There is nothing twee about SensibiliTeas.

“This is not a tea room,” says owner Donnalynn Milford.

In fact, the shop occupies loft-like, onetime industrial space in the Shirt Factory, a Glens Falls building where clothing was manufactured from 1902 to 1996. In 1999, the factory was recycled as space for galleries, artists’ studios and niche businesses like Milford’s.

And Milford, a former Systems Analyst for Tribune Media, is nothing like the “excellent women” who operate tearooms in English cathedral towns.

“I want to get the ‘pinky-up’ out of tea drinking,” she says.

SensibiliTeas offers hundreds if not thousands of teas – black, green, herbal, oolong and flavored – from all over the world, as well as every accessory imaginable for storing and brewing tea.

And everything comes with the expert advice of Milford, at no extra cost.

“The selections can be overwhelming,” she says, “Many people have no idea what they want, especially when buying tea as a gift. But by asking the right questions, I can help them decide what’s best for them or for the person they’re giving a gift to. We also have gift baskets and Tea-of-the Month plans which allows people to sample a variety of teas.”

Once a tea has been selected, Milford explains how tea should be brewed.

“Always use spring or well water; never boil it when preparing green, white, or light oolong teas,” she says. “Boiled water scalds the leaves and makes the tea bitter. Instead, let the temperature rise until the water’s just on the verge of boiling.”

When making iced tea, Milford advises against brewing it in the sun.

“Water heated by the sun never gets hot enough to kill the bacteria on the tea leaves,” she says.

With summer here, people are especially interested in iced teas, says Milford.

Leaves for iced tea are cut more finely than leaves for hot tea, and Milford offers several, award-winning ice tea blends, some, black, some green, some flavored.

Iced tea is not only a refreshing alternative to carbonated beverages, it’s a healthy one, says Milford.

“Tea is full of anti-oxidants,” she says.

The Shirt Factory is located at the corner of Lawrence and Cooper Streets in Glens Falls.

SensibiliTeas is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 2 pm to 5 pm, Thursday and Friday from 1pm to 5 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Milford can also be found at the new Bolton Farmer’s Market on Friday mornings from 9 am to 1 pm, the Warrensburgh Farmer’s Market on Friday afternoons from 3pm to 6 pm, and the Glens Falls Farmer’s Market on Saturday from 8 am to noon. Call 824-1290 for more information