A few weeks ago when I was working on my tea decluttering project (which will start again soon) I mentioned a particular tea that I'd found mediocre. Someone tweeted back at me, "Awful." That's it. No more. I had never read any tweets by this person and knew nothing about them. So I responded, "Which? What I said or the tea?" or something to that effect. No response came my way. I chalked it up to the usual crazy that sometimes happens on Twitter. I figured I'd never know. A few weeks later I expressed similar dismay over another tea by the same company. Once again, the comment appeared, "Awful."
I felt a mixture of irritation and curiosity. It felt like I was being heckled, but I didn't know why. I wrote, "I remember a similar response about a month ago. I guess you're not a fan of (X Company)?" A response did arrive this time to the effect that he actually loved the company but couldn't believe that with that shop's amazing selections that I would buy teas targeted at tourists. I felt like I'd been slapped by a stranger who walked by me on the street. I posted something back about having bought them for friends who weren't yet into more exotic teas...or something to that effect. But I instantly regretted my answer. It wasn't completely true and it wasn't really what was bothering me.
1) I bought the teas because I liked the containers and the tea names. I totally admit it. It's what I do sometimes and occasionally I find a real treasure.
2) Yep - they were teas targeted at tourists, and you know what? I was a tourist. I was in London for just a few days and I ran into the shop after my tea masterclass with Jane Pettigrew, on my way to meeting my friend at the theater. They caught my eye and they seemed like perfect mementos of the trip.
3) The most important point of all: I have no problem with companies making teas intended for a particular population (like tourists). However, I feel that the tea should still reflect the company's level of quality. It actually bothers me to think that this company with a truly stellar reputation would deliberately create an inferior product to take advantage of out-of-towners. I have no problem believing that it happens, but it's wrong. Your job should be to create an absolutely brilliant tea that would appeal to a tourist in order to gain a following. I would happily order teas online if I had had a great experience. I didn't. I had a mediocre experience and so it really isn't worth placing the order from here.
Have any of you had experience with "tourist" teas? It's funny after so many years of tea study that I still feel like I have to justify my palate. But also, I think this whole discussion grated on me because it goes against everything I've tried to do at Tea Pages. Tea shouldn't be intimidating and people shouldn't feel guilty or self-conscious about their choices. They should drink what they love and be open to trying new things.
Off my soapbox now...and maybe I'll just peek at Twitter.
Taken from http://teapages.blogspot.com/
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