Through this blog, TeaSmart.com, TeaClass.com, and our comprehensive primer, “How To Start and Run a Successful Tea Business,” the Adagio Teas Wholesale division aims to be your prime support system for everything tea.

Our AdagioXL primer is a blueprint to helping anyone establish a viable business model from a tearoom to an online vendor. It guides you through the maze of health claims, sales systems, and marketing and promotional ideas.

We believe that the most essential service you provide your customers is your expertise about tea: its various processes, brewing techniques, healthful characteristics, and of course, the delightful accoutrements to enjoy it. And, the most delightful way to learn is from continuous tasting of as many teas as possible so that you can offer customers the best of every category you sell.

Our primer is FREE of charge. This downloadable PDF is nothing less than a tea bible to help you understand how to answer the most common questions customers ask and gives suggestions for improving your inventory of teas and accessories, and creating the trust necessary to build the credibility and longevity. To access the primer, visit adagioXL.com and scroll down to the bottom of any page. Enter your email address where you see Tea Business Guide graphic.

You, and every salesperson on your staff, can easily learn the vocabulary of tea to give you confidence, and that confidence inspires trust with your customers. Here are some basics:

WHAT’S IN TEA?

All true tea comes from one of the 12 varietals of the Camellia plant, primarily Camellia sinensis from China and Camellia Assamica from the state of Assam in India. What makes the different is similar to what makes wines from different countries is terroir, the soil they’re grown in, the climate (air, moisture, wind), and finally, how they are processed. Nonetheless, all true teas contain the following elements:

Antioxidants: These are the “Pac man” compounds fighting free radicals known to cause disease and inflammation in the body.

Astringency: a feeling of sharpness or dryness in teas usually attributed to the amount and type of polyphenols and catechins that naturally appear in the leaf.

Caffeine: The most common xanthine compound. It acts as a stimulant to body and brain and provides energy. Caffeine is inconsistent in how it impacts individuals, yet it appears in relatively small amounts in tea. NOTE: While it is true that there is more caffeine in a pound of tea than in a pound of coffee, 180-200 cups of tea vs 40-50 cups of coffee, can be made per pound, radically reducing the amount of caffeine per cup. In addition, with artisanal and high-quality teas, a teaspoon of tea can make two or more cups, reducing the amount of caffeine considerably. (Coffee grounds cannot be reused.)

Catechins: A category of antioxidants. See Polyphenols.

Fermentation: In tea processing, fermentation occurs when bacteria is introduced to the tea leaves by allowing for bacteria to occur naturally over time or for bacteria to be intentionally added before the aging process. Only puerh teas (sheng and shou) are fermented.

Oxidation: This is the process in which moisture is removed from the freshly-plucked tea leaves.

Flavonols: A category of antioxidants. See Polyphenols.

Mateine: part of the xanthine category of stimulants found in Yerba Mate which was first used by the Guaraní and Tupí tribes in South America and continues to be popular throughout Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru where it is drunk from gourds through metal or wooden straws. Yerba Mate (aka Mate) also grows in the U.S. in areas of California, Florida, Hawaii, Texas, and parts of Arizona.

Polyphenols: These are the “good guy” antioxidants that fight inflammation and destroy the free radicals that damage cells and increase our risk of disease. Among the polyphenols in teas are flavonoids and its subcategory, catechins.

L-Theanine is an amino acid found primarily in tea, and in some mushrooms. Like all amino acids, L-Theanine makes proteins and the current scientific findings indicate that it impacts our brain by elevating clarity and alertness, attributes many monks first noticed when they drank tea to sustain them during long periods of meditation.

Theobromine and theophylline are xanthines in tea that appear in tiny amounts. Theobromine has a mild diuretic impact, improves blood flow, and can stimulate the heart. Theophylline relaxes the lungs to make breathing easier and may stimulate both the rate and force of heart contractions. This may be why tea impacts many people in two ways: relaxing the body and stimulating the brain’s alertness.

Xanthines: These are naturally occurring compounds in many plants including coffee, tea, chocolate, and mate that act as stimulants. They are also used in bronchodilators, medicines to help respiratory ailments.

NOTE: One myth that remains is that there are tannins in tea that contribute to its taste. That is untrue. What makes some teas brisk or astringent is the complex connections between polyphenols/catechins that naturally occur in tea. It may be that the word, tannins, was attributed to tea because it stains the way tannins stain leather.

Looking for more start-up help? Schedule a call with us for more expertise!