Adagio Tins no more?

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Mar 15th, '10, 15:16
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by Victoria » Mar 15th, '10, 15:16

I'm not convinced that tins keep tea fresher. Especially those without an inner lid. After the volume of tea goes down there is a lot air you are trapping in a tin. Removing air is the best way and with a bag you can more easily do that.

Mar 15th, '10, 15:20
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by Jerusharae » Mar 15th, '10, 15:20

Dear Adagio,

This sucks.

Now shopping at your site makes me feel like im being ripped off and pressured into aditional "fees" and purchases. Kind of how i feel after a trip to TEAVANA.

When i go to the grocery store an buy a box of cereal i dont expect an additional charge for the box.

Now that you've beccome the same, I might as well return to shopping with the competition, at least then i don't have to pay for shipping or wait for delivery.

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Mar 15th, '10, 17:00
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by Schrammy » Mar 15th, '10, 17:00

Jerusharae wrote:Dear Adagio,

This sucks.

Now shopping at your site makes me feel like im being ripped off and pressured into aditional "fees" and purchases. Kind of how i feel after a trip to TEAVANA.

When i go to the grocery store an buy a box of cereal i dont expect an additional charge for the box.

Now that you've beccome the same, I might as well return to shopping with the competition, at least then i don't have to pay for shipping or wait for delivery.
Just ignore the fact that the prices are much cheaper then anywhere else.
Like the other poster said, email Adagio with your problems instead of posting them here.

Mar 15th, '10, 17:26
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by bsteele » Mar 15th, '10, 17:26

Schrammy wrote:Biggest problem is... how do we keep those teas fresh? I mean, I'll order tins, but it is quite expensive for a college student.
Tea will stay plenty fresh in bags.

Mar 15th, '10, 17:27
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by bsteele » Mar 15th, '10, 17:27

Jerusharae wrote:Dear Adagio,

This sucks.

Now shopping at your site makes me feel like im being ripped off and pressured into aditional "fees" and purchases. Kind of how i feel after a trip to TEAVANA.

When i go to the grocery store an buy a box of cereal i dont expect an additional charge for the box.

Now that you've beccome the same, I might as well return to shopping with the competition, at least then i don't have to pay for shipping or wait for delivery.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

oh yeah... don't forget :lol:

...and maybe a little :roll:

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Mar 15th, '10, 18:15
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by SleepingFox » Mar 15th, '10, 18:15

In response to Geeber’s comment:

“4 oz. of larger leaf teas or Chais won't have take up the same amount of space as 4 oz. of smaller leaf teas so it makes sense that you have different sized bags.”

I should have clarified:
All the teas I ordered were flavored black teas. I ordered the 4 oz tin (again, they had not yet changed the way it was listed)~ and all of Adagio’s flavored black teas are made from Ceylon black teas. The only measurement offset would be in relation to the flavor added; in which case, any difference would be so inconsequential, there wouldn’t be any weight change visible to the untrained, and unaided eye.

When I said the bags were different sizes, I should also have emphasized in shape. I don’t care if they use a smaller bag for a lighter weight tea; it’s less waste, far better for the environment. But Adagio sent me some teas in the brown pouch bags with the zipper, and others in what resembles a vacuum-packed coffee bag form the grocery store (minus the vacuum packing); on which, none had the twist-tie coffee bags do, enabling you to roll them down & re-seal (albeit loosely) as you use up the product. These ones are entirely useless once opened; they don’t have anything to reseal them; and the only thing one can do is re-package them in hopes it will sustain freshness.

I emptied the bags of tea into empty Adagio tea tins I’d had from before. When I did so, I found some were full, others only about 2/3 so.

Also, I immediately noticed that a) the teas smelled nowhere near as strong as they did in the tins (all were teas I’d bought in the past, aside from the apple, which actually was the only one that came in a tin).
They had taken on a really unpleasant scent~ almost as if something in the bags leeched into the teas.

I buy tea all the time; one of my biggest vices. Most stores do indeed use pouches and not tins, and I have NEVER had one smell like this.

