25% off all Teas Sale

TEA.G.I.F. Tea Lovers ::: We have just the brew to get you going ::: Beat the crowds and shop early with our 25% off all Teas Sale. Sale ends Monday ::: Happy Sipping!

8 Replies

Posts for sales offers for tea usually get my attention, so I looked at this thread. Then I checked out your website. I like it: it’s colorful, easy to navigate, and you tell me something about yourself on your, About-Us webpage, including giving your name at the bottom of it; I also see you have a good selection of teas.

I want to see online tea businesses like yours succeed.

I read this on your About-Us Page: “One of our core values is commitment to excellence. Our products and services is a representation of who we are. Attaining excellence is a journey, not a destination; therefore, we continually strive for improvement. Customers are at the core of our company; as a result, meeting and exceeding customer’s expectations is the foundation of our business success.” When I went to look at your profile to see how to get to your website, I noticed that you ‘rate’ your teas.

Given what you wrote in you ‘mission statement’ above, I invite you to check out these posts here (I read through all of the posts to the first and second thread myself. WOW. Those were both great discussions. I posted the third.):
http://steepster.com/discuss/1195-should-tea-companies-rate-their-own-teas?page=1
http://steepster.com/discuss/331-tea-companies-rating-their-own-teas?page=1
http://steepster.com/discuss/1942-tea-companies-rating-their-own-teas

One other brief comment regarding companies who rate their own teas:
I ASSUME you already love the teas you are selling; for, if you don’t love them, then why are you selling them anyway (A kind of, Accountability Rule #1)? Telling me THAT you love it doesn’t help me. Telling my WHY you love it, from as objective a standpoint as possible (DATA DATA DATA), however, helps me. That’s where your review is VERY relevant.

As you can see in the first two threads you are not the only company who rates their teas. However, I personally want to push for more accountability in this regard (as I judge others do to, based on those threads).

You are also welcome to check out my profile here if you would like (which includes my own ‘mission statement’ within the context of tea and my presence on this website): (http://steepster.com/teashine).

You are under no obligation to read either of these posts or respond to this thread.

But then again, Why not? : – )

I personally feel that it should be disallowed for tea companies or employees of those places to rate their own teas on Steepster. It’s too much a conflict of interest.

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Hi SimpliciTEA. Thank you for your comments. I apologize for my extended delay in getting back with you. It has been kinda hectic. Anywho…on to your your comments.

I have previously followed and read the threads on companies rating thier own teas. I can see the points that were made on both sides of the topic, but opted not to indulge in the dialogue.

While we do carry all types of tea, I do not LOVE all of them. When a review of our teas is posted, it is meant to be informative and objective. Rating our teas serves as a jumping off point for the consumer. We rely on our social marketing tools (blogs, steepster, etc) including reviews posted on the website by customers for their feedback and unbiased review of our product. The beauty of steepster and reviews on the website is that it gives customers a foundation for what the tea is like, both good and bad. We welcome ALL opinions, critiques and accolades.

Our mission statement states who we are and what we strive to accomplish. Again a jumping off point for the consumer. It has no bearing on how our teas are rated or reviewed.

Thusly, we stand by the statement “Attaining excellence is a journey, not a destination; therefore, we continually strive for improvement.”

Happy Sipping!

I don’t currently have the energy around this topic as when I originally wrote my original post. So having said that:

1) Thank you for responding. That choice alone speaks volumes about you and how you do business.

2) Not LOVING ALL of your teas does actually make sense to me now. Hopefully, though, you choose to carry each one of them for a good reason (although defining what constitutes ‘a good reason’ is very subjective). It may be good for retailers to state WHY they chose each particular tea (I know that could be problematic for many reasons; just a spontaneous thought).

3) I think an owner can post a written REVIEW of their own teas without numerically RATING them, AND that still provides the customer with a good jumping off point, or, “gives customers a foundation for what the tea is like,” as you state above.

Again, I am honored by your thoughtful response.

Good luck to you in the New Year!

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Thank you for your feedback.

Again, I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I understand not having the energy to respond. As that was the case when I originally saw the posting. Gearing up for the holiday traffic, I had to prioritize things, but it’s always been at the back of my mind to do.

While I don’t love all the flavor blends we carry, we carry them because our customers do. There are certain “standard” teas that I think every tea retailer should carry and then there’s those flavors that customers have either requested or we know they are a popular blend. Example, I not a huge fan of herbals; however, to not carry them would not put the company in the ranks of being a good, reputable tea company. Or so I think. Before getting into the business, I was not a fan of Earl Grey, now I love it! But to not add it in the beginning, based on my personal perference, again would not have been wise.

Smaller companies have bigger shoes to fill than the larger tea houses/retailers. My stance has always been, that while we may not be “big”, to give the impression that we are if we are going to compete. Our website and products should convey that. Both with the variety of selections and service.

On your third point, yes I reckon there is some validity to that. However being new to Steepster (when the posts were originally done), it was not apparent that there was a choice. Moving forward, we will take yours and others thought into consideration.

I wish you a most tealightful and prosperous new year. Happy Sipping!

“If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.” – Japanese proverb

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Thank you for your thoughtful response.

Tea certainly does seem to help me understand truth and beauty! : )

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Just another little bit of information that might help you decide about rating your teas going forward – I have been intrigued by several of your teas, but when I saw that you rate your own teas, I decided to go with another company. Rating your own teas skews the system and, to me, feels shady. I don’t mind companies reviewing their own teas, I enjoy seeing what I’m supposed to be getting from a tea, but rating your own teas is like reviewing your own book…it’s hard to do it without bias. Not loving all of your teas is all well and good, but let’s be honest here, you’re not going to give any of your teas a poor rating.

Just my two cents.

As an aside, I love what you said here: “Smaller companies have bigger shoes to fill than the larger tea houses/retailers. My stance has always been, that while we may not be “big”, to give the impression that we are if we are going to compete. Our website and products should convey that. Both with the variety of selections and service.” I couldn’t agree more. Just because a company isn’t one of the big ones like Teavana or Davids, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the same stellar service.

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Aisling of tea – thank you for your comments and feedback – very insightful!

When I am asked by customers which tea I like most or not and why. I give an honest recommendation, based on my flavor profile. I will let them know that while I don’t particular care for the flavor or note of the tea, I have customers who do. I also inform them that if they aren’t a fan of say peaches, then the Decaf Peach Orchid is not a tea from them.

While I would love to sell you (them) all of my tea, I am most concerned that you are happy with your selection and that it fits your tastebuds. If neither is the case, they you (they) are unlikely to be a repeat customer. Have I lost customers by doing this. Yes, numerous times. However, we are about educating the consumer. As they are the BEST type of consumer to have.

I do see both your’s and SimplicTEA point on giving a review of the tea w/o rating. However, I thought I was being fair and not giving all the teas 100. Some got lower scores because the goal was not to pad the ratings, but to give an honest assessment of the flavor profile.

While I do feel that companies can rate thier own products, I believe it should be noted that it is based on their taste. Much like, if a customer would give their opinion of the blend. In the end, it’s all subjective to the person who’s doing the drinking. Ahh, the lessons we learn…….

In a society were many won’t agree on the same things all time, it is good to have dialogue to see other’s point of view.

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