Tea has been consumed across the globe for centuries — even today at almost any restaurant you are given the possibility of ordering sweet or unsweet tea to go along with your meal.

However, not all teas are treated equally. With a variety of flavors, levels of caffeine and antioxidants, and various health benefits, how can you begin to choose what tea is right for you or a friend?

To answer that question, The Scoop stopped into the local Teavana (“Heaven of Tea”) that has been at Battlefield Mall since April 2013.

When walking into the store, you are greeted by the smell of many different teas and handed sample after sample by an employee clad in an orange apron.  As you meander through the store trying all the different flavors, you are also informed about the many different teapots, cups, and gadgets lining the walls.

At the front of the store, a decision confronts you: What flavors do you like and what flavors could you like out of the 98 choices in colorful tins behind the counter?

What are the priorities for picking out the right tea for someone? “Customer investigation and connecting with your guest,” says General Manager Anna Bingham. She recommends considering some of the following when making a selection:

Do they want caffeine, or are they caffeine-sensitive?

Every tea has a different caffeine level based on how the tea has been processed and, if the tea is flavored, what other ingredients are added such as chocolate.  If you are looking for a tea with high levels of caffeine, you might consider a standard black tea such as English Breakfast or Teavana’s Golden Monkey. If you are looking for a tea with low levels of caffeine, consider an herbal infusion that doesn’t contain any tea leaves that would contain caffeine.

Are there any allergies or other health factors that should be considered?

All ingredients to Teavana’s teas are listed on the backs of the large tins to help customers avoid any hazardous personal consumption.

For example, if there is an allergy risk to cinnamon or ginger, then it would be best to avoid selecting any teas with the word “chai” in the title. Even if customers are looking for teas with high antioxidant levels, employees can help choose a pure tea such as Silver Yin Zhen Pearls that contain more than 46 milligrams of catechin antioxidants.

What sort of teas do they already drink?

Big fan of McDonald’s super-sweet tea?  Teavana recommends trying their Darjeeling de Triomphe with a few teaspoons of German Rock Sugar to sweeten and enhance the flavor of the tea.

Pretty familiar with green teas? Try Teavana’s Gyokuro Imperial for an extra green flavor. Or even try the tea leaves ground up as Matcha, and add it to a smoothie.

What sort of teas will best fit into their lifestyle?

Bingham suggests trying all of the samples provided while in the store to help “pinpoint the flavors and flavor profiles that are available.”

When you reach the tea counter, employees such as Clara Dunseith, who has been with the store for a year, can help you make a decision by “narrowing down [the tea wall] based on what the customer likes, like fruits or spices and hot or iced beverages.”

Each tea drinker will have their own way of best enjoying their new beverage.  Whether that be in a thermos designed for them to take their tea on the go or sitting in their living room pouring from an elaborate cast iron teapot, it is the goal of Teavana to help every customer discover the delicious and beneficial results of drinking good quality tea.

“We want all of our customers to walk out happy with what they wanted and not frustrated due to a lack of information,” said Dunseith.

Photos courtesy of Briauna Spears

Phone: (417) 889-0695

Normal hours of operation:

• Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m – 9 p.m.

• Sunday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.