The New Starbucks Tea Bar: Hot or Not?

Starbucks' first Teavana tea bar opened recently on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York. Starbucks made a (at first sight) boring category — coffee — interesting. Can it do the same with tea? That's the question.

Starbucks made a (at first sight) boring category — coffee — interesting. Can they create the same Tea experience as they did for coffee? That's the question.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. I was very curious about the divided first impressions of opinion leaders like tea fans and bloggers who've visited the tea bar.

Nicole Martin: "I have a feeling that Teavana will fit right in with the "grab and go" culture of New York. One thing I was very impressed with was their use of the Bkon brewing system. It uses reverse atmospheric pressure to extract a perfect brew in seconds".

Jo J: "Tea cafes/coffee & tea cafes, time to step up your game, if you are still solely carrying teabags, oh boy… and hiring trained knowledgeable tea staff must be in your immediate plans".

Jason Walker: "If Teavana succeeds at passing off mediocre specialty tea at these prices, there is good news for competitors with higher quality. Overall, the growing presence of Teavana across North America will provide new and better offerings for tea drinkers, but the Teavana I saw that day will not last long in its current form".

Yuka Yoneda: "The tea bar also boasts one of the world’s only tea carbonating machines. We tried a sample yesterday and found that the bubbliness really allows you to enjoy tea in a totally new way".

According to their first reactions the Teavana Tea bar is indeed a real experience, as we could expect from Starbucks. The concept will be rolled out all over the US. Will it stay the same? I am sure it will change, because that's essential in trying to open up a new market. You should experiment, measure, learn and adapt your new concept. Learning by doing applies to Starbucks, too.

So what do you think: Will Starbucks conquer the world with Teavana tea bars as it did with coffee? Do they have a chance on your continent?

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Gijs van Wulfen is the founder of the structured FORTH innovation method. He recently published : "The Innovation Expedition, A Visual Toolkit to Start Innovation". Available at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

Photo: Starbucks Press Room