Could we just move on please?
Please dont make steepster a “safe space” for cheaters in the tea business. Negative reports are just as much important as positive. Verdamt is doing now what is working the best, wait silently until everybody forgets this discussion. Those who are into tea for some time developed a BS meter but for newcomers Verdant-like shops are literally waste of time and money, especially if we talk about puerh. I think we should point out the obvious frauds out there and let them know that they are under close watch. We need vendors who know tea not only marketing.
Nobody has suggested making ‘steepster a “safe space” for cheaters in the tea business’. The vendor issues have been discussed at length and there is no new information or insights at this point. The only request was to stop beating a dead horse. If new information comes to light I have no doubt it will appear on Steepster.
Agreed, if the odd heated discussion on here can prevent people from falling for scams, then I am willing to endure them.
Sadly it seems to have attracted people who are not intent on bringing truth to light, but post specifically to offend. This is sad.
Letting shady companies carry on as they do just for the sake of keeping this place 100% happy talk is, to me, just not worth it and would diminish Steepster’s value as a place to learn.
I’m against the needless negativity that I have sadly seen recently, but we should always be allowed to voice our opinions on teas and teacompanies. I’d rather see negative reports than censorship on Steepster.
There is a difference between discussing frauds and shops selling BS and in abuse and trolling for attention. The first should be allowed and the second, well, not so much.
I’ve seen one person who seems to post with the goal of baiting people, but other than that, I’m not seeing a huge, insurmountable problem.
@Kristinalee True, I didn’t want to get too specific and zone in on them. That’s probably what they’re after anyway. ¬_¬
Thank you Marzipan for speaking up and making this thread. I have been with steepster for years, and in the last 8-9 months it has not been the happy, tea-loving place that I originally joined.
That being said, the members of steepster are what make steepster what it is. So if we allow inappropriate behaviour to occur, then that is what we are making steepster into.
Please note that when I refer to negative comments I am referring to comments that are intentionally hurtful to members for the sake of being hurtful, and not to comments that are in respect to negative experiences with companies/teas, etc. We are all allowed to share our experiences here, whether good or bad, however personally attacking members or the community is a different story. We are all entitled to share our opinions and have a discussion but recently many topics have escalated into more than a discussion.
That being said, as members we control what happens on this site. And if we don’t like it, I believe the best way to control it is to report it and allow the admins to decide what they want their site to be about.
Please send your complaints about inappropriate threads or comments to: [email protected]
Lets not feed the trolls and move on. I love this community and part of what brings me here over and over is to be able to share a common love for tea. Certain users here whom I have never seen on here before seem to be angered and trying to cause drama. I understand they feel wrong or ripped off, but the best way to express our support or satisfaction with a vendor is to vote with our wallets. Lets please move on for the love of tea.
While it may be hard to bring forward information that is tough to read and take in as a customer of these vendors, it is important to understand the reason that Steepster is here.
That can be summed up here, http://steepster.com/tour
That being said: There is a way to discuss tea issues in a correct way. The way the community discussed http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34173532 was much less blown up than other things recently. I find it sad because one is an issue of claims and words for monetary means while the other is conditions of those who pick the tea. If we are going to discuss ugly things in the tea community, let us really think about how are words will be read one year in the future, maybe even ten years later.
Thanks for that link. I didn’t see this at the time, but I’m glad you posted it. I wonder if part of the reason it blew up less has to do with the fact that this group in general drinks less Indian teas and more Chinese teas? The other possibility — that people are more concerned with the prestige that comes with their tea than about the conditions of those who produce it — is too depressing to think about.
But yes, it’s certainly more serious from a human perspective (This was one reason I brought up issues like fair trade and conflict-free diamonds in that Verdant thread, to put things a bit in perspective). Looking at the article, I don’t think I buy tea from any of those places, but I think it’s mass produced and probably hard to track for sure. And honestly… I do have to wonder if any of the companies I buy Chinese teas from are any better. They may say that they are, but I haven’t seen the farms myself. And China is not exactly known for its humane labor standards.
I’ve seen that link before. It is distressing to watch. The companies that sell that tea ought to do something about it. The government of Great Britain should intervene in some way. It is British companies buying that tea. I buy nearly all my tea from China but who knows if conditions there are any better.
kristinalee, in the grand scheme of things the Verdant controversy is silly compared to the more serious problems in the Indian tea industry. I feel the reason it blew up this time is because it hit close to home for folks on this board. This is a popular vendor that many of us patronize and also is an active member of this website. Many folks understandably feel a sense of betrayal.
