When the thought of tea jumps into mind, even in this day where the leaf seems to be cropping up everywhere, we think of quiet solitary times, times where you may have a slight chill penetrating your bones. It’s now you realize that wrapping your hands around a mug of steaming tea is just about the best thing you’ve done all day.
This eloquent, peaceful and reflective ritual that millions partake in has recently morphed into a very wide, vast and deep corporate marketing message flogged by the largest beverage producers.
Yes, sadly, our daily “time out” has been spun by the marketing gods into something that can be bought at any café serving up any old cup of tea. “Experience the zen of matcha” as one coffee chain espouses in its hectic stores, oft at train stations and ferry terminals. Show me Zen in a train station coffee kiosk and I’ll show you the Buddha himself sitting in the corner and chuckling madly.
The transformation that has occurred in specialty tea this past decade is nothing short of extraordinary. Some of us not too long ago had a premonition, but the corporatization of specialty tea has been undeniably effective, in a yin & yang sort of way.
It seems that every viable industry spawns from a humble grassroots genesis.
They are usually bred from some burning passion or desire, a keen eye on trends and an innate sense to share the benefits of the product one loves. Many have witnessed numerous good start-ups grow and flourish well beyond their ma & pa roots. In this growth process, they are standardized and if I may conjecture, fiddled and tweaked with by corporate bean counters to the point where the concept becomes no longer recognizable to its early adopters.
Overnight, everything has morphed into a corporate milieu and is palatably different, with the keystone product taking the biggest slice in quality. You have to ask yourself when a coffee chain has 10,000+ locations, each selling the same ‘specialty’ cup of coffee, how good really are those beans? To portray this as a small farmer, specialty coffee is like saying the Whopper ranks as a premium locally raised burger.
From my vantage point, tea appears to have arrived at this stage. There really was nothing anyone could have done about it; the industry has grown immensely since the early 2000’s. With the media promoting its health benefits, its easy accessibility, and high profit margin, tea was destined to follow in specialty coffee’s footsteps.
So what does this mean in regards to quality and supply?
For quality, I would suggest you go sip a cup of tea at one of those bloated tea chains and find out. What you get is very low-grade tea wrapped up in a ton of artificial flavors. Most people I know who have tried teas from these corporate chain stores either complain about the ensuing headache from the cup they had or that the information about the tea being disseminated by the staff was erroneous. I don’t dare ever frequent them for fear that I might start interjecting and correcting the misinformed tea tenders.
Demand now outstrips supply and with the added effects of climate change, traditional growing areas are either too wet or too dry at their peak season. Yield and quality fluctuate from year to year.
There was a time I was quite determined to follow suit and adopt a ‘go big or go home’ philosophy, but that was until the noxious whiff of corporate culture entered our small organization. We had 5 outlets operating in 2005 and I flinched and turned away. I really wasn’t keen on turning Steeps into the next “Starbucks of Tea”, even though our regulars were convinced we had conceived the model for a successful rollout.
So is bigger really better? I am inclined to say no, and I mean that for most of the industries and products that service the human race. The single benefit I see from “Big Tea’s” proliferation is that young adults, who would normally grab a coke or red bull are opting now for a cuppa over a can.
This means that eventually, purveyors, blenders, and small-scale importers like us will see them in the shops we service. One headache too many & simple curiosity will lead them to our tea bars. Once we demonstrate what good tea is, the way forward will be much clearer and… more mouth-watering too.
Brendan Waye is a Tea Specialist and Sommelier for TG Tea, Inc.
The single benefit you mention Brendan, introducing tea to young adults – and children I might add – is HUGE. That has been my goal since stumbling into tea myself in 2006. Choosing tea over high sugar beverages is key to making a shift in the health of the younger generation. And that’s only the beginning of what a daily tea ritual will bring to them. As they stumble into or even seek out wonderful tea shops around the country and the world, they will most certainly delight in the experience of traditionally made artisan crafted tea. Make that organic please:)
I couldn’t agree more Michelle. It pains me to no end when I see parents buying their kids Slurpee’s at 7-eleven, which as we know, has about 7-9 tablespoons of refined white sugar. You have to wonder when the parents will connect the dots here…
Let’s go a step further Brendan….I think parents should be considered child abusers when they feed their kids soda and/or Slurpees. It’s now considered child abuse to drive in a car with children while smoking. I see this as very similar by contributing to the increased risk of illness of the child.
