Tea Snob + Finance Geek
so after I got over my initial glee at having my ultimate favourite tea shop opening up in the UK (I first started ordering from them back in 2000 - at least now wyvernmoon doesn't have to worry about seeing the boxes on the doorstep anymore), I sat down and ran some numbers while waiting for IT to fix my email this afternoon.
The selection really is quite terrible isn't it? I mean comparing it back to the US site (which I lurve more than I can possibly say), they have, on average, about 15% of the selection, not to mention that they are missing some of my serious favourite things (like pure peppermint, casablanca twist, any number of the flavoured teas). Comparing prices (converted at around 1.99 GBP:USD) back to the US, it's actually not looking all that bad - on average about $2.00 higher per 4oz tin (I'm totally ignoring their tea bags - if I wanted to drink tea from bags I'd drink twinings). The good side is that their Wu Yi is actually cheaper over here. I think that may be the only good side though :/
The real issue is that when you compare it to my second favourite tea company Copeland and Shaw, it all kind of falls apart. Adagio is about £4 higher in almost all categories. The herbal infuses compare better, but to be fair C&S totally knocks them out of the water when it comes to selection. I actually prefer the taste of Adagio's black and oolong teas to C&S to be fair, so once Adagio gets their act together and starts selling some of the more exciting stuff, then I'll probably start ordering, though probably a lot less than I otherwise would if they could halve the difference with C&S.
It's a shame, because I'm probably one of their most admiring fans, and if they can't get me to order immediately and regularly, they may have a problem in the long run. . .
The selection really is quite terrible isn't it? I mean comparing it back to the US site (which I lurve more than I can possibly say), they have, on average, about 15% of the selection, not to mention that they are missing some of my serious favourite things (like pure peppermint, casablanca twist, any number of the flavoured teas). Comparing prices (converted at around 1.99 GBP:USD) back to the US, it's actually not looking all that bad - on average about $2.00 higher per 4oz tin (I'm totally ignoring their tea bags - if I wanted to drink tea from bags I'd drink twinings). The good side is that their Wu Yi is actually cheaper over here. I think that may be the only good side though :/
The real issue is that when you compare it to my second favourite tea company Copeland and Shaw, it all kind of falls apart. Adagio is about £4 higher in almost all categories. The herbal infuses compare better, but to be fair C&S totally knocks them out of the water when it comes to selection. I actually prefer the taste of Adagio's black and oolong teas to C&S to be fair, so once Adagio gets their act together and starts selling some of the more exciting stuff, then I'll probably start ordering, though probably a lot less than I otherwise would if they could halve the difference with C&S.
It's a shame, because I'm probably one of their most admiring fans, and if they can't get me to order immediately and regularly, they may have a problem in the long run. . .