Travelling Teabox on the way! - Round 1

532 Replies

I know I for added to the list and I responded with my personal info via E-Mail but I don’t see my name here. Am I the “?” mark?

Angrboda said

You signed up for round 2, Rachel. This thread is about round 1 which is currently in progress. Signups for this round was in December 2009 and it started in january.

Opps got it. :-)

Angrboda said

Don’t worry about it. You’re not the first to be confused. I must admit with some shame that it took me this long to realise that it might be easier for everybody if I just edited the title. It never occurred to me that I could do that before.

Well, see we both learned something today. I call that a win. :-)

Login or sign up to post a message.

Azure Luna said

I would love to participate on the next round. This looks like so much fun! XD

Login or sign up to post a message.

loupea said

Same here. Would love to participate if you do this again. What a fun idea!

Login or sign up to post a message.

PeteG said

Dead Air????

Login or sign up to post a message.

Angrboda said

Greetings all! I have returned from the wild abroad!

I’m wading through OMG so much email right now! I only borrowed a computer briefly once to check email as I wouldn’t have been able to do anything while in England anyway. I have however been in touch with Suzi and Frolic, and while I’m not exactly sure if the box is with Suzi yet or not, I can assure you that it is still present and accounted for. Due to unforseen circumstances that couldn’t be helped there was some delay in sending it out.

Please be patient, those who are still waiting. It’s almost your turn now.

To Azure Luna and Loupea who expressed interest in future rounds, keeping an eye out on the board for that. The Steepster Overlords are taken over the project starting with round 2. I haven’t been paying attention to that, but I think they’re closed for sign-ups. I don’t know if/when round 3 will open, but keep an eye on the boards. :)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, all, I have a ton of stuff that needs catching up on.

-Ang.

Suzi said

I just got back from a week in Washington DC and good news:
The Tea Box is here!!!

I haven’t had a chance to poke through it and document it, but I will do so ASAP!

PeteG said

I am at a loss here…soon I will be purchasing Xmas teas to place in the package (if) it arrives…any news as to the whereabouts?

Cofftea said

PeteG are you next in line? Maybe you should send her a PM.

Angrboda said

All is accounted for but delayed due to RL issues that have (and should) taken priority. Please try not to panic.

Cofftea said

I agree those things should take priority. A notification of that would be nice though. Yay for no lost TB and praying for the issue that caused delay to be resolved!:)

PeteG said

No panic here…just very curious as to the length of time the package travelled especially after the last scenario…do u have any idea where I am in this? BTW – Tks Angrboda!

Angrboda said

Off the top of my head, I think there are three more people before you, Pete.

PeteG said

Cheers!

Login or sign up to post a message.

Cofftea said

I just noticed this thread hasn’t been updated in over 2 weeks… did something terrible happen again?

Angrboda said

No, I’ve been in contact with both sender and recipient as late as yesterday. Please try not to panic.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Oolonga said

Hey, guys.

I finally received the teabox after six months of waiting… he he… and I’d wanted to share two main concerns that I have experienced with it.

First and the worst. Because there were a lot of previously opened flavored teas in the box all the unflavored teas that I took out and that were not factory sealed now retain some sort of combined fruity-chai smell and flavor. Rishi’s silver needle is totally ruined by it :( This should be addressed in the next teabox somehow because it beats the whole purpose of trying new stuff. I put most all my teas in ziplock snap containers, hope it will keep them protected. Whoever takes them out, please let us know if it worked.

Secondly, going through the box I could not get rid of the feeling that most people used it to dump off unwanted stuff instead of sharing their favorite teas with others. 80% of the box was junk, IMO. Lipton tea bags? Really? Or was it a joke? Anyone can go to a grocery store and pick a box of them for a few bucks… On my part I put in both teas that are not to my taste (TeaSpring’s Pu-erh for example) and the jewels of my tea collection that I really treasure for you to try. If the second box is gonna be like this, it is a total waste of time and money for shipping, so count me out.

That’s pretty much it. I’ll be shipping the box out as soon as I hear from the recipient to avoid another box loss.

I’m in the loop for a local ttb, and when we start out a new round, I’m splitting it into two boxes. One for pure leaf, single-origin, un-blended and unflavored teas, and the other for all the rest. I guess i burnt out my palate with the crazy number of flavored blends out there. Now there are few of them I can abide any longer.

