Tea Sommeliers

Tea sommeliers are, virtually unheard of in the US until a few years ago, are popping up arounf the US more and more. A recent article in the Washington Times discusses the addition of a tea sommelier to the Park Hyatt Washington staff. From the article:

"Elizabeth Knight, former tea sommelier at the St. Regis Hotel in New York and author of several books on tea, says a few years ago, this type of job description did not exist. Tea drinkers' palates have grown more educated, along with their desire for knowledge about tea's origins, health benefits and taste.

'People are getting more interested in tea and more sophisticated about their choices,' she says. 'For a long time, going to tea was about scones and finger sandwiches. What was in the pot was almost an afterthought.'

Not so anymore, although pastries are still part of the experience at most tony hotels. Ms. Knight says she expects the field of tea experts and sommeliers to expand.

'Every city hotel serves tea because you have to be able to offer your guests a meal in between lunch and dinner,' she says. 'But it is getting more and more difficult for hotels to distinguish themselves from others. People expect more at every level about travel - what they eat, what they wear. It is not enough to just serve English breakfast blend.'"

How true! I'm looking forward to the availability of good tea and the presence of tea educators at more fine establishments around the US. As always, if you would like me to train your staff on how to prepare, serve, and educate your clients about tea or to aid you in selecting teas, vendors, and teaware for your establishment, contact me at vee at veetea dot com.

Staff Training

One of my projects in NC is staff training. The staff had a good working knowledge when I arrived, but I'm proud to say that by the time I leave, they will be more confident and capable in their tea knowledge, which means increased customer satisfaction and sales for the tearoom.

It seems that tearoom owners are getting more and more savvy in their tea selections, food menus, and creation of ambiance. In my many tearoom visits (whether they are for business or pleasure), the area in which I most often see tearooms is staff training. Sure, the owner can tell you all about how the teas are grown, processed, and brewed, or the stories behind their teas' names, or each tea's flavor profile and what pairs with what, but most of the staff members I've interacted with still simply offer a menu and a pot of tea (which may or may not be brewed correctly). For more and more clients, this simply is not enough. They need to learn about your tea (and have it brewed properly!) in order to enjoy it (and your tearoom) fully. Unfortunately, new business owners are typically swamped and barely have time for things like order placement, much less intensive staff training. This is why I offer staff training for tea businesses. I learn your tea menu and business philosophy, and then customize staff training sessions which:

*ensure your staff is brewing, serving, and cleaning properly
*cover the customer FAQs (and how to answer them in a confident, unscripted manner) in depth
*illuminate the growing, processing, taste, and chemical differences between the different tea types
*discuss the cultural and historical significance of tea around the world
*aid staff members in developing their own palates and understanding the flavor profiles of each tea you carry
*include handouts, visuals, one-on-one training/Q&A (optional), and after-training follow-up questions
*help increase sales, customer loyalty, and employee satisfaction/retention
*save your company time and money in the long-run
*empower and encourage staff members to learn more about the teas you carry each day they work

To arrange staff training for your tearoom, email me at vee at veetea dot com with your location and the basics of your tearoom.

Food Blogs, Tea Blogs

The Associated Press recently released an article industry trends with food blogs. The trend of sending merchandise to food bloggers has become very popular amongst major food companies. "Courting one blog with a couple of thousand daily readers may not have a huge impact, but marketers can easily reach several such blogs with little effort, said Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant based in Washington, D.C."

The same trend can be seen on many tea blogs across the net. So far, it is mostly limited to tea samples, however, some companies are now sending out teaware and other tea-related merchandise. In this era of splitering media and a return to tribalism (in terms of ideas and information) through new media, I think that this shift in corporations' (and smaller companies'!) attitudes toward marketing reflects a significant change in how information is disseminated and received. After all, how many people still buy a particular tea or tea product because they saw an ad for it? And how many people buy a tea or product because someone whose opinion they respect raved about it?

Lately, a lot of tea companies have been starting their own blogs. This is due to blogging's overall rise in popularity, but I'm sure the recent New York Times article on business blogging didn't hurt. I've been lucky enough to work with a few companies as a tea blogging consultant, and I have to say that it is a very exciting trend in the tea world! It personalizes the companies for the clients, and it ensures that clients will check back regularly for new products, events, and other updates. Just as the NYT article says, it can be a major marketing tool at a low cost to even small businesses. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, and to being a part of it!