I always figured that it was best if I stayed away from Davids Tea, fearing that interaction with the type of people I see walking in/out of this place would drive me to madness.
My boyfriend and I walked in and were immediately greeted with offerings of their festive/seasonal teas, including a hot chocolate flavored tea. Although neither of them were to my taste it was a great first impression.
We only managed to meander for 2-3 minute when one of the (many) staff offered her assistance. As I know nothing of teas it was hard to express what I was looking for. She caught on and started pulling some teas for me to sniff (some of her favorites and some suggestions based on our discussion). They pretty much all smelled amazing. I ended up picking a top 4 to take home with me, and she measured out enough for 2-3 cups of each.
Highs: I love that they have tastings and that they have a little tea map that you can use to track trying different mixes that will then lead you to find your best match. I found their box sets really great (24 days of christmas giftset at $40, mixed starter at $20).
Lows: For my 8-12 tea portions I paid a bit over $20, so I can see this place being a total money pit for some people. The whole selection is overwhelming and would have been impossible for me to navigate without that map and super friendly staff. Was expecting to see a little bit more of a selection of accessories (different reuseable bags, reuseable k-cups for example).