I agree. If we are to be spending money to ship a box of tea, the contents should be of high quality, and the tea packaging must be airtight. The small polyethylene zip-lock bags sold by hobby stores are not airtight, because the plastic material itself does not keep odors separated. Empty bags made of airtight materials can be purchased at Upton Tea. They have foil-layer bags, both ziplock and open top.

I have to take responsibility for some of the aroma transfer. Some of the tea packets I sent to refurbish our TTB were in the polyethylene packets. Most of them were pure teas, unflavored. But there were a few flavored ones in there.

Let’s all try to do better, and put in some really good stuff, really well packaged, to share with our fellow tea lovers.

Oolonga said

I think Upton ziplock bags will be perfect for this purpose. Great idea! I personally didn’t know Upton carried them otherwise I would have stocked up… If we make it into a rule for the next teabox, we won’t have any smell issues.

oh no i am sad to hear that, when the box arrived with me there were assorted teabags but they were interesting like numi chocolate pu-erh etc.

Oolonga said

And, yes, maybe flavored teas should be shipped separately so that people who don’t care for them don’t have to ship them at all.

chana said

Another agree to the ziplock bags. It’s not only the odor, I know that some people have allergies to certain ingredients, and it’s not fair to them to have those ingredients mixed in with other teas that they may like. I don’t know if I can get a hold of the Upton bags from here, but if not there may be another alternative, I’ll check it out.

Alannah said

I honestly can’t remember for sure, but I am likely the person who added a variety of flavoured Lipton tea to the box. I had no idea Lipton was so strongly disliked before that Select offer was posted on the site and there was an outpouring of disgust over it. I was just trying to include a variety of teas to the box and not trying to get rid of things I didn’t want.

I really had no expectations for the TTB, and would not have been disappointed when I received it no matter what had been included. There were no “rules” as far as what would be included ahead of time and I was just happy to get to try some new things. I am sorry to have caused disappointment to some of the participants who received the box after me.

Oolonga said

I used Lipton as an example and I don’t care who exactly put what. My point was anyone who’s spending money to ship this big box and also is adding quality teas for others should be able to take out some quality stuff as well and not feel ripped off. Otherwise just call it Tea Trash box, this won’t cause any wrong expectations for sure :D

I don’t get it. I live in the 11th largest American city, San Antonio, and I get almost all my tea online. We have a Teavana store, but it is so horribly overpriced, even without shipping (8.5% sales tax, tho), that i don’t buy there. There are places on the net where i can get the same tea cheaper, and fresher — and freshness is key, when it comes to green, white, and light oolongs. If they’re not vacuum packed in China, many of these will have lost their famous floral notes before, or shortly after they are sold.

@chana No worries, i’m sending to you, and I’ll put some empty, foil lined bags in there before mailing out the box.

Cofftea said

Oolonga, Whoa. A little negative are we? I think it’s really selfish to say “x% wasn’t to my taste.” Yeah, so? Then just pick from the other percentage. That’s like me saying “Ew! Bagged tea!” (I’m actually finding more bagged teas I enjoy even if they aren’t “buy again” worthy, but this was just an example) It IS; however, definitely unfortunate that the Silver Needle was ruined and that is a justified complaint. And the Tea Trash box remark was (in my opinion) completely uncalled for. Aside from (possibly, not definitively) the Lipton bags, it’s really hard (and unfair to) assume any person’s motives/intentions for their TTB contributions. I, personally, don’t mind people passing off their undesired tea- one of my now “gems” as you coined it, is another member’s cast off. I’m not sure if you’re just getting this and thus got the 1.2 version or got the original box, but if you got the 2nd box please keep in mind that it was quite hastily (but just as generously) put togeither when the one I sent out went MIA (and unfortunately we’ll never know if it shows up at Jason’s place since he moved)… so let’s be greatful it even has the chance to finish the route. I also (again just my personal opinion) do not like the idea of having a plain TTB and a flavored one- I would much prefer contributors take care of their tea in terms of packaging so both can be included.

Alannah, since you brought up the Lipton Select, I just wanted to clarify my own opinion… I will gladly take lipton if it means the alternative is no tea, but since anyone even in the most remote boonies can get it at any time (literally if you have a 24hr walmart lol) I was just disappointed in it being a select item.

@oolonga You realize, of course, that we are greatly in the minority. Those of us who treasure fresh, single-origin, pure whole leaf tea — that is. I organize a tea group with 50 members, and I’m the only one with an earnest interest in these traditional, artisan teas. I’m also the only one who has learned gongfu brewing in order to bring out the best from these teas which “have heart” to the utmost. Oh, the others will drink the tea when I serve it, but they don’t buy it. The group is just one year old, and I live in hope.

