T2

I’m addicted to this shop and pop in at any opportunity. Both the Booragoon and Karrinyup stores are wonderful — haven’t been to the other stores but I think they’re all fairly standard as far as merchandise and presentation go, and therefore likely to be top notch. I’ve also bought things online, and it pays to be a member of the T2 Society, as you find out ahead of the pack when the sales in store and online, are starting.
The tea itself — there’s a massive range for fans of green, black, white and fruit teas or tisanes. They are on the pricey side, but it’s good quality and I always have plenty of stock on hand. At the moment I have about 25 different types of T2 teas in my cupboard, and drink at least one cup a day. I love the range of breakfast teas, with the New York Breakfast, the Melbourne Breakfast and the Perth Breakfast being my favourites. When you consider you pay $ 4 to $ 5 a cup for tea in most cafes, paying $ 13 to $ 17 for a box that will give you 20 to 30 cups, is pretty reasonable. You can buy tins of tea bags, but the specialty is tea leaves, and since I’ve converted to leaf, it’s hard to revert to bags. The taste of freshly brewed tea is just wonderful.
Among the green teas, there’s a wide range available, ranging from mango to strawberry to jasmine flavour, and everything in between. Until I joined T2, I never knew that you’re not supposed to pour boiling water on green tea as that brings out the bitterness. The water should always be 80 degrees. I can certainly taste the difference now.
I bought their chill kit (an online special for $ 20) which is great for summer, as you can make all sorts of iced teas. I use the fruit teas as a base, and add my own frozen berries, dried fruit, sliced citrus, mint leaves, etc, and just experiment to see what works. You do have to use a lot of tea though, so I’ve searched around to find other types of fruit teas from other online stores that don’t cost as much. You can go through a box of T2 fruit teas or tisanes with just 2 jugs of iced tea, so I’ve tried to find other ways of making it that aren’t so expensive. It’s fun to experiment and you can mix and match different types of tisanes and/​or herbals to come up with some healthy, refreshing recipes.
You can taste test the iced teas in store as they always have a range ready to try. This is a good way of finding out what flavours you like and what you should look for.
In winter they have hot teas in store to taste, and I love sampling the different types of teas. They often mix 2 varieties of tea, so I’ve also played around with that when I make a cuppa at home. They add teas to their range constantly, and their range has several hundred different types already. I have bought some boxes of tea which sounded good, but which I didn’t like, so it pays to let the staff know what flavours you like and dislike so they can advise you on what they think will suit you. I’ve found all the staff to be very friendly and very knowledgeable about their products, so even if you’re a tea newbie, they’ll be happy to help.
You can buy boxes with individual sachets of all different teas, so this is a good way to find out what you like, and you can then buy the box of that particular tea.
Fabulous spot to buy gifts, and once again the staff will help with this, and will gift wrap things for you. Friends and family have been thrilled with the things I’ve bought them.
As a T2 Society member, you get points when you spend money, and I recently got $ 75 store credit (though I had to spend a lot to get that!).
Just go in and check out the beautiful tea ware — but be warned that you’ll want to buy everything. They change and update their stock every season so there’s always something new to discover. You need to buy some basic tea ware to get started, but you can pay just a few dollars or a whole lot more if you want something fancy.
I’m a coffee drinker at heart, but T2 has changed the way I think about tea. There are so many varieties and ways to drink tea, it’s mind blowing. I’m now addicted to both tea and coffee !

I cannot visit Garden City without checking this store out. The range of teas to sample will make any lover or tea swoon and the display of cups and teapots looks amazing but run a tad pricey. The staff in store are more than happy to help you and are very knowledgeable.
This place makes for great gifts for any lover of tea. Or if you are unsure of what to get someone who likes tea and you’re not sure what to get them.