Recent online purchase of expensive poor quality tea
I recently bought what turned out to be poor quality tea from two known on-line tea companies (paid 80.00 in one case and 60.00 in another case). I want to know if this is the right place to bring up the names of these companies in order to warn people about them. I will give specifics once I know if it is OK. I have contacted the companies (sent the tea back in one case) and so far have not received a reply.
I think as long as you are respectful and quantifiable about it, its fine. ie broken leaves, bitter taste, too much roast, not enough roast, etc.. then people who also have the tea can respond in kind.
Because there are three things that generally happen when someone doesnt like a tea.
1. It hits them wrong, wet stored is the best example of this, it can be a flaw or a bonus depending on your tastes.
2. Bad batch of tea, many of these companies buy huge huge batches of tea, and sometimes a bad bag or two of the tea sneaks in. Avoiding every problem and misstep is pretty much impossible, its making it right when it happens thats important.
3. They are knowingly selling lower quality tea as better tea.. this one is the big problem and the one people need to be warned about and you should.
+1 and well said.
Tea is tricky, and the business end is even more difficult. It is important to be courteous, intelligent, and direct in your observations. This allows the community to discuss your experience and find out why you might have had it. In most cases, the tea is just not the drinkers cuppa. However, in other cases, it can be that the company is soliciting something other than their label. In the past, there have been numerous experiences where companies are put under the magnifying glass, and I can appreciate that; because, some companies are able to withstand the pressure whereas others fall down.
Agree with all said above and below. lots of variables and taste differentiation. I would see what the sellers offer in return. And it can be a tea that maybe hits you wrong and somebody else the right way. I know people have stash sales and if it is a taste not favorable then someone else may benefit and you could recoup a bit.
Were either of these teas older sheng puerh? Something 10 or 15 years old? They often develop an off putting taste commonly referred to as leather and tobacco. If this was the case it is not that they sold you bad tea but that you just don’t like this common flavor profile of older sheng. I am not fond of most older sheng because of this common flavor profile. Of course this is just me guessing as I don’t actually know what kind of tea you bought.
Like it was suggested above it could also be the tea was wet stored. The note for this is commonly called wet wood and it can also be quite off putting. They should advertise the tea as wet stored if this is the case but many do not.
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