@oolonga Please follow me so I can PM you. Oh what the heck, what I was going to say is that a good place to buy tea, from someone who is a direct importer and who treats tea like wine, literally by year, season, origin, varietal, etc. is Norbu Tea. That’s norbutea dot com and yes, Gregory Glancy’s company is in Texas. Many of his teas can be purchased in the ideal package: 25, 50, or 100 grams in vacuum packaging which was done before shipping from the continent of origin.

Update: One more thing, before I run out of rant. If you have any love of the taste of the naked tea leaf, think on this … Ten or 20 years ago, a person would have to travel across the globe to experience these teas. Who knows what the situation will be, ten or 20 years hence? I’m drinkin’ them NOW.

Jillian said

Looks like only one more person to go before I get it – I’ll make sure to put some good stuff in there for you, Pete, and anyone else down the line. :)

Angrboda said

As Cofftea so rightly said, one man’s trash another man’s treasure. No, I did not make rules that people couldn’t add stuff to the box that they didn’t like so much themselves. Someone else might really enjoy it. Hey, I even added a really vile one myself when I put it together the very first time. I’m sorry if some have been disappointed and couldn’t find anything in the box that they thought was interesting, but 100% satisfaction for all involved cannot be guaranteed in these cases. It’s just not possible.

I also did not make any rules about which sorts of tea could and could not be added, and I do not feel it’s fair to demand sort of standard either. Not everybody has the opportunity to spend the same amount on tea as everybody else. Not everybody has the same size collection. Not everybody has access to the same teas. Not everybody has the same experience. I can’t see the fairness in telling people that they have to be a certain level of tea-drinker in order to participate, and I can’t see the fairness in telling people that they have to go out and purchase a bunch of new and expensive stuff just for this.

I’m sorry that Oolonga was disappointed by the selection, but that’s hardly grounds to call it a box of trash. Somebody added those things because they hoped others would like them or because they wanted to share some of their own favourites with the others. Nobody, NOBODY added the ‘wrong tea’ to the box.

So please stop arguing or Mummy shall spank!

Oolonga said

“I’m not sure if you’re just getting this and thus got the 1.2 version or got the original box, but if you got the 2nd box please keep in mind that it was quite hastily (but just as generously) put togeither when the one I sent out went MIA (and unfortunately we’ll never know if it shows up at Jason’s place since he moved)… so let’s be greatful it even has the chance to finish the route.”

You know, Cofftea, it was totally your fault that the box was lost. How about contacting your recipient and asking him to confirm the address before shipping it out? How about getting a tracking number and a delivery confirmation for the package so that you would know if it showed up at his place even if he moved? And shipping insurance costs only a few bucks and can pay for all the stuff that might get lost. These are obvious things that should be taken care of before sending anything that is of value to other people and can be easily done with a few clicks of your mouse and don’t even require you to leave your home because pretty much any shipping company out there has a pick-up service…

You should have been solely responsible for putting together the replacement teabox out of you pocket. For all that matters we don’t even know if you shipped the box or not since there is absolutely no proof of that. And you are telling me to be grateful?

Angrboda said

Oolonga, you ARE acting ungrateful and entitled and frankly rather childish right now and we’re all getting really damn sick of it. Kindly STOP right now and STOP accusing people of stealing. That was unfortunate yes, but it’s not unheard of. Sometimes mail disappears. It happens, okay, and not necessarily with it being anybody’s fault.

I don’t know what you were expecting from the box, but I find it interesting that you’re the only person who’s had any complaint about it. How are we supposed to guarantee that everything inside the box lives up to YOUR expectation and YOUR likes and dislikes? The idea of the box is to see what other people are drinking and maybe trying something you would never have come in contact with before. Was your sender maybe supposed to have asked you what they should put in the box before sending it to you? Have the contents approved first? Should I maybe have demanded that it was not allowed for people to add something they didn’t like much? Except, you know, maybe YOU don’t like what I like, so that would still have been ‘trash’ in your eyes.

We’re all sorry that you were disappointed but kindly STOP taking it out on all the rest of us. Now. Please. Nobody forced you to sign up, so kindly get over it.

It’s behaviour like this that makes me wonder if the whole project was worth the headache and thankful I’m not having anything to do with any future rounds.

So go ahead and avoid all future rounds and similar projects, Oolonga. With the behaviour you’re exhibiting at the moment, I hardly think anybody is going to be crushed by your absence.

