advantage of it. A cup of tea is always a treat, but the chance to savor five different teas, comparing them and finding new favorites, is absolutely wonderful.
October 2018: TeaSource has replaced their sample trays with tea flights. Like the sample trays, the flights are based around a theme. Each flight is available for one week, Monday through Friday. Flights are $7 for three different teas. While I am sorry to see the sample trays go, I understand that businesses must raise their prices, and I definitely will try the new tea flights.