These people are AMAZING.

I had somewhat had a bit of a runaround trying to procure two types of teas that they had been out of stock of, the Wednesday I went first. The guy there, after complimenting the purse that I hand made (which was awesome, I loved him for that! 😊☺️) explained to me that they get their shipments on Mon, Weds, Fri, and so if probably be wisest to call back in the following Monday, that they'd probably be back in stock by then.

So I called back Monday and the guy (coincidentally the same person) remembered me, and gave me the unfortunate news that they hadn't yet been restocked 😥, but that he was near positive that by that Wednesday these two types of teas should be available. I was busy that Wednesday, so called on Thursday I believe. The (different) guy I spoke with explained that the PRE-PACKAGED stuff still wasn't in stock, but that they actually had all of their teas available for bulk purchase at any time, and that he could measure some out in a separate bag, and that that's always a possibility for anything they have/carry.

So he measured some out for me...

Then came the best part: He had picked up on me mentioning that I was just beginning to explore teas, and therefore he talked with me for like 5 minutes or so, TEACHING me about how the one tea (Earl Grey Lavender) should be steeped at a higher temperature for a longer time, meanwhile the green tea (Jasmine Dragon Pearl) could be stepped not only for a lot shorter, but needed to be fine way cooler. He even went on to explain that some tea can be steeped twice, and that in traditional Chinese ceremonies or practices, that some folks discard the first steep batch, and prefer the second. I hadn't known ANY of this, but it REALLY helped me make sense of a lot of things, and to feel WAY more comfortable and confident in how to do things right at home. He also encouraged me to experiment with my own flavor preferences of how much of each tea to use, for my flavor preferences. I very much liked this empowerment of "just because other people generally make their teas this way doesn't mean you have to follow the prescriptive rules. Try other things out and see what you like!" (mainly regarding amounts used, and whether I liked twice-steeped teas)

I asked him whether he could write/pen those steep times and temperature recommendations into the bags for me, which I very much appreciated, so I would forget one I got home and a few days had gone by.

He also told me that he gave me a bit extra of each for free, "for my hassle/runaround," which was SUPER nice and unexpected, because I hadn't even once made a fuss or complained or been anything that would indicate that I could have been frustrated about it. That is to say, that added "touch" of the "trying to make it right" made me fall even more in love with the people than I already was.

So, from beginning to end, everyone was extremely courteous and respectful, and didn't just "do," but helped educate, to help me feel more confident, and they're just basically all around fantastic in my book, from what I experienced. This all to say that I will DEFINITELY be returning there, and I would encourage others to support a Columbus-based business similarly.

A+