Oolonga said

I am not accusing Cofftee of stealing, I’m merely stating the fact that the box is gone and Cofftee has no proof of shipping it and is telling me to be grateful because others have assembled the replacement box. They have assembled it for you, Cofftee, not for me.

And by the way, what exactly should I be grateful of? I took the same part in this as everyone else: received the box, filled it with teas and passed it on. The only thing that separates me from others that I dare to complain because most of the teas in the box are ruined due to negligence and the box was full of cast offs in my opinion.

And I don’t care if people have credit cards or not to shop online, if shipping costs them 30 bucks or not and if the only option available to them locally is low quality stuff. Why should I? I am not a charity. All I care about is if I pay for the box to ship it and put good quality teas in it I should be able to take out something of comparable quality that isn’t stinking to the point it is impossible to drink.

And people don’t like me saying that because it is so much easier to just dump the unwanted stuff in the box without proper packaging and let someone else deal with it. This is not sharing a passion for tea with fellow tea drinkers… sad that you guys don’t get it.

Jillian said

I guess the rest of us just aren’t as enlightened as you are, dear – not that we really give a damn. So why don’t you shut up, stop making a scene, and go somewhere else if it bothers you so much. There’s other tea websites and blogs – go annoy them for a little while.

chana said

OK, deep breath everyone. Can we adopt the Ravelry rule of thumb and “be excellent to one another” ? Even when we disagree. (^_^)

I see two separate issues here.

One, poor (re-)packaging, which can and has ruined the quality of some of the teas. I wholeheartedly agree that this is a great shame – and I think the matter has been addressed and people will take more care from now on.

Two, disappointment with the selection and the standard of the teas. This one is purely subjective, and being judgmental is not going to change anyone’s tastes, and can easily offend. Hey, I’ve been disappointed with a TTB I’ve received in the past that had about 75% green tea and I prefer blacks, rooibos and chais, but so what? There were still a few gems in there, and I sampled some greens that I wouldn’t have chosen for myself otherwise. We all have different levels of tea experience and some have a more developed palate than others, but I won’t ridicule anyone who doesn’t know what I know or like what I like. Personally, I’m not interested in some generic dust in teabags, but if that’s what someone likes, so be it. I just won’t take some for myself. (And I do drink some of Lipton’s pyramid teabags…gasp!) Someone else may not want (or turn up their nose at, or whatever) what I put in. And that’s OK too. The point is to enjoy and share a love of tea. Not just certain kinds of tea, but tea. And maybe learn something as well. Either about the tea, or about the sharing.

Angrboda said

“I am not accusing Cofftee of stealing, I’m merely stating the fact that the box is gone and Cofftee has no proof of shipping it "

Aren’t you? If you don’t think she actually shipped it, in what capacity does that not mean theft?

Anyway, you’re unhappy, we get it. You wanted to voice your opinion, we heard it. We disagree. It’s our right as well as yours. I don’t know about the others but I’m getting mighty tired of this negativity.

If I compensate your shipping expenses out of my own pocket, will you give it a rest? Email me some details and I’ll send it to you by Western Union asap.

Oolonga said

“Aren’t you? If you don’t think she actually shipped it, in what capacity does that not mean theft?”

I don’t think or assume anything, the fact is the box is gone and can be anywhere. I don’t know why you see things in my words that are not there. Vivid imagination perhaps?

“If I compensate your shipping expenses out of my own pocket, will you give it a rest? Email me some details and I’ll send it to you by Western Union asap.”

Why don’t you send your money to those complaining about high shipping costs instead?

At any rate, I’m done with you both, Angrboda and Jillian, because neither of you can contribute to a constructive conversation anymore.

Jillian said

Make sure you un-Follow me then – I’d hate to cramp your style, love.

PeteG said

Jillian…tks…I will be waiting…

As for the issue of sub par teas…well. I worried too and I must agree to some extent (w/o coming across as a tea snob). At the beginning of this many moons ago…people shipped in nice tins and then there were complaints. Discussion about loose vs bagged came up…(heated discusion I may add), then the loss of the TTB1 and I must say that Oolonga has shared some opinions that “some” who ‘lurk’ here may feel has to be shared whether right or wrong…I am not going to be the judge!!!! I know when the discussion about attempting to keep the cost of shipping down and using "baggies"to envolope the teas – I was not too happy about that myself knowing quite well that there would or could be an issue of transfer of teas or its scents…
I have contributed to a couple of heated discussion here and I am not so proud of but we do have our opinions and we should be able to share them without fearing a "major"backlash! I am hoping after the airing of our dirty laundry that we can all come together and just sit down and drink a cup of tea whether in a bag or loose…Just drink it!…Lookn’fwd to the TTB…or am I?