Brendan, it’s so good to read you again and what a spot-on post!! I too was very excited about getting tea to the masses, and really still am, but in a very different way, as I’ve seen what you have seen out there. Last night until 1 a.m.+, I was reading reviews of the four biggest chains in Canada and the U.S. I heard some things over and over..it was very educational! We have taken the last two years away from retail to develop technology and rethink how we view retailing this very special product. You have been an inspiration to me since I started looking into loose tea in 2003-2004, and still are. Of course, you began a company that makes a very good concentrated chai and some purists would cringe at that. I don’t. I don’t cringe at anything that is done well, tastes delicious, isn’t harmful, and says what it is. The customer will always be the final word, and the marketing dollars will do their ‘stuff’ and it will be what it will be..and some will choose for the ‘proudly carried around all day logo on the cup’..as you know. As for us, we still believe that the right concept will give top notch product, top notch brewing results that will make large volume possible, and will give the consumer a top notch experience and education about loose leaf. We were owners and/or partial owners of 4 stores at one time, but the three S-Corp-owned stores that we were squeezed out of input on have become ‘cafes’…nothing like the original vision. We’re still very excited about tea retailing on a large scale and believe it can be done well, so well it will rival mom and pop, because that’s what we have always been…so far. At any rate, we keep plugging on getting it all ‘just right’. I wish you would say something about what exactly you are doing right now! I’m sure it is ‘edgy’ :)
Woops…not 4 at a time..3 at a time, one closed just as another opened. :)
great to hear from you Diane, and what you are doing is truly inspirational. One of the more challenging aspects of our business is to bring new technology to market, especially when you are dealing with an age old product like tea.
Kudos for the perseverance, I hope to someday be a recipient of all your hard work and innovation.
I guess I don’t like behemoths of any sort, it just does not jive with everything that I’ve come to know and love about tea.
As Michelle said above, the very very less of all the evils is seeing kids drinking sweet homemade tea (as they would) – now we just need to banish the refined white-death.
wishing you the best,
Brendan, I’ll just say it like it is: You made my day!! One of the problems with the technology field is having people put it down before even trying it. There is a resistance to technology by some in the tea world, as you well know…and probably rightfully so considering some of the ‘solutions’ to brewing tea through the years. So, when someone who knows tea as well as you and who I have great respect for says this…it’s a push to see things to completion!!! We are in the process of adding an app to complement the brewer itself. The technology has already been taste tested by some of the most respected palates in the tea industry, so it’s a matter of….frankly, money, and that will come. There’s always a reason for timing. When we started this, there were no big tea chains needing a consistent way to brew tea quickly with better results than traditional steep in taste. Now there are. :) Love ya, tea bro!
Diane
I would love to hear a full update on your project. Perhaps you can share it with us next month with a post to bring us all up to speed. I think it helps all the entrepreneurs out there to be aware of the journey that is necessary to bring a great idea to market. It is not an easy road. Your persistence will pay off. You have a great product which has tremendous value. As you mention, with more “big tea chains” out there, the timing is most definitely NOW.
Hi Michelle,
As an appliance innovator yourself, your interest is always appreciated! I try to mention it in my posts from time to time. You know the big taste difference a well-brewed and not so well-brewed cup of tea can have, and how little it takes to go from one to the other with very slight deviation. That’s one of the biggest advantages of good technology–consistency and controlled conditions. I tend to think it gets geeky or uninteresting to people who aren’t into the ‘science’ of food and beverage or somehow feel it hurts the romance/aesthetic of the tea experience. If so, there will always be the traditional implements for them to use. It’s all good when it comes to enjoying tea!!
I think you bring up an important point Diane but I disagree. It’s not “geeky” or “uninteresting” to understand the fundamentals of making a great cup of tea. Everyone needs to understand this information. I can’t even count how many people I’ve spoken to who said that they really loved the tea they had at a tea shop, bought the tea and made it at home and it was “not great”. Unless one understands the variables – which I have called the 3 T’s – tea, temperature and time….and with W = water – they won’t make a great cup of tea consistently. W+3T= a wonderful cup of tea.
Your innovative machine doesn’t take anything away from home brewing. It’s a tool for tea shops and restaurants to insure an excellent and quick cup or pot of tea for their customers. Your story is also one that those thinking of getting involved in the tea business should hear. It ain’t easy but it’s possible. Patience, patience, patience.
I’m always reminded of a story told to me by Mark Victor Hansen – the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series – which has been the best selling series in the history of self help books. 26 publishing houses passed on the book as they thought it wasn’t worth publishing. That’s 26 of the leading publishers in the U.S. who were WRONG. If you believe in your idea, you can’t let anyone tell you it’s a bad idea. You must persist. Now if the idea isn’t a good one however, time won’t change that! Trust your instincts.
‘Killing’ an idea that has no future is imperative, but killing one for lack of resources alone is sad, and that’s happened in so many cases and deprived us of great products and concepts we will never enjoy. Brendan is someone I really admire because he knows when to ‘kill’ something and when not to and is willing to admit it and do just that and move on. I believe he always has his ear to the ground and his eyes open and has the true entrepreneurial spirit in such a positive way. I also like that he is open to change, but not willing to compromise his core values regarding tea.
Thank you for your kind words Diane. I hope that as long as I am immersed in the world of tea, I will keep pushing the envelope. Modernizing and age old industry takes perseverance, fortitude and a lot of long nights at the drawing table so to speak. This I am sure you can resonate with, so from one tea entrepreneur to another, “keep on trucking” Diane!