Rating tea on websites
Posted: Nov 16th, '13, 12:04
Hey there!
This is related to steepster and any tea vendor site with a rating system! So if this is misplaced please let me know XD
I wanted to see what people think of number/star rating systems? Personally, I think they are a good idea when they are used correctly. What sparked this thread was something I read on the adagio store site. Someone had rated a tea with 2 stars, simply because the new harvest didn't taste like the old one. The comment the person made was that it used to be her favorite tea, but the new harvest was missing certain flavors and tones that the previous harvest had, and adagio had even changed the description of tea. So, she rated what appears to be a very nice tea (I haven't tried it though) with a low score, not because the quality was bad, but because she was upset about the development in taste from one harvest to the next. Absolutely nonsensical in my opinion.
Anybody who knows anything about tea will know that the flavor can change per harvest, and the time of year of the harvest etc... Adagio even updated the description, which proves that they do pay attention to the tea they sell and they don't lie about it.
So basically, what I'm saying is, we should rate our teas based on leaf quality, liquor quality, and with regard to taste, basic quality (forgiving or unforgiving, harsh or pleasant, strong or weak) and not on the specific flavors! Someone who doesn't like the taste of black tea, shouldn't be giving them a low rating because of that!
So I'd be interested to hear what others think of this, and should vendors rid their sites of number/star ratings and just allow people to comment on them instead?
This is related to steepster and any tea vendor site with a rating system! So if this is misplaced please let me know XD
I wanted to see what people think of number/star rating systems? Personally, I think they are a good idea when they are used correctly. What sparked this thread was something I read on the adagio store site. Someone had rated a tea with 2 stars, simply because the new harvest didn't taste like the old one. The comment the person made was that it used to be her favorite tea, but the new harvest was missing certain flavors and tones that the previous harvest had, and adagio had even changed the description of tea. So, she rated what appears to be a very nice tea (I haven't tried it though) with a low score, not because the quality was bad, but because she was upset about the development in taste from one harvest to the next. Absolutely nonsensical in my opinion.
Anybody who knows anything about tea will know that the flavor can change per harvest, and the time of year of the harvest etc... Adagio even updated the description, which proves that they do pay attention to the tea they sell and they don't lie about it.
So basically, what I'm saying is, we should rate our teas based on leaf quality, liquor quality, and with regard to taste, basic quality (forgiving or unforgiving, harsh or pleasant, strong or weak) and not on the specific flavors! Someone who doesn't like the taste of black tea, shouldn't be giving them a low rating because of that!
So I'd be interested to hear what others think of this, and should vendors rid their sites of number/star ratings and just allow people to comment on them instead?