DAVIDsTEA is a specialty tea and tea accessory retailer based out of Canada and ran out of both Montreal, Canada, and Boston, Massachusetts. As of 1/1/2014 there were 125 total DAVIDsTEA stores: 109 in Canada, and 16 in the United States. DAVIDsTEA is a unique mixture of both retail and beverage service, not entirely unlike Teavana; all stores sell both hot and iced beverages as well as loose leaf teas, travel mugs, gift sets, and tea infusion accessories. A number of stores also sell various snacks, including cookies and tea infused chocolates.

DAVIDsTEA began in 2008 when, while walking through downtown Toronto, David Segal realized that there were no modern tea companies in which one could purchase bulk loose leaf tea at reasonable prices as well as grab a cup to go. He and his cousin Herschel Segal created DAVIDsTEA as a way to share his love and passion of tea with both the community and the world at large. Since then there have been 125 store opened throughout Canada and the United States. In Canada, stores are located in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. In the United States, there are stores located in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and California.

From the DAVIDsTEA website:

David Segal was a 28-year-old tea loving entrepreneur. His cousin Herschel Segal was a Canadian retail pioneer. What did they have in common? A vision: great tea, a friendly environment and a colourful, modern store. It seemed like a simple idea, but they couldn’t find anyone else that was doing it. So they decided to take matters into their own hands. With David’s energy and enthusiasm and Herschel’s know-how, it was the perfect balance of youth and experience.

Our first store opened in 2008, on vibrant Queen Street in Toronto, Canada. Before long, first time customers became regulars, our neighbors became our friends and our store became a community fixture. And the same thing has happened at every new store since. Now you can find our tea shops in neighborhoods and communities across Canada and the United States. And we’re not slowing down any time soon – we can’t wait to share the DAVIDsTEA experience with the whole world.

Walk into a DAVIDsTEA today and you can choose from over 150 types of tea, including exclusive blends, limited edition seasonal collections, traditional straight teas and exotic infusions from around the globe. Not to mention the largest collection of organic teas and infusions in North America.

We’re seriously passionate about great tasting teas, and we have something to satisfy every palate and every craving. Looking for a sweet treat? Then you’ll love Read My Lips, our chocolate mint dessert tea, or Red Velvet Cake, a creation that tastes just like its namesake. Into something more traditional? Check out our premium green teas like Sencha Ashikubo or Dragonwell. And to help you make the best cup of tea possible, we also carry a line of innovative tea accessories designed in-house, from spoons and infusers to tea sets and travel mugs.

So…why tea? Because it’s healthy, delicious and fun. Because it brings people together, all over the world. Because it’s the second-most popular drink on the planet, second only to water.

And, quite simply, because it makes us happy.

From the DAVIDsTEA website:

At DAVIDsTEA we’re tea lovers, not tea snobs. Our goal is to create accessibility to tea and de-snob the industry! You don’t have to be an expert to love tea. We believe tea can come in many delicious, healthy and beautiful variations. We’re here to provide unique, delicious, fun and fashionable teas for all shapes and sizes. The DAVIDsTEA philosophy behind their retail approach is no-pressure sales. Those who work in the stores, known as Tea Guides, work to guide the customers through an experience of tea, and work to get people as excited about loose leaf tea as possible.

DAVIDsTEA is unique in that it aims to create a North American culture surrounding loose leaf tea by making it accessible to as many people as possible.

DAVIDsTEA stores are located in a number of different environments, from shopping malls to street locations, each carrying a different feel and ambiance. Stores are usually a mixture of wall units with hard goods and other merchandise and they’re ever famous tea wall. The two are generally separated by a tea bar, where customers can both order drinks, bulk teas, and find out more about merchandise and teas. Free and varied samples are given out every day, with no two days being the same. In Canada, customers can order drinks to be hot, iced or in a latte form, while in America drinks can be hot, iced, or “tea-pop”, which is a carbonated iced tea made from the loose tea leaves. Stores also use biodegradable cups and spoons, as well as LED lighting and composting services.

DAVIDsTEA offers a variety of tea blends, in every form of tea (White, Green, Oolong, Black, Pu'erh), as well as tisanes such as Yerba Mate, Guayusa, Rooibos, and Herbal blends. DAVIDsTEA carries over 70 of organic teas, each of which is certified by Ecocert, and over 70 certified Kosher teas, certified by Montreal Kosher. There are also a number of Fair Trade teas, which include both straight teas and blends.

Each month, DAVIDsTEA comes out with a new tea to add to it’s permanent collection, as well as 5 limited edition teas for every season.

As well as loose leaf tea, DAVIDsTEA also carries a number of constantly and changing tea accessories. Each store carries a number of travel mugs (including a DAVIDsTEA branded Bodum mug, Timolinos, and glass tumblers), as well as biodegradable tea bags, tea pots, and infusers. Along with seasonal teas, DAVIDsTEA comes out with seasonal products and promotions, usually incorporating the seasonal teas in some way.

Although food and dining isn't a priority of DAVIDsTEA, various forms of food are sold. Most recently, tea infused chocolates have been introduced to the store, while previously locally created and sold cookies were available.

Throughout Canada and the United States, DAVIDsTEA has created a unique and thriving culture surrounding loose leaf tea. Stores strive to have what is commonly referred to as a “party environment”, in which contemporary music is consistently being played, and customers are encouraged to not only interact and explore loose leaf tea with the Tea Guides, but with other customers as well.