tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post1808080912041355095..comments2024-03-20T16:34:04.414-04:00Comments on Alex Zorach's Tea Blog: Writing About Expectations in a Tea ReviewAlex Zorachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-13546460053752947212011-02-08T15:05:47.129-05:002011-02-08T15:05:47.129-05:00Price and box shape seem to go together:
(Twining...Price and box shape seem to go together:<br /><br />(Twinings, Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow) 2.50 <br /><br />(Traditional Medicinals, Numi, Yogi) 4.00+<br /><br />Tall cylinders (Republic of Tea, Gypsy) 8-12.00<br /><br />Expensive looseleaf-and-in-a-paperish-bag, sold by the ounce.<br /><br />Within each of those categories, a certain packaging style may say something about the tea, but the categories aren't necessarily comparable to each other. <br /><br />The box shape seems to suggest a lot to the consumer--that is, we happily pay a lot more for something that's in a differently shaped container. Yet such a choice may yield an inferior tea-experience. For instance, Bigelow's Earl Grey may cost very little, and have ugly packaging, but I find it really tasty, whereas the "Two leaves and a bud" Earl Grey doesn't live up to its appearance; it always tastes scalded to me: I can taste the weird mesh teabag more than the tea leaves or bergamot. <br /><br />Packaging is a good starting point - I pay attention to it - but it can also be deceptive. I have this "Ah, now I'm having a treat" feeling when I look at Two Leaves and a Bud packaging, and feel disdainful when I see lowly Bigelow as an option at a public function, but my taste buds would choose the Bigelow Earl Grey every time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-68408216165234840212011-02-07T10:06:31.866-05:002011-02-07T10:06:31.866-05:00I posted the comment about packaging not because I...I posted the comment about packaging not because I genuinely believe that packaging corresponds in some neat and clean way to the quality of the tea, but because I would be fooling myself if I said it didn't influence my perceptions.<br /><br />I was thinking more about tea bags when I wrote that remark though.<br /><br />On tea bags, I think there's actually a fairly strong correspondence between the visual look-and-feel of packaging, and what the tea is like. Some tea bags scream "food service", others are clearly from Asian companies, others have a sort of natural or earthy-look, still others convey a look-and-feel more characteristic of British-style teas. There are plenty of examples of teas from tea bags that have surprised me as being higher or lower quality than I had expected from the look and feel of the packaging but I've found that it's one among many signals that I use.<br /><br />With loose tea it's more complex and harder to generalize, but I do think that it says something about the focus of the company. For example, Arbor Teas packaging is green and the pattern / design matches their website...that shows that they've put care into a certain congruence of brand and image. That doesn't guarantee anything about the tea though, but it's shows they've put care into <em>something</em>, which in my opinion makes it more likely that they'll have also put care into the tea.Alex Zorachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-73656280749658852642011-02-05T11:54:32.297-05:002011-02-05T11:54:32.297-05:00I agree about the Makaibari Darjeeling. I've d...I agree about the Makaibari Darjeeling. I've drunk it many times from different vendors, and I know I like the tea a lot. I can't imagine being disappointed unless the tea was stale, which hasn't happened.<br /><br />If I like a certain tea, I guess I do expect it to taste similarly good when I re-order. Not always the case though.<br /><br />As I don't really write tea reviews - it's Pete who does - I can't say that I talk about my expectations in them. <br /><br />I like your point about the packaging. I hadn't really given that much thought up until you mentioned it. I guess I really don't care about the packaging at all. Of course it has to help keep tea fresh during transport but that's my only concern. I don't think I draw a lot of conclusions from the visual design. <br /><br />It would be interesting to hear more about your views on packaging. What expectations do you have, how did the visual design affect those? Could you give an example?<br /><br />Thanks, I really enjoyed reading you article. As always really!<br />J.Jackiehttp://leafboxtea.comnoreply@blogger.com