My mornings, afternoons, and evenings are consumed with tea. When I have a friend over, I brew tea. After a refreshing walk, it’s time for iced tea. After a long, hard day at work, I’m ready for a warm, sweet, chocolaty tea. There is always a reason and there is always a tea to make any situation better. When I’m doing my weekly shopping at the grocery store, it’s all about tea.
Let’s talk for a minute about the tea and coffee aisle at your local grocery store. Is anyone else in love with their tea aisle? I thoroughly believe that you can tell a lot about an area by the tea aisle in the local grocery store. After moving from Los Angeles, California to Tulsa, Oklahoma last August, I never realized how much I loved my local tea aisle in California. Unfortunately, living in good ole’ Tulsa, Oklahoma, you won’t find much selection in the local grocery store’s tea aisle. I’m thankful for my one trusted Whole Foods Market (which is 30 minutes away, but, of course, worth the drive), where I can stock up on my natural teas. I guess you could say I’m a tea snob. I would take a freshly brewed loose-leaf tea over a deflated tea bag any day! The grocery stores in my current area are literally filled with low-quality, bagged teas.
I have taken it upon myself to ask my local grocery store to start carrying some of the teas I like. The only reason I thought about doing this is to help increase the quality of the teas in the local grocery store. I often just purchase my teas online because I find it to be easier and cheaper, and the selection is much better. I want my local grocery store’s tea aisle to expand and carry quality teas so that my community can have great options that will promote good health, wellness, and longevity.
Are you not satisfied with your local tea aisle? Take it upon yourself to ask them to start carrying certain products. I think you’ll be surprised with how willing local grocery stores are to start carrying products their customers love.
Let’s show our tea aisles some love!
I’m willing to bet that you local grocery store has natural teas. You probably mean whole leaf teas instead of natural. All leaf based teas are natural that I know of and the definition of ‘natural’ is a soft definition at best. The word is overused in marketing to sell products. Recently a grocery store by me advertised that their meat selection was ‘chemical free’. I didn’t know that was possible. But, I digress, the rest of it is a nice article.
Terrific suggestion Holly. I think we all have an obligation to do just that. By helping our local stores improve the quality of their offerings, it will increase tea consumption as people discover some terrific tasting teas. Fortunately there’s a growing trend toward tea shops which are such a major force in the progress of the tea industry. I’m so fortunate to live in a community, although small, is definitely health savvy and thus have a great tea selection. I don’t imagine the day will come when the aisles have more whole leaf teas than lower quality tea bags but we’re definitely moving in the right direction. Good catch BR.