Comments on: The Importance of Doing Research for Your Customers

By: Alberto D. Pempengco

Alberto D. Pempengco — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:14:00 +0000

I find no problem with someone saying “tea MAY help fight cancer, etc…”

It does not say “WILL” which is more definitive.

The word “MAY” takes into account the existence of widespread anectodal and even historical evidence that antioxidants in tea may have a big hand in the health benefits of the drink. It also acknowledges the continuing search for conclusive evidence before the ‘MAY’ can be converted to ‘WILL’.

By: Ted Thurston

Ted Thurston — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:01:58 +0000

I personally don’t find anything wrong with highlighting possible health benefits of tea if they include caveats saying that there are no proven therapeutic claims, or using the word “may” instead of “will”.

By: Francis

Francis — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 04:43:38 +0000

I drink tea because I was born in the south and that’s how it is I wouldn’t give a crap if it was killing me. Babies from Georgia are given tea once they are born along with peaches. I pity the fool who doesn’t like tea.

By: Andrew Marrone

Andrew Marrone — Sun, 29 May 2011 04:13:26 +0000

I use that line all the time. “I drink tea because it tastes good”. I’m pretty sure if I found out tea was carcinogenic, I would still drink it.

By: Kuei-Ti Lu

Kuei-Ti Lu — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:15:04 +0000

Thank you for bringing out this topic, Tony. I am not in the tea industry but still have knowledge about it. Tea dates from ancient China (before 2000 BCE), and since then, it has been a pleasure for many Chinese and part of Chinese culture. During this long period (about four thousands of years), tea is generally a drink instead of a medicine to Chinese people. Tea is said to be a medicine in the book, Shennong Ben Cao Jing (神農本草經), in which it is said that Shennong (神農) drank tea to antidote the poison he got when tasting different kinds of plants. However, Shennong is a legendary person, and so far, the archaeologists can not make sure that he really existed. This is from the historical perspective.

As from the scientific perspective, recent businesses which spread the idea that tea can cure diseases rely on the statistical data – despite the common misconception that it is an area of science, statistics is not science since, with its results can easily, or with a possibility outside the range of error, be retorted by experiments (statistics itself proves that it is not a science). As a result, those businesses which spread the misconceptions are, as you say, doing deceptive practice.

It is good to see so many people trying to educate the consumers. I hope that the consumers can also be more reasonable and not be deceived so easily by advertisements.

By: Mary Lou Heiss

Mary Lou Heiss — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:57:25 +0000

Thanks, Tony, for the mention of our book, The Story of Tea – we appreciate it. Tea education is hard work….learning about a topic to truly understand it and rise above the din of others takes time and committment. So we applaud tea vendors ( and tea enthusiasts, too ) who take the time to learn and appreciate. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to have face-time with our tea customers and tea enthusiasts through our books and and in our store. Breaking down mis-information with customers is a big part of our job…and our responsibility.

By: Libby

Libby — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:47:17 +0000

I’m in agreement with the points JT has made. I recently exhibited with my tea company at a local festival and the number one question was not about the production method, tea farmer, origin, or taste profile, but rather “What’s it good for?”.

Teaching people to drink tea for the sheer pleasure of it is a difficult task, particularly those new to tea. This tried and true method that seems to have worked for coffee and wine is going to be a long journey for the tea world, I think. Thanks for bringing the issue into the spotlight. Whether we’re enthusiasts or business owners, I hope it will inspire us all to rise the the challenge!

By: Samantha

Samantha — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:47:19 +0000

I love this article. I work at a specialty tea shop and have been told numerous times by the owners to take this very approach. People still come in on a daily basis asking what tea would be best for said ailment or claiming that we should look into a certain tea or herb because it cures such and such an ailment. It’s hard to explain to them what you’re saying here. Most people don’t believe us when we suggest to drink tea for the pleasure of drinking it (and some don’t believe that our specialty teas are better than what Lipton sells…silly…). Thanks for posting.

By: JT

JT — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:24:48 +0000

I like tea because it tastes really, really good, if you get the good stuff. I enjoy its caffeine content and find it mellower than caffeine from coffee, which I also love, and that’s partly because the content is lower so I absorb it over a couple cups instead of one blast.

It may have other benefits – take the with a grain of salt. Not literally. Don’t put salt in your tea.

Getting people to drink more tea should use the same tactics used by everyone else – talk up the quality differences, educate your consumers about how to recognize quality product, educate them about styles and sources, talk about brewing methods, temperatures, times, etc, to develop a culture of tea drinkers who understand quality versus cuppa.

It’s a tried and true method, and the development of quality coffee all over the US over the past 20 years proves it.

By: David

David — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:16:02 +0000

I replied to your tweet,but I guess this is part of getting tea more mainstream. People will start drinking it because of the health reasons and realize they enjoy it. I have noticed that a lot of times when the health benefits are promoted, they are usually selling low quality tea at a high price.