Loose tea or tea in bags?

[AJPRATT]

I was curious what your preference is... Do you sell tea in a bag or loose teas? Or do you sell both? I love loose teas but I have also found bags that I really enjoy as well. I have always been passionate about using loose leaves and not having dust in a bag, but when it comes to my store, I'm just not sure...

 

[John P]

Loose.
There isn't a comparison.
But it does involve slightly more work, and important to educate as to proper steeping time.

 

[ElPugDiablo]

I use loose, but you need knowledgeable employees to advise and educate customers. Loose leaves offer way better quality and higher profit margin than tea bags.

 

[AJPRATT]

Thanks. Quality is certainly my concern, and the profit margin doesn't hurt. I will take a closer look at this.

 

[mandaofdoom]

Loose

Always loose.

Although some pre-packaged teas are decent, loose teas make all the difference.

The problem with loose teas, however is knowing the correct amounts and steep-times for different types of teas as using too much tea or steeping for too long can cause bitterness and other problems with taste.

But with a little bit of knowledge, loose teas become a way of life.

 

[Angel11]

I was wondering the same thing.

I would make both available. Not everyone apprecciates good tea and you want to target all types of customers.
maybe loose tea sampling would give them the oppurtunity to value tea?

Ang.

 

[Heidi]

Loose leaves. It's awful when you come into a coffee shop where a lot of effort is put into making the perfect coffee, when the person who drinks tea is offered a selection of Pickwick teas.

 

[John P]

Ang,

from a business standpoint, I'll heartily disagree with your comment. A good business does NOT want to appeal to all types of customers. Not everyone will feel welcome at your shop, nor should you want them to. This shows you have an identity. Decide who YOUR customers will be, don't try to be all things to all people, this quickly leads to being nothing to nobody--and that would really suck.