Comments on: A blog for the tea drinkers at Starbucks: Take a tour of Tazo in Portland, Oregon!

By: Wongster

Wongster — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:46:43 +0000

Tazo Tea Headquarters is located about 5 mins south of the Rose Quarter in Portland OR. The picture above of the main entrance is a little misleading because it actually doesn’t face the street. What does face the street are the warehouse loading bays. I passed this place 5 times before I figured out what was going on. On a warm day, you can literally smell the tea from several blocks away. I know that they have pared their tour schedule down from what it used to be. Slots fill up quickly so you have to plan your visit pretty well in advance. They are pretty strict about what you wear during the tour, so I would recommend that you find out what exactly is acceptable, else you’ll find yourself waiting outside while the tour goes on. The tour takes you through pretty much the entire warehouse. They show you how tea arrives in bulk before it is blended and then take you through the cupping room where they test different blend combinations. The actual blending room was pretty cool. They also have a tea tasting room that looks like a set off a TV show. I really want to bring that room home and use it as my kitchen. All in all, I found it incredibly informational and I know I walked away knowing a lot more about the tea industry then when I arrived. It’s a tour that I highly recommend to anyone that may be visitng the Portland Area!

By: Melody

Melody — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:42:01 +0000

@Christopher – This little Tazo headquarters excerpt came from a barista training CD that I managed to get my hands on. You’re going to have a close to impossible time getting a copy. This little segment was actually my favorite. The first few minutes is Uncle Howard chatting with Apurva about the new tea drinks. Unfortunately, Howard looks extremely tired, like he hasn’t slept in 3 days, and I decided I just couldn’t use it. Then after this excerpt the DVD launches into very long dull segments teaching baristas how to make the tea beverages. It’s not even worth watching the whole thing. This is the best segment. Sorry.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:36:19 +0000

Anyone know where I can get a copy of the full dvd?

By: purple1

purple1 — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:34:49 +0000

Melody thanks again for posting this blog. Actually, although I drink mostly iced tea I do like hot tea. You thought it takes longer to brew tea and to make it iced, but I really think it takes an average amount of time so asking for a fresh brewed cup of iced tea should not be an issue.

By: 1yogagirl

1yogagirl — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:12:58 +0000

I love this site. Do they actually give tours at the company? Where is the headquarters located in Portland? I’d like to visit. Tazo tea is the best tasting tea.

By: Hofo

Hofo — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:28:13 +0000

I think the change has taken place. Around Christmas my normal SB was still using the usual small retail bags of tea, this morning they’ve replaced the three row rack of teas behind the counter with three medium sized steel containers. When I ordered my usual venti Awake, it came in larger bags, more like what you’d get from the premium tea vendors.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:58:49 +0000

I am a die hard coffee fan; however, at times I do try the Tazo Tea. I like the Rooibos and the black teas. More than anything, I love Portland. March 2008 was the first time that I visited Portland and cannot wait to return. Now another reason. . .
Great blog, Melody. I love the name (nice homage to the classica Hoagy Carmichael song).

By: Melody

Melody — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:13:46 +0000

@Akarisame – That is really cool to hear. I watched the whole Tazo DVD, and it was clear that Apurva stood out as the star!

By: akarisame

akarisame — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:37:07 +0000

I attended the Tazo session at the Leadership Conference (front row) and Apurva and i had a moment connecting over tea and chicken skewers at a booth later on during the street fair. He’s just sooo adorable.

By: Mrs. Tillinghamshackles

Mrs. Tillinghamshackles — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:57:15 +0000

AmazonV -

The store I work in was a test market for the tea lattes about a year before they were launched nationally. Initially we did steep the tea bags and remove them before adding the milk and serving them. This proved to be overwhelmingly unpopular. Sad as it is, the average Starbucks customer is in far too much of a hurry to wait for trivialities such as tea steeping!