SELECTING TEAS

HOW MANY TEAS SHOULD YOU OFFER?
The number of teas you should offer depends on the specific needs of your business. Restaurants, salons, spas and resorts can get away with offering a somewhat limited selection, often between 6-12 different types. Coffee shops, tea shops, specialty cafés and other businesses that emphasize their drink menu may benefit from a more extensive offering.

COVER THE BASIC CATEGORIES
Most wholesale customers that serve tea carry between 6-20 different types. This quantity makes the statement that your business focuses on gourmet tea, without overwhelming customers with too many choices.

This amount also allows you to cover the basic categories and flavors customers look for when buying tea. For example, you may wish to select both a flavored and traditional tea in each category: white, green, oolong, black and herbal. When selecting flavored teas, be sure to offer variety: floral, fruity, tropical, minty and spiced.

CAFFEINE-FREE OPTIONS
It is also a good idea to provide 1 or 2 caffeine-free herbal teas, as many customers will look for these exclusively.

BEST-SELLING STARTER SETS
Need help deciding? Our Starter Sets include an assortment of our best-sellers and are an easy way to introduce a variety of popular teas. You can view our Starter Sets by clicking here (note: you must be logged into your official wholesale account to view this page.

The number of teas you should offer depends on the specific needs of your business. Most wholesale customers that serve tea carry between 6-20 types. It is a good idea to cover the basic tea categories (such as white, green, oolong, black and herbal) as well as the basic flavor profiles (such as traditional, floral, fruity, tropical, minty and spiced).

CREATING A MENU

SERVING SIZE (CUP OR TEAPOT)
To keep things simple, we recommend offering only 1 or 2 sizes on your menu. For example, you could offer both a small (10 ounce) and large (18 ounce) option, or simply stick with one standard size (for example, 16 ounces).

WALL MENU
A menu posted on the wall (in a coffee shop, for example) should be simple and straightforward. Be sure to list both the name and type of tea (for example, GINGER PEACH: Organic White Tea or FRENCH BREAKFAST: Organic, Fair Trade Black Tea). It is a good idea to reference which teas are caffeine-free or low in caffeine, as customers may look for this.

PRINTED MENU
Printed menus, on the other hand, should offer enticing descriptions similar to a wine list. Offering a brief description of each different tea will establish quality and credibility, make your tea selection stand out, spark customer interest and curiosity, and draw attention to the parallels between tea and fine wine. Tea is often requested after dinner or with dessert. Therefore, restaurants may wish to list teas on their beverage and dessert menu next to coffee, espresso and dessert wines.

Keep it simple! Whether you serve tea in teapots or paper cups, we recommend offering only 1 or 2 sizes on your menu. For example, you could offer both a small (10 ounce) and large (18 ounce) option, or simply stick with one standard size (for example, 16 ounces).

Click on "Next Page" to learn how to serve tea in a food service setting....