As for the tin vrs pouch sustainability & carbon footprint issues:

Geeber stated :
“You can re-use the empty bags. I save them to send samples to other people or to store teas that I've received in less desirable packaging. If you did have Adagio tins and ordered "refills" instead of new tins, you would still get a bag. [/color]I imagine that a tin is actually less "green" than a bag because of the energy involved in producing the tin, plastic, etc. but I'm no expert and am only guessing at that.”

The bags are reusable up to a point- a much shorter one than tins though, especilly in respect to the ones that aren't re-sealable. And that's the crux of the issue- something like a tin, which can be ussed longer, trumps a bag, b/c over time, the production, labour, and waste of it's production will exceed that of the tins. (Did that make sense?)
A tin, created, will sustain itself as a useful item for at least 1-2 years, longer if you're ginger in its handling. A bag, at most, will only last about 6 months; and even that is considered past its prime-, studies have shown long term use of such inner pouches can compromise not only the flavor, but also your health. I hope Adagio's bags are biodegradable, but in general, liners are not and contain plastics and chemicals that leech into the product with time.

While each time you order, there will be the same amount of fossil fuels put into creating the bag or tin, the tin sustains itself as a much more useful product- meaning the fossil fuels used in making other containers is reduced by your re-using the tins for other things.

Also, Geeber (I swear I’m not trying to pick on you) stated, after another customer posted a complaint about this issue:

There really are not that many vendors that send their tea in tins, or in tins without charging extra. Tins also weigh more, so if the "competition" is shipping by weight, you're paying extra anyway. Adagio has just about the lowest shipping costs I've ever seen. But unfortunately it sounds like they won't make you happy regardless of what they do or don't do. Perhaps you should email them with your issues instead of complaining on the forum and give them a chance to turn you into a happy customer."

I agree. Not many retailers do ship in tins- but that’s not the point. It's one of the factors that builds their repeat business- better packaging. Their tea dna general prices rock too, but... I don't know. I'd have taken the tin toss better if it didn't feel so much like a bait and switch, particularly given the likelihood that their orders increase during holdiday seasons. Notice, or pushing this back till January would have made me a lot less upset.

I don't think it's fair to belittle another poster, though- why use the forums? For a very good reason-- Adagio failed to address the issue on the actual website. The only place there’s even mention of it, is here, in the forums~ (and isn’t that what they’re for? To express ones opinions? Like say, to post about favorite and not so favorite teas?).

Most importantly, though: while yes, adagio has every right to change their packaging, for whatever reasons- they also have a responsibility to the customer. There was NO mention of the switch to bags, until recently- and the day I placed my order, they had not yet switched the order box wording- they still listed them as 4 oz tins. Furthermore, they still, as of this morning, had a section on their FAQ page stating:

"How can I be sure that I'll get tins with my tea?"

All teas arrive in resealable tins, with the exception of the largest size (usually 16oz) and a few of the herbals-- these arrive in an aluminum-lined, heat sealed paper bag. The reason being that we simply do not have tins this big (this is why it is cheaper as well)!"


It says it’s GUARANTEED. STILL, even now. They switched the word tin to bag at some point, but left this up?

My anger is not over Adagio’s decision- it’s over their failure to communicate with their customers. I don’t think to check the TeaChat section before I place an order, to ensure I’ll get what I’m ordering.
It’s STILL not addressed on their site anywhere- and to me, that’s just chicanery.
Last edited by SleepingFox on Sep 30th, '13, 14:55, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by SleepingFox » Mar 15th, '10, 18:54

I'm not sure how my comments about Adagio's order process could have been construed as intended toward the moderator of here, a separate customer site, but if they were, my apologies. Not the intention at all, and I have nothing but respect for the mods.

(Sigh). And I didn't say you belittled me either- i said you belittled the other person. Granted, they could have worded their post a bit more congenially; but they didn't- they still have a right to post here; just as you do.
Last edited by SleepingFox on Sep 30th, '13, 14:57, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by SleepingFox » Mar 15th, '10, 18:58

You stated (to someone else; again, you've got me confused with them; I stated I emailed Adagio; and I didn't say you belittled me)
But unfortunately it sounds like they won't make you happy regardless of what they do or don't do
Now, lets be honest- that was a bit of a trolling expedition on your part, lol.

