Tea Trekker

A wonderful tea store with a fabulous selection of top grade teas. The owners are wonderful and really know tea! They actually put together a special blend of Earl Grey for my husband that he loves! It’s a must stop shop for tea lovers and anyone interested in learning more about tea.

I’ll admit that I was hesitant to try this shop because friends of mine have experienced poor customer service here. But my experience was anything but poor. The clerk was quite professional, taking the time to answer my questions, showing her knowledge of the shops product. and making product recommendations that were spot on. The shop has a wonderful array of teas, although pricey, you are getting quality product. I was very pleased with my experience and with my purchases and will make many more purchases in the future.

This is the only place to buy tea. I love this place and recommend it to EVERYONE who drinks tea. Forget all the new trendy tea places– these guys have the best quality tea with no bells and whistles. If you are a serious tea drinker and not just someone who likes to drink weird blends at the mall, this is the place for you.

Thank you for the excellent teas. I moved away about a year ago, but I still order my tea from these place. I tried looking around for other options, but they don’t compare to the quality of tea found at Tea Trekker. I even got some for christmas!

I was a first time customer, arriving during a time that wasn’t busy. There was a small group in the store, and a man was already working with them. As a result, I worked with a lady, Mary, and there didn’t appear to be a reason to be rushed.
I showed her a list of some teas that I recently tasted at a tasting and her only comment was that none of them were purchased there. I said I saw that but the main reason why I brought it was to show her what I liked and what I didn’t like and to talk about new things I might like.
When I described the sort of things I liked and mentioned I wanted to try different things, she only pointed me in the direction of the teas I tried. She said that her teas are higher quality and better than anything I’ve tasted before. When I told her some of the teas I tasted were higher grade, she said «I would doubt that if they weren’t bought here».
She was very short with me, I would consider arrogance off-​putting. Her responses to my questions were very short. She continued to say «we don’t sell that here» when I pointed out something I liked in the pamphlet I brought.
I told her I was also interested in an «evening tea» as a healthy alternative to hot chocolate or for winding down a meal when entertaining. She said that would be herbal teas, they aren’t really tea, and they don’t sell that sort of thing. She refused to point me in a direction of viable alternatives.
When I asked questions about different types of tea, she said that this is all discussed on her blog. I asked questions about steeping tea, and she also referred me to her blog. I described to her how I steep tea, and she said it was sufficient; however, it would «behoove» me to buy a better quality system, such as what they sell there. She also tried to sell me two books they sell. I found out later that she co-​authored the book.
There are enough other stores for me to go to, particularly on-​line; however, I will go one more time only because there is still $ 7 on my gift certificate. It is disappointing because I would have liked to establish a rapport with a local vendor.

First, I must start by reporting that the tea selection is amazing, well rounded and appears to be of the highest quality. The 2-​star rating is not because of the products that this shop offers, but rather has been applied because of a very unpleasant experience on my first and probably my last time at this shop.
I am a medical professional in the area who was curious about the tea shop when I wondered in to find a middle-​aged, woman with salt and pepper hair and glasses at the counter helping another customer. Their exchange seemed very pleasant, informed and possibly contained some history with each other. I wandered around the shop, browsing at the different tea pots, accessories and teas before interacting with this woman, waiting for her to finish with this other customer as mentioned before.
I was dressed very casually, jeans, t-​shirt, Vans, but all clean and not hole ridden, and by no means conveying a well-​to-​do appearance. She asked if she could help me with something which I replied that I was not an avid tea drinker, with coffee cup in hand, but enjoyed tea from time to time and would always end up at my go-​to varietals usually consisting of generic, store-​bought green, black or earle gray teas. I explained to her that I was interested in learning more about the different types of teas that they offered, was there a significant difference in the health values/​function of the teas or is most tea bought because of subjective likes/​dislikes in taste. She proceeded to tell that none of the teas were offered here for any type of health value and only because of taste. I threw in a short story about how during a conference which consisted of me sitting at a lecture table for many hours in the day for 2 weeks there had been many teas on a coffee table which I sampled throughout the conference introducing me to many different types, but still I did not have a clear knowledge or familiarity with all of the options. She appeared very dismissive and didn’t seem to incorporate that information as she continued to reference some of the characteristics or I think they were characteristics in the teas or how to brew, steppe, them. I explained to her that she was speaking a total foreign language to me and I didn’t really understand the references, which is why I was hoping for some guidance. She seemed extremely annoyed, but forged on. I then, on my own, chose a basic tea pot with tea holder and asked which tea would she recommend. She chose a tea and then asked how much would I like. I asked her, again being in totally unchartered territory, how much tea does it usually require to make a cup or in this case how many cups would this particular pot hold. She explained that the pot would hold approximately 180z or 3 x 6oz cups and each tea required different amounts to brew a cup anywhere from a teaspoon or more. Logically, or so I thought, I asked her how much tea, meaning oz, was a teaspoon of tea, because the bags of tea were being offered in terms of oz, 2oz, 4oz, and all cost different amounts. She replied with a very dismissive, passive-​agressive tone, «You don’t know how much a teaspoon is, do you own a teaspoon?». I proceeded to clarify that it was important for me to understand so I could gauge how much tea to purchase. She then, apparently bothered, had to look up the specs for the tea I had planned on purchasing in order to see how much tea per cup would be required. She reported to me that it would require about a teaspoon/​cup and that a 2oz bag would provide for around 28 teaspoons.
I know that this description is not overwhelmingly scaving, but the whole experience left me with an extremely sour taste in my mouth. I felt that as local resident who was curious and uninformed, always trying to support locally, sought some guidance in introducing me to a new world, and was met with disinterest and a can’t-be-bothered attitude at times resentful for asking questions. After reading other reviews it appears that my experience was not entirely unique and I’m not sure if I caught this woman on a bad day, or she assumed that because I wasn’t dressed as if I had money to spend, but she has unfortunately lost a future customer with disposable income who will look elsewhere when it comes to tea. Disappointing…

