DAVIDsTEA Opening Brings Aromas to Harvard Square

Amid a splash of colors and aromas, the new DAVIDsTEA shop that opened Friday in Harvard Square brings exciting products and flavors to its JFK Street location.

The store’s opening drew a large crowd with special promotions and giveaways. The branch is the company's first in the Cambridge area and its 11th in Massachusetts.

Over 150 tins of loose-leaf teas line the shelves behind the store’s counter, organized in color-coded “tea families” from white to herbal. These teas range from the more traditional, such as a pure-leaf “Spearmint,” to the whimsical, like the fruity “Midsummer Night’s Dream” with gooseberries.

According to DAVIDsTEA event marketing specialist Cindy Carlson, fan favorites include herbal blends such as “Forever Nuts,” comprised of almonds, apple chips, and beetroot; “Read My Lips,” a Chinese black tea with chocolate and candied red lips; and “Cold 911,” an organic blend with juniper berries, apple, and orange.

“I like that you can smell all the teas,” Maxine A. Patwardhan ’18 said, referring to the DAVIDsTEA “sniffers,” which allow customers to sniff each blend before purchase.

In addition to its loose-leaf teas, David’s Tea also sells tea accessories and kits. DAVIDsTEA offers a student care package for $10, which includes student-favorite blends such as the high-caffeine “Super Charge.” Other products include bagged tea, gift sets, travel mugs, and the company’s unique “ice tea shaker,” a specially designed bottle for iced tea on the go.

John Langois, a tourist who visited the shop, praised his experience at the store and called the staff “very helpful and friendly.”

“There are lots of different flavors, aromas, and things to brew the tea in,” he said.

According to a company press release, the chain opened its first location in Toronto in 2008. In the eight years since, the company has expanded to over 150 locations throughout Canada and, more recently, forayed into the United States.

DAVIDsTEA has a social impact initiative that provides direct assistance to nonprofit organizations, according to its website. The shop features an herbal blend, “Me to We,” whose proceeds go to the charity Free the Children, which provides clean water to children in Kenya.

The company also emphasizes local community outreach, according to Carlson. DAVIDsTEA recently ran a booth at the Igniting Innovation Summit on Social Entrepreneurship that took place at Harvard’s Northwest Labs Saturday. The store will also run a booth at the Head of the Charles Regatta, she added.