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Mar 15th, '10, 19:02
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by SleepingFox » Mar 15th, '10, 19:02

And for the record, this thread is actually under a category called FEEDBACK. Constructive criticism? Acceptable. In fact, expected.

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Mar 15th, '10, 19:43
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by SleepingFox » Mar 15th, '10, 19:43

Since it appears to be important to you, i'll let you have this one.
Last edited by SleepingFox on Sep 30th, '13, 14:59, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by Chip » Mar 15th, '10, 19:57

Image

OK, I am declaring an official time out on this topic. I allowed this one a long leash since our host Adagio is all for transparency. But I see no point in continuing this discussion as there was ample time to make points.

This decision was mine alone as Moderator of TeaChat (and correct, I am a member elected Moderator and do not answer to Adagio).

I referred this to Adagio earlier today, and knowing them, they will make things right. I will most assuredly contact Adagio again.

I will leave the possible reopening of this topic up to Adagio, but for now I am locking 'er up.

Enjoy your tea everyone. :mrgreen:

Jun 13th, '10, 21:59
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by danakids » Jun 13th, '10, 21:59

I just received my recent order and I am really sad that Adagio made the switch to bags. I do not monitor the site every day so how would I know they had made the switch and I can find absolutely no mention of this on their site. This is my second issue with them over the last 2 orders. However the last order came in tins. I have found a really nice tea place locally and they have a very large selection. I think I will be switching to them for most teas. Adagio has everyones email and they have a monthly newsletter I just noticed so they could have notified us. Oh well I did really love Adagio but will not be ordering for the time being.

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Jun 18th, '10, 05:55
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by rspear » Jun 18th, '10, 05:55

My biggest complaint about the switch to bags is in regards to the specialty blends. I also don't monitor the forums regularly so I wasn't aware of the change either. I had made a blend for my sister's baby shower and was so excited to give it to her as a gift because we are both such tea addicts. I had also ordered more because we are going to separate it out and give as favors. I was disappointed when the tea arrived in bags though the website still showed a picture of the tins with the labels and said 4oz tin when you added it to your cart. I have no problem with bags other than the mere cosmetic issue of displaying them and the way the label of the signature blends doesn't fit properly to cover the art on the front of the bag. I think it looks like of sloppy. I have some mild OCD :wink: so I like my stuff to look uniform and professional. It doesn't bother me as much if I am the one enjoying it but it no longer has the same effect when given as a gift. I think I will just make my own blends now and buy tins and print labels elsewhere. Hey, I might save a bunch of money too!

I emailed Adagio and they promptly responded and offered to give me my money back if I returned the tea. Since I waited until the last minute to order the blends (totally my fault) I didn't have a choice but to keep them and use them. I have continued to order from Adagio and plan on ordering more in the future but like I said I will think twice about ordering the signature blends and just making them on my own.

I appreciate Adagio very much and think their customer service is top notch. I just wish they would have updated the website with all the changes before sending the orders out in the bags.

Jun 25th, '10, 21:07
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by Wolf » Jun 25th, '10, 21:07

Imagine my surprise to login tonight to send a friend a link to a tea she was asking about, and finding that it was no longer available in the tins.

I am really disappointed by this. I vastly prefer the tins over pouches, as the tea won't have as much of a tendancy to be crushed in the tin versus the pouch.

Makes me rather glad I've kept my empty tins.

Jun 25th, '10, 21:16
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Re: Adagio Tins no more?

by Wolf » Jun 25th, '10, 21:16

Schrammy wrote:It's been all over the boards for quite some time on here that they were going to bagged. Yes, they should have posted it on a more public place, but alas, they did not.

I follow Adagio on Facebook, and Twitter. I have their Tea Blog on RSS feed.

NO WHERE was it mentioned outside of these forums. Those would have been better areas to mention it than here.

This was my first visit here to these forums. Imagine how many other customers who never visit the forums, will never see that they'be made a switch until they go to place an order. Many customers don't frequent forums on a shopping site. Many don't even know there are forums.

I'm willing to bet, Adagio will lose a few customers over this.

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