The be-​all end-​all of tea shops. The owners are extremely friendly and willing to help, they really know their teas, and the selection is excellent. It’s always fun asking about the latest arrivals and hearing stories from tea-​sourcing overseas.
I’d also highly recommend their semi-​annual tea courses: a ~2hr tour each week of the different varieties of teas (black, green, oolong, etc.) with plenty of tasting.
A few small tables to sit and drink would be perfect, but can’t have it all I suppose.

I like the fact that there is a store like this in Northampton as it gives some people a chance to get things they might not be able to find in surrounding communities — so it makes Norhampton a ‘richer’ town, its good for our cultural and business image.
However, my one time in here looking for a French Press (I think they only sell software (food items) and not hardware (utensils, etc.), the person who walked in before me was unable to get any attention at all. No one even came out of the back room to see if she needed help at all. She walked out in frustrated disgust (its not always easy to park here on your lunch hour or anytime) with me right behind her… Someone came out and and actually looked at me but refused to offer any greeting of any kind, never mind the obligatory ‘let me know if I can help you find anything’ — I muttered something like ‘thanks for the service — I will never be back’ on my way out to someone who looked like she may be the owner, again she was speechless but I think muttered something not very nice. Needless to say I won’t totally pan the place as it has some other good reviews and I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. As I said before I like it that there is a store like this in ‘the valley’ and it makes me feel good to see their sign when I drive by. By the way, there is another local store catering to the culinary inclined and they do sell French Presses and the like but they have the snooty attitude as well… but if you really want to buy local and I do, they do have good products. As you may guess Yankees are all about compromise, I think one has to lower expectations to survive here. Good products don’t always come with good service but in stores like these the prices should allow it.

I absolutely LOVE this store. A fantastic array of unusual products, an appealing layout that is easy to navigate and incredibly knowledgeable staff who are very passionate about what they do. Every time I have a specific culinary need, CSH is my first stop, and they haven’t let me down yet. They have some truly alluring spice mixes, tantalizing teas and coffees, and some utterly irresistible cookbooks, among other things. Plus, as an added bonus, the owner has a fabulous speaking voice, so it is actually really fun to get him going on a foodie topic– he is rather knowledgeable and so engaging to listen to as well.

The pantry products here tend to be on the expensive side. But the owners have put a lot of thought into their product line. Many things here are worth paying a few dollars more for. Some of them make nice gifts too.

A unique and wonderful gem in Northampton. The owners of this store are true experts regarding several specialized areas of food and culture, most notably tea from around the world, but also olive oil, chocolate, licorice candy, and vinegars. They take their work very seriously and stock the store with delicious and unusual products, that you would otherwise need to travel far and wide to see. Would give 5 stars if not for the owners’ snooty attitude sometimes. Wish they were more friendly and generous about sharing their knowledge about tea. Even though it was a quiet time of day in the store, the answers to my admittedly naïve questions were curt and made me fully aware of my ignorance. Nonetheless, I still go there regularly and find new discoveries every time.

Wonderful culinary shop. I make special trips out to this store from the Boston area for spices and oils. And, while I’m not an avid tea drinker (I’m now mildly addicted to their hot chocolate), this place is THE place to go for tea… skip Teavana and Tealuxe, folks.
If you’re in the area, stop by!