I have been super busy this past semester, hadn’t been on the discussion boards in a while and come back to find WWT being battled up in here. OMG! I don’t care what magical tree my tea is or is not coming from, I got no time for politics in my cup of tea!
well if this is going to be like going to a church picnic, then count me out.
boo hoo. people giving opinions makes me not like this website. sheesh
The main purpose of this site is opinions on tea, but it usually stays pretty civil. Rarely do we have people trolling saying nothing but negative things and trying to stir things up for sport and that is what I saw with at least new member who was posting in a lot of those threads. So it’s not about opinions being voiced, it’s about crappy attitudes and intentions.
Uuuh, put me in the camp of, if there’s bullshit flying around the internet, especially about puer, then I appreciate it being called out, especially in the thoughtful and detailed way that Scott called it out. The unfortunate truth is that there is very little real consumer protection when it comes to quality loose leaf tea because information about it is not widely disseminated in the West. Let’s be civil for sure, but let’s also not make the mistake of having an un-critical attitude.
I’m not sure what is happening, since I have stopped reading as much. Also, I’m not a Reddit reader. I am gathering something about Verdant and some allegations.
But, I agree with Steepster being a safe haven for friendly drinkers. I read a little less because I see a few things, more so lately, that apply to me less and just post questions and check back now and again. But, I’ve always praised this community for its dedication to educating and discussing in a civilized manner. I hope this continues. Lord knows we won’t find that in TeaChat.
Perhaps I should clarify that I haven’t found that on TeaChat and that I meant friendliness isn’t something that can be found on teachat. Again, from my experience. I’m sorry if you’re offended, but I’ve encountered a LOT of unfriendly people there. And none that were welcoming.
I’m sorry to hear that. Most people there are welcoming, but of course you can find bad apples in lots of internet forums. I can see why some newer tea drinkers in the west might be intimidated by teachat, but there’s great deal of wisdom and years, if not decades, of tea drinking experience with some of the older members
@Julie Jones: Sorry… You haven’t read any of the threads in question but are concerned because why? Some perceived existential threat of…rudeness? I mean, you don’t have an opinion one way or the other, not having read the thread, but…?
I’m sort of perplexed by what it is you have an opinion about if you haven’t read any of the threads people were discussing moving on from. What precisely is your concern? That someone may have been or might be rude?
This thread had nothing to do with TeaChat. I’m just trying to figure out what exactly your opinion has to do with… You know what? Never mind. Sorry I asked.
See, that actually made me laugh out loud, considering you’re the one who felt the need to express yourself about a bunch of threads you’ve never read — in a way that had nothing to do with those threads. Between the two of us, I’m the one who read the threads.
You literally don’t even know what you’re talking about. You didn’t read what I said or what I was responding to. So, I’m going to ignore you. Night.
What you said was, “Oh no! It would be bad if this place became like TeaChat! I have no idea what this controversy is about — something with Verdant? But the horrors of TeaChat!”
But seriously, it would be a tragedy if every possible person on Steepster who doesn’t have any idea what any of the threads were about didn’t comment about them all the same. In case someone might be rude in the future. sigh
And it’s not going to if everyone who hasn’t read anything about it feels the need to comment in an unrelated way that still manages to offend someone like, say, the TeaChat people.
I get the feeling this is a perfect example of the abrasiveness that some people feel they could do without here.
It is a little hard to contain when someone says, “I have no idea what any of this is about, but let me tell you about this totally non-related thing that I’m having angst about. Just in case anyone was in any danger of moving on.” And by the way, I was as tactful as I could be in the first 2-3 comments here, but I’m not sure what to do if the person doesn’t understand your words when you say something in a nicer way — and you actually do have to be “abrasive” for them to know what you actually mean.
Although… Actually, I still don’t think I accomplished that, even though I think this person was a native English speaker and I do try to be sensitive to that… I’m sorry if I’m wrong about that. If not, then, I’m not sure what I could possibly have said that made sense. And yes, my thinking was snarky when I first saw the comment, but my comments were not. My only point was, “If you don’t know what any of this was about, why are you worried about it? It doesn’t make sense.”
I can understand that. But, I don’t think people should be chastised for opinions or questions. It’s how we learn. And while I may not be a tea master or incredibly well known, I know a bit and have been drinking loose leaf teas for 12 years, though only learning more recently. I think when people want to learn and discuss, it should be nurtured and welcomed. So, I steer clear of TeaChat.
I’m sorry, one more thing: Why not just ask if you don’t have time to read the threads? People have been happy to explain what everything was all about when someone comes in and says, “Can I please get a brief synopsis of what has gone down?”
But just… “I’m not interested in what any of this is about, but let me give you my opinion anyway” feels a little insulting. So yeah, when it became clear that that’s what was happening, well… Anyway, never mind. I need to go do something productive. But it is mighty hard not to be abrasive if someone directly insults me even though I’m trying to be nice and clarify things in case I’m reading something in an uncharitable way and I want to be fair…because surely they don’t mean that, except that they do.
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