Tea bags for some are cool, they save time and the mess of tea and now the makers of coffee are doing the same.
However ... convenience can be a trap.
Last weekend some friends and I sat on an outdoor deck on the side of a hill, soaking up the autumn sun, looking over the local wineries in the valley below and enjoying what I can best describe as some absolutely "magic" wine from this specific winery and others in the region. The choices on the menu were to everyone's liking and it was most difficult to choose everything was described in such descriptive terms.
The service was second to none and when the meals arrived they were "to die for", as my wife exclaimed.
We had just been to a local farmers market and I'd purchased various types of Green and Japanese teas. We discussed the concept of the Japanese tea ceremony and how preparation and the process itself was all part of the concept described as "a quiet interlude during which host and guests strive for spiritual refreshment and harmony with the universe."
In essence what we were experiencing at this restaurant was exactly the same. The attention to detail of the venue, the table presentation, the staff training, the food preparation and presentation and the range of wines and beverages.
What was the alternative?
Cutting corners ... choosing to do doing things on the cheap not delivering value. This doesn't mean expensive.
And that's what happened!
Enter the Tea Bag ... how to save time and mess.
There were three types of coffee and the usual options of latte, short black etc for those drinking that. But for the tea drinkers .. a tea bag in a tea pot.
How a wonderful experience was marred by such a simple act.
Obviously the people who oversee the tea making aren't tea drinkers they didn't look at it from the customer's perspective.
Given the range of infusers what's the problem with offering 4 or 5 types of tea?
You aren't selling tea
That's ok ... but are you taking short cuts in the way you deliver products or services and not realising you are falling into the tea bag convenience trap?
Check out your processes and throw out the tea bags.