I agree with your distinction between customer satisfaction and quality. In my own work (engineering) I can think of many times where customers may have never complained about something, but which I viewed as a compromise or an area to be improved. There are things which I know to be less than perfect and want to change on the next iteration. I also think it is a shame how easily we as consumers allow ourselves to become blinded by specifications and selection criteria, choosing the product with a 1% higher number, a tenth of a star higher review, or in the absence of a calculable difference, the one which is a dollar cheaper. I am probably guilty of this at times as well. In tea especially though, I find many of the measures used to market tea to be nothing but a distraction in comparison to the taste. I think you are correct that to a connoisseur, some of the best teas are ones which are more extreme in some aspect, or achieve some unique or unexpected combination of characteristics rather than appealing to everyone. I think there are teas I have tried which were undoubtedly of good quality leaves and good processing, but which did not suit my tastes. A tea which I do not like might be the favorite tea of another, and neither is wrong for feeling that way. Similarly, there are days which I want to drink teas which are different and thought-provoking, and others where I would rather drink a tea which has a simple, comforting flavor, even if that might be a less expensive tea. By that same token, however, I think that there is such a thing as "good for the price," either in the form of teas which have a simple goal and perform well at it, or teas which I find to be interesting and different while also not hiding its flaws, so long as the price is in proportion. I do not feel that it is dishonorable to try to make good tea from average or even junk leaves so long as there is no intention to conceal this and there is an effort to make a quality product. A producer might use different processing techniques or blending to achieve something balanced, or intentionally make something unique and thought provoking from inexpensive material, even if not perfect. This last concept of liking a tea in spite of specific flaws is perhaps a bit hard for me to articulate, and in practice it will be more personal, but take this example: I have a particular brick of mid-2000's shou pu-erh which I like-- a blend of cheap material, but made by a reputable factory with a mix of light and dark fermented material. The broken material brews as thick as oil, mixed with a funky brothy/vegetal note which I cannot place, and it has a slight tartness almost like a ye sheng cha, and yet I find myself coming back to it whenever a certain mood strikes me. By all measures it is objectively not a high quality tea, but whether by intentional design or sheer luck, it wears its quirks so openly-- defined by them, even-- that I find it interesting to drink.
@will_110
2 жыл бұрын
The book 'Tasting Qualities' by Sarah Besky is a great read on this subject. It focuses on the British tea merchant's historic role in re-defining what makes a quality tea and they're marketing tactics to sell colonial tea from India rather than China.
@roystansell7640
5 ай бұрын
I am very excited to get your tea samples in the mail.
@ev29xyro
2 жыл бұрын
Hi William, I really like your way of thinking and the kind of content you produce for KZitem. I am just getting more and more into tea and ordered from your website for the first time last week. I wanted to tell you how grateful I am for what you do and that I can make your contributions part of my own journey into tea. Even if it sounds corny, you really are an inspiration. I sincerily wish you, your family and your business all the best for the future.
@Redherb1
2 жыл бұрын
I really appreciate your insight about the concept of quality products. Thanks for being an excellent tea company!
@evalee6099
2 жыл бұрын
So good to be reminded of keeping the faith! Messaging that to our retailers is quite the journey. Mahalo!
@xraystylex
2 жыл бұрын
"the cakes were praised.. eh.. pressed" :D
@polishcut
2 жыл бұрын
Now I want more tea :]
@christianlecomtemedia
2 жыл бұрын
Quality is the "knife-edge" of experience. no better definition
@Fcon0
2 жыл бұрын
I totally agree. When you were talking about my smallest cake I immediately thought about the Mohei bing hole I'm desperately trying not to finish 😂 I would definitely prefer a bold-flavoured tea I don't like than a lame tea. That's what my cupboard says at least
@uncleedan7927
2 жыл бұрын
William is that guy that's really cool but doesn't know that he's cool.
@charliegierling8445
2 жыл бұрын
Of course aesthetical criteria are the only serios ones. What else? Things like wine and tea have to be beautiful in order to be good. Just like all other forms of art.
@nathansmith9332
2 жыл бұрын
Quality over quantity, every time (or at least nearly every time).
@johnunvaxxed1918
2 жыл бұрын
5:15 Steve Jobs and the planned obsolescence of his overpriced iSpy crap LOL
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