Login or sign up to post a message.

No disappointment here. Living in a small town with only one grocery store, you learn to appreciate even a lowly teabag! Especially if it is not one of the 5 that the store carries on a regular basis.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

Ricky said

I concur! Lipton’s awesome iced with some honey.

Oolonga said

Who’s keeping you from ordering online and widening your horizons? Virtually anything can be bought online. It’s 2010, wake up.

chana said

Anything can be bought online? Well, except that a great many tea companies won’t ship outside of North America, which excludes a few of us. And of those that do, there are still some that don’t ship to all areas, and mine is often one that doesn’t make the list. Of the remaining companies who do ship to me, many charge such high shipping costs that I really can’t afford to order all that much, thank you. It’s one of the reasons that I love tea swaps and traveling tea boxes.

I’m wide awake…and I know that’s it’s 2010. Just sayin’. (^_^)

Jillian said

I’m seconding what Chana said. So many companies (tea and otherwise) are US-only, or even if they do ship elsewhere charge an arm and leg for shipping. I refuse to pay $20 or more (I’m not exaggerating – I wish I were) to ship an order of $10 worth of tea – particularly when it’s being shipped from a place that’s just a short hop across the (Canadian) border.

Oolonga said

It doesn’t mean that tea bags and low quality stuff is the only option available to people living in remote areas. Some companies still ship and keep their rates affordable.

Angrboda said

Wow, you really are in an offensive mood, aren’t you? I hope you realise that you’re not really very pleasant to be around at the moment.

What is available is quite beside the point.

What the person in question is drinking is what matters. Maybe those bags were what that person was drinking. Newsflash, maybe they liked it.

And no, not everybody have the means to order online. The stuff you get online is a better quality yes, but it’s also more expensive. Some people may have different priorities and not a lot of money to start with. Maybe they don’t have a credit card. Maybe they are uncomfortable with shopping online and giving out sensitive information about their credit cards and bank accounts. And again, NOBODY should be required to go and purchase a bunch of new stuff for the sole purpose of putting in the box, when they have a perfectly good collection of teas already.

And if you think shipping is such a small problem, come live over here for a while and see how many of the american based companies you still want to ship with. I, for example, bought at Adagio’s once. $20 of tea, $20 of shipping and $20 of VAT and customs. I calculated shipping costs at a small order from Samovar once. That came up to around $40 and then I wouldn’t be able to guarantee there wouldn’t be VAT and customs on it as well, so I have to assume there will. Some companies have reasonable shipping yes. But generally I’ve found that the tea they sell is priced a little higher instead.

PeteG said

In our appreciation to come to widen our circle we must include those that we do not agree with: 1. consider that in order for you to become enlightened, the practice of patience is essential….2. In order to practice patience, you need an adversary…3. Understand that in this way our adversary are very valuable for the opportunities they provide…4. Decide that instead of getting angry at those who block our wishes, will you inwardly respond with gratitude….Thank you Angrboda for your leadership and dedication throughout this period…and all those who have enjoyed or not enjoyed the TTB…thank you for you participation…for w/o you we would not have the opportunity to come together and live in difficult times…great knowledge has been gained and experience tells me that we can learn to develop inner strength in the leaf.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Heyes said

I was wondering where this was!

Angrboda said

US west coast-ish. Then Canada, then a dip back into the US then Israel and then Denmark again. :)

PeteG said

Should I get excited?

I don’t want to have my hopes dashed with a loss…you know our igloo’s and dog sleds postal system may misplace the TTb?

@Jillian, let me know when you rec the TTB please….

@Angrboda, tks – your as sweet and spicy as a cup full of hot chai…

Login or sign up to post a message.

Jillian said

The Teabox has landed, ladies and gents! Opening it feels almost like X-mas morning; I’m so excited and there’s so many yummy-looking tea I can’t wait to try. XD

You’re up next, Pete!

PeteG said

OMG!!!! The TTB has landed…in a foreign land…yeah! Enjoy Jillian…tks.
I am getting excited once again…it almost feels like the first time…when the TTB was announced and I placed my name on to the list.

PeteG said

I understand the TTB will be moving across the ‘great white north’ fm beautiful British Columbia to Canada’s Ocean Playground…Nova Scotia.
This is a perfect time to receive the TTB…it is getting cool outside and it’s TEA TIME…Cheers!

Login or sign up to post a message.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.