When you’re developing your niche tea brand, one of the most important considerations you’ll have for your product development is whether to sell loose leaf tea or tea bags, and whether one type is better than the other.
As specialist tea producers and consultants, we can safely say that there is no “right” answer or choice between the two; it all comes down to your brand, your product offer and the product attributes you want to deliver to your customers. This is why it is essential to have a very clear idea of your business and marketing strategy before you begin to develop your products so you can create the appropriate packaging and presentation for your target customers’ needs and your price point.
The case for loose leaf tea
Purists will typically vote for loose leaf tea. Loose teas tend to be made with the looser, larger tea leaves and stored in a canister or caddy. Because the loose tea blends generally use larger leaves, the purity of the tea is maintained and the delicate essential oils are preserved. The leaves will swell and circulate in the boiling water without being constrained by the tea bag so the maximum degree of coloration and flavor can be achieved. With some lower-quality supermarket teas, tea bags mask the fact that broken and damaged leaves have been used, along with leaves that aren’t as high in quality and may be older. This explains why high-end tea products tend to use loose leaf packaging; there’s nothing to hide!
The case for tea bags
However, there are certainly times when it makes sense to choose tea bags. For example, they are extremely convenient and don’t create any mess, which means no leftover soggy tea leaves to swill out of a tea pot! There is also an option to offer a “best of all worlds” approach wherein you use high-quality tea leaves and a larger tea bag or pyramid. By doing this, the leaves can still benefit from the maximum degree of circulation but still be contained in the tea bag for easy disposal. Tea suppliers that offer the maximum degree of flexibility for product packaging can also provide advice and guidance about the best type of tea presentation and packaging for your product depending on your target market, your price point and your marketing strategy.
Working with the right tea suppliers
When you work with professional tea suppliers such as Blue Ocean Tea, you get the option to create the perfect niche, high-end tea blend based on your target customer demographic and business plan. For some businesses, that will mean loose leaf tea presented in beautifully designed caddies for gifting. For others, that might mean environmentally-friendly, unbleached tea bags for an everyday product or high-end pyramid bags for optimum flavor and color without the mess.
Tea suppliers have the expertise and packaging ranges to help you make the right decision and achieve your intended margins while ensuring that your brand is built in the right way and that your own unique formulation, packaging and promotion strategies are optimized to help you to grow a profitable, thriving niche tea business.