Adagio Teas is EXPANDING! We've just signed the lease on our third store and we're looking for passionate team members to join our team. more >

In April the Adagio Retail Management team set out to adjust the Customer Engagement Process to increase the Average Sale while improving customer satisfaction. We achieved a 25% increase in average ticket, and here's how we did it. more >

As of the end of March, the Adagio Retail operation had been open for 6 months. Traffic counts were good, and customer feedback was glowing, but the customers were purchasing too little to support the amount of time we put into each transaction, and too little to support the high rents that come with great locations. Starting in early April, we set out to fix this... more >

Frequent tasting is the single best thing you can do to take your tea knowledge to the next level. No amount of reading, lectures, or even tea plantation tours can possibly replace the powerful depth and quiet focus of a refined palate. After all, your appreciation for tea and the success of your business depend on a connected, real relationship with the tea. I'd like to invite you to join Suzette Hammond, Adagio's Tea Expert and Trainer in an interactive, hands-on course at this year's World Tea Expo. more >

Perfect packaging, products, marketing, merchandising and store design are only ingredients. Mastery of each of these will not lead to success. The secret sauce of profitability is people. more >

Passion is an elusive and incredibly diverse concept. For some, passion is inspired by nature and others by art. Some discover their passion in accomplishment and others in relationship. Some are inspired by thought and others by experience. My objective is to inspire passion for tea in every customer that walks through the door. A passionate employee who fails to speak the language of the customer may come across as impressive, but will never transfer their passion to the customer. more >

Fact: Consumer unfamiliarity and uncertainty is one of the primary obstacles to the growth of the Specialty Tea Industry. Fact: The Tea Industry is strewn with competing information, myths and unsubstantiated claims. Solution: TeaClass.com. OK, so it's not there yet but it's a step in the right direction. TeaClass is a powerful and dynamic tool for seeking and sharing "tea truth". more >

Caffeine may be one of the most often discussed and least understood elements in your cup of tea. Sadly, the myths seem more widely accepted than the truths. Even many of the most widely read and respected tea books still promote the old beliefs about caffeine and tea which have long since been proven nothing more than old wives tales. Without going too deep into the science, let's discuss the truth of caffeine in tea. more >

A "good sale" is one in which the customer leaves excited about tea AND is likely to remain so after they begin enjoying the product. To accomplish this, the staff must be taught to consult, not sell. A consultation is focused on helping to connect the customer with the products that will meet their needs and/or make them happy. The process of selling typically gets distracted by featured items, current promotions, or whatever the most expensive option might be in order to hit pre-defined sales goals that have nothing to do with customer satisfaction. more >

A good Tea Consultant, using the APPROPRIATE sales techniques and equipped with a solid knowledge of tea in general and the store's collection specifically can and should deliver 50% higher average sales than a very nice, very friendly but relatively untrained cashier. These are the truths that provide the foundation for my approach to employee training. more >

There IS a wrong way to make tea. Unfortunately, I've rarely observed people prepare tea correctly - even in a tea shop or tearoom. The truth is that there is nothing that will make a bad tea taste really good. It is also true that the best tea in the world, without the proper equipment, water and technique, will turn out mediocre. I have to wonder how many more Americans would be embracing high quality loose leaf teas if they knew how to pull the most from the leaves? more >