Loose Leaf Tea and the Tea Room – A Valuable Partnership

The growth in demand for high quality loose leaf tea enthusiasts consume greater quantities of tea, the relationship between tea suppliers and the tea room increases in importance.
This addition of value is essential to the growth of the loose leaf tea market in the United States This addition of value is essential to the growth of the loose leaf tea because the tea room bundles high quality loose leaf tea with other food products, services and an ambiance that create a very pleasurable tea experience. This addition of value is essential to the growth of the loose leaf tea because the tea room bundles high quality loose leaf tea because the tea room bundles high quality loose leaf tea with other food products, services and an ambiance that create a very pleasurable tea experience. Tea rooms are critically important to suppliers of loose leaf tea with other food products, services and an ambiance that create a very pleasurable tea experience.
The basic element in the relationship between the tea supplier and the tea room however, is quality loose leaf tea. Many high quality tea rooms offer a broad choice of loose leaf teas, complimentary food products like sandwiches, fruit, and pure water beverages in a pleasant, warm environment.
Loose leaf tea is all about quality and service. The owner of the tea room makes a substantial investment of time and resources including the choice of an attractive location, high quality furnishings and staff in order to create a quality brand. In order to maintain the integrity of the tea room brand the basic tea offering must be one of consistent high quality.
Many tea rooms are constantly on the look out for new vendors of loose leaf tea because new tea lines are easily integrated into their tea offering. In addition a broad product line of teas offered by the supplier offer the tea room's customers choices and the excitement of new blends and flavors. Quality tea rooms often look to increase the quality of tea and then maintain the consistency of the tea offering.
Where the supplier provides marketing and customer support the relationship tends to be close and very profitable for both parties. Generally speaking, the commercial relationship between tea importer suppliers and the tea room is a wholesale one with discounts off of retail provided based on volume of tea purchases.
What Should Tea Rooms Look for in A Tea Supplier?
Some of the characteristics of the best tea suppliers from a tea room perspective are: There are a number of tea suppliers in the marketplace but not all are the same.
• High quality loose leaf tea recognized in the marketplace
• A commitment to the tea room industry
• A commitment to quality that is evidenced by tea cupping of each bulk shipment import
• A broad product offering that includes varietals, blends and flavored teas
• An e-commerce site with features that provide easy ordering, flexibility of delivery and good prices
• Marketing support including information about tea and tea commerce
• Open lines of communication that solicit feedback from tea room customers
• The highest quality customer service and a dedication to tea room customer satisfaction
Relationships that are based upon the highest tea quality and premium customer support and service will be valuable to both parties in the transaction. The relationship between tea rooms and tea suppliers is one of the mainstays of the loose leaf tea industry.
Golden Moon Tea's website is found at Stout is Chairman of the Board of Golden Moon Tea is a supplier of high quality loose leaf tea and high quality tea ware. Jon M.
http://www.Goldenmoontea.com

Tea Parties Take the Cake

Taking cues from a favored English past time, tea-party themes range from Victorian elegance to purely whimsical, appealing to a broad age range as well. Tea Rooms have appeared throughout the U.S. giving us a guide to the ways of cozy ambience, dress-up, quiet conversation, and etiquette. You don't need to spend hours in the kitchen to host a memorable tea party. Prepare small sandwiches with simple flavors like cream cheese and prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato, tuna salad, or ham and apple. Simply spread a thin coat of mayonnaise, butter, or cream cheese on the bread to keep it from getting soggy. Add your favorite filling and cut off the edges with a serrated knife. Then cut with cookie cutter, or cut into simple square shapes. Add a few pastries from your local bakery such as scones, muffins, and danishes in assorted flavors. Keep the party to around 2 hours. Any longer will require a light lunch.
Tea Party Ideas
Mother/Daughter Club
Start a Mother/Daughter Tea Club - Gather together once a month and use special teacups, teapots, and linens along with several types of tea and finger foods. Introduce a different theme each month that interests women of all ages: fashion, health, gardening, etc. It's a beautiful time to enjoy each other.
Tea Break at Work
Bring sandwiches, cookies, scones and a special teapot for a special break from the ordinary Surprise your co-workers with a tea break.
Tea and Cookies
Have everyone bring their favorite batch of cookies and display them on fine china platters.
Preparation:
Start with innovative invitations. For a girls' birthday tea party, cut out invitations shaped as teapots or send each guest a small teacup with an invitation attached or painted on the cup. Or use floral note cards or postcards.
Purchase or borrow the necessary items for your tea gatherings. You'll need 1 or more china teapots for intimate gatherings. Cups and saucers may be matching, but create interest with a variety of patterns. For sugar, always use cubes in a sugar bowl with sugar tongs for serving. Serve milk, not cream. Have teaspoons, lemon slices in a dish with a small fork, serving utensils for cake, forks, and knives for jam.
Don't forget the music: classical or vintage
Use candles to create ambience.
Serve a colorful variety of petit fours, scones, sugar cookies, and of course, chocolate.
Set out bouquets of pink and white flowers.
Take Polaroid snapshots of guests to add to the fun and chatter.
Ask guests to dress up complete with heels, hats, and gloves
Favors
Surprise your guests with tea party favors such as lace handkerchiefs, flavored tea, teapot cozies, , teacups, porcelain teabag holders, demitasse spoons with teapot handles, or your favorite recipes printed on floral stationary.
Tea Party Etiquette:
This is a great time to teach young ladies about etiquette. To stir your tea, swish the tea back and forth, never hitting the sides of the cup. Never leave the spoon in the cup, but gently rest the spoon on the saucer, behind the cup on the right side under the cup handle. Drink your tea by lifting the saucer and cup together, with the saucer in one hand, and cup in the other.
Tea Preparation
Fill a tea kettle with purified water and set on stove to boil. Warm up your china teapot by running hot water thru it from the faucet. This will keep your tea warmer for a bit longer. Add your teabags or tea-filled infuser to the teapot using 2-3 tea bags for 4 guests. Pour the boiling water carefully into your teapot and wait 5 minutes, then remove teabags. China Teapots are best at keeping tea warm. Surround teapot with a stylish tea cozy for extra insulation.
Elaine Kordares
Founder of The Teapot Shoppe
For a wide variety of teapots, tea party accessories by Royal Patrician, Kaldun & Bogle, Kensington, Roy Kirkham and more, visit The Teapot Shoppe on line at
www.theteapotshoppe.com
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