Let's get personal--personalizing your own niche in tea: special events from weddings to baby showers are moments that you want to mark with your personal touch. Companies are now incorporating tea in their product line to personalize anything from favors to special blends that can be customized to your preferences.

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There is no doubt that special events are exciting and memorable milestones that you want to leave a lasting impression with your guests to be cherished for years to come. Personalized tea-incorporated favors has recently seen an upsurge as more tea companies are creating personalized teapots, customized tea blends and individually wrapped teabags, as part of their product lines. According to Beau Coup, a tea retailer that specializes in event personalization, "Tea is becoming the drink of this decade. Next to water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. Personalized tea items present an idea that's right in sync with current tastes that gives participants an alternative to traditional favors."

Appeal of Personalizing Tea-Based Products

Tea personalization is an area in the industry that offers something out of the ordinary with plenty of creative potential that can be formatted to consumer's likes, preferences and interests. According to MyWeddingFavors.com, an online retailer of high quality, unique wedding favors and CornerStorkBabyGifts.com, an online retailer of baby gifts, "Personalized tea-based products have been steadily gaining in popularity for several reasons. People want their events to be memorable, and having a personalized favor makes the event uniquely theirs. They also prefer to thank their guests for sharing in the celebration with a favor that won't be pitched in the nearest receptacle, which explains the increasing prevalence of edible favors. Almost everyone enjoys tea, either hot or iced, so hosts can be fairly certain their favors will be taken home and enjoyed."

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"Tea offers uniqueness to the customer; customer involvement and thereby increases customer interest and education," stated Susan Chu, owner of TBar an urban tea bar retreat showcasing everything tea from loose teas to tea ware, tea-based beauty products, tea sweets and special blends.

Working with Consumers

Personalization of tea-based products can be a very personal process in itself that can be formatted to your favorite blends, colors choices and favor types. According to Chu, "We start with each customer completing a brief questionnaire that asks about some of their interests, favorite scents, flavors, colors and other personal style questions. In addition, we ask about the purpose of their event and any themes they have in mind. We then work with our customers on the packaging and other small touches to help create a truly interesting and unique tea gift." According to Joane Filler-Varty, hospitality director at Mighty Leaf Teas, "Usually; a customer will contact us to ask if we can produce something unique for an upcoming occasion. We will work with the chef to coordinate special food offerings, as well as consider the theme of the event. Sometimes a particular type of blend is requested, a British style black tea, for example or an herbal infusion (caffeine-free) that is suitable for the end of a gala evening or a Children's Afternoon Tea."

"The customer can simply choose a tea, and we work with them to come up with a name. In our collection there are just fewer than 40 teas--the label is adjusted to that customer at a very nominal expense and we are set! When it is a coffee house, we will take the logo of the coffee house or restaurant and add it to the label with the specialized name. We will develop a menu which is uniquely theirs so that the tea producer (Ducky Life) is transparent or in the background. Many of our customers really like our packaging and so they want to add their name to our existing packaging," Jane Sandlar, president of Ducky Life Tea based in New Jersey, stated.

According to MyWeddingFavors.com and CornerStorkBabyGifts.com, "Our customers enjoy two levels of personalization, with one more specific than the other. We have designers who create artwork and copy with relevance to the event. For weddings, the designs include iconic wedding images like two hearts, a bride and groom or two cups of hot tea. Catch phrases include 'The Perfect Blend,' 'Tea-rific Couple,' 'Tea-Lightful Couple' and 'Love is Brewing!' Once they've made their selection, customers provide their first names and wedding date, which are imprinted in a prominent place on the item. For baby showers, the artwork is baby related, with catch phrases like 'Baby is Brewing,' 'Enjoy This Tea from Baby and Me!' and 'Pink or Blue, We Welcome You!' Personalization is typically 'Linda's Baby Shower' and the date of the shower. We also have seasonal and generic designs that work for almost any type of event."

Personalized Tea Blends

Preferences in tea-based favors can also encompass what blends you want depending on your needs and likes. According to Chu, "It depends on the needs and personal tastes of the customer. We can really create any special blend using teas, herbs, flowers and oils." TBar's drink menu is broken into three parts, "Steep (more than 60 different loose-leaf teas), Shake (tea lattes, pearls, tea smoothies) and Fizz (health-conscious tea and herbal tonics). TBar also highlights the versatility of tea by offering a wide range of tea ware and accessories, including unique Japanese teapots and cups, and tea-based hand and body lotions, candles and bath tea." "Some of the custom blended teas include Lovers Cup (jasmine green and rose congou black tea with rose flavor), Immortalitea (green tea, rosemary, sage, safflowers, rose petals with lemon and rose flavor), Coconut Vanilla (black tea, shredded coconut and vanilla), Chocolate Chai (black tea, ginger root, green cardamom, chocolate chips and chocolate flavor) and Safari (green rooibos, honeybush, and pomegranate flavor)," according to TBar.

Tea services are a great option that can suit each individual since there are so many varieties to choose from. According to Filler-Varty, "Our extensive 120 loose tea selections have been gathered from around the globe. With a varied collection of white, green, oolong, black teas, herbal infusions and artisan-crafted blends, the opportunities to create distinctive tea menus are endless."

Filler-Varty added, "In addition to specific blends, we have also created co-branded gift tins and packaging for amenities. Our new AperiTea, tea-infused mixers that blend fruit concentrates with infused Mighty Leaf whole leaf teas, available in Orange Jasmine Mango, Green Tea Tropical and Chamomile Citrus Berry, makes a great addition to cocktails or mocktails that are easily created to offer a unique beverage to our clients. Clients can wow guests with a chic approach to serving iced tea in our Tea on Tap carafe and shot glass presentation. Clients can offer seasonal menus with iced tea and premium syrup choices, allowing guests to personalize their iced tea."

"There are several tea blends available to our customers, and we're finding that green and herbal teas are outpacing black and Earl Grey teas. As the world continues to become more environmentally aware, we expect that trend to continue, along with a greater demand for tea-based favors. We also anticipate lots of dynamic, new designs for tea infusers, teabag tongs and tea caddies--all which make perfect favors," stated MyWeddingFavors.com and CornerStorkBabyGifts.com.

MyWeddingFavors.com added, "Mutan White tea is infused with a hint of lemon-vanilla and then pink rosebuds are added to this tea that has been named Tea for Marriage. Our wedding tea comes in silken tea sachets so the presentation of the tea is as elegant as the occasion it represents. The beautifully designed tin that holds the sachets has the saying 'A Tea for Marriage' as well your names and event date."

Tea offers a personal touch that guests can relate to. There is a warmness and familial element that surrounds tea. According to Sandlar, "At Ducky Life Tea all of our teas have names of people attached to them and so in a way; they are already personalized. We like to offer our customers the opportunity to personalize the teas with their own name as well. So, a wedding can have a special run of 'Susan and David's classical Chai' or, a charity event can include the sale of Earthshare New Jersey's special tea."

"As the focus on tea increases, more companies are looking for ways to make a tea statement, "Filler-Varty remarked. The possibilities for tea personalization are open to numerous options that can go as far as your imagination exceeds. With such a variety, tea demonstrates a unique approach to celebrating special events that is a welcome addition to special events and the industry.