Please visit our Kickstarter campaign!
Our first Kickstarter campaign was not funded successfully because we didn’t reach our goal of $10,000. When we reached a point that we realized that we may have been reaching just beyond our grasp, we sat down and reanalyzed our budget and reconsidered our list of needs.
We decided that while a few pieces of the equipment would be really nice and definitely put to good use, they were not absolutely necessary to the function of the business. We could get by without a couple of those items for the first few months of operations until we got up and running and then we could reinvest in our business and get those items we needed.
The same is true for the inventory order that we were looking to place. We were looking to get a bit more than was needed for a modest start because it was my initial hope that we could get enough inventory to keep us going for at least two or three months so that I wouldn’t have to place a lot of orders. We’ll have a lot to do in those first couple of months and I figured the fewer things on the to-do list, the better.
But I realize that anything worth doing and anything worth having is worth the extra work to get it. So, we cut back on the extras and we streamlined our budget and reduced our goal. And we’ve launched a new Kickstarter with this fresh, new frame of mind!
Our new ‘start up’ date for our first tea of the week would be June 1st!
Please support our Kickstarter Campaign by clicking here. Remember, every little bit helps! And we aren’t asking for a hand-out here! For contributions as little as $5, you’ll receive a pouch of tea! We are asking for your support and in return, we’ll gladly send you some tea!
Thank you!
Check out This Kickstarter Campaign!
As some of my regular readers are aware, I have been promoting my own Kickstarter campaign over the last few weeks before time ran out. I didn’t reach my goal, but I haven’t given up. I’ll be back within a couple of weeks with a new Kickstarter campaign.
In the meantime, please check out this campaign by the Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company! I have reviewed several of this company’s teas, and I know them to offer superior quality Oolong, Black and Green teas. Here are links to some of their teas that I’ve reviewed in the past:
- ShanLinXi Highest Mountain Oolong Tea
- Asian Beauty Oolong Tea
- Formosa Assam Black Tea
- Twisted Green Tea
These teas were amazing, and I have no doubt that the tea that I receive as an incentive for my pledge for their campaign will be equally as wonderful if not more so.
I’m really hoping that they’ll succeed with their goal because: a) I’ll get some great tea; and b) I really like this company. I like that they’re dedicated to sourcing amazing teas and what has also impressed me about this company is that they’re really great people. They are dedicated not only to great tea but also to providing excellent customer service. They’re a win-win company!
Please consider pledging to Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company! They only have nine days left to go on their campaign and they still need about $2500 to reach their goal!
The Time is NOW!
For those of you who are waiting for the right time to check out my Kickstarter Campaign and contribute, that time is NOW! We are nearing the end of the campaign, and we still have a LONG way to go to reach our goal!
So, I thought I’d take a moment to answer some questions that you might have.
If you have other questions, please feel free to ask them in the comment section!
Why have we launched the Kickstarter campaign? What’s it all about?
A couple of months ago, I was approached by Frank from 52Teas (aka the Chief Zoomdweebie!) and he asked me if I was interested in taking over the 52Teas line. He wanted to focus his efforts on his iced tea business. You can check out his Indiegogo campaign to support his iced tea endeavor here! And please do!
Anyway, he wanted to focus his efforts on his passion, which is iced tea. My passion is hot tea. So, I was very interested, but also a little hesitant, until I talked to my daughter, Amethyst, who told me that she wanted to do this thing with me!
So, we have the passion for tea. We have Amethyst, who is very detail oriented and all about making sure things are done right, right on time! She’s going to be the one keeping the numbers crunched and the orders fulfilled and the inventory in stock so that I can do what I do best: tea.
But what we don’t have is equipment or inventory. That’s where the Kickstarter campaign comes in. If we’re successfully funded, we’ll have the funds we need to buy the equipment and the inventory we need to be able to get this business off to a running start.
But we can’t do it without you and your support!
Why do you need so much money?
Because, as I said, we need the equipment and inventory to get started. We need tea, we need the ingredients to create the unique flavors of teas that 52Teas is known for.
We need the equipment to make the business go. We need the pouch sealer, we need the pouch filler. Oh, we’ll need the pouches too. We need the shipping label printer and labels for it too. We have the passion and the ability to make the business go, but without the inventory and the equipment, we won’t get very far.
What do I get in return?
TEA! And seriously, is there any better incentive than that? You get tea. How much tea and what kind of tea is totally up to you. Check out the incentives list on the sidebar of the campaign for more details of what kinds of teas are available.
What happens if the campaign isn’t successfully funded?
Well, according to Frank, if we’re not able to take over the business as of March 31st, 2015, 52Teas will be no more. So, if the campaign isn’t successfully funded – if we don’t get the money we need to take over the business, it will wither and die. It will cease to be.
We can’t take over the business without the startup capital that we need to get the equipment and inventory.
I know it seems like a lot of money. But it’s for a good cause – it’s to support a small business and to support a mother and daughter team to help them realize their dream. And it’s about TEA.
Please support our campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/497705217/the-great-52teas-take-over
Also, please support Frank’s Indiegogo campaign to help him build his iced tea business: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/southern-boy-teas-organic-flavored-iced-teas
Every little bit helps! Please take a moment to help spread the word. Tweet about this blog post, tell your friends and neighbors, post it on your facebook. But most of all, take a moment to contribute because without the contributions, we simply won’t reach our goal!
Thank you!
Together, We Can Save 52Teas!
OK, if you’re a regular visitor to this blog, then you probably are already aware of the fact that I have a Kickstarter Campaign going. I’m trying to raise funds to be able to buy 52Teas from Frank Horbelt (the chief Zoomdweebie!) and also purchase the equipment, inventory and supplies that I’ll need to get the business ‘kickstarted’ under new management.
My daughter, Amethyst, will be the one running the business. She’s a very smart and business savvy person. She’s detail oriented and she’ll be just the right balance for me. I’m the artist. I’ll be creating the tea blends. And if you’re interested in some of the ideas that I have for future tea blends, check out this update where I listed April’s teas – should we happen to get this Kickstarter campaign funded!
But those amazing teas can’t happen unless this Kickstarter Campaign gets funded! Every little bit helps! If you only have $5 or $10 to contribute, that’s alright, that will help me get that much closer to my goal – and remember, I’m not asking you to just give me your money here. You choose an incentive – you’re actually buying tea in advance from me:
- $5 will buy you your choice of one of the April Teas or one of the top five reblends (as voted on by Steepster) -or- one of the reblends that wins the ‘vote’ throughout the course of the campaign in the “taster” (1/2 ounce) size.
- A $10 contribution will buy you your choice of the top five reblends -or- one of the reblends that are voted on throughout the course of the Kickstarter campaign.
There are many different incentives to choose from. Some allow you to choose a reblend! Some allow you to create your own tea of the week -or- you can become an ambassador to 52Teas and create your very own VIT (Very Important Tea) which will be named after you (or perhaps after a special occasion – what a great gift for that tea lover on your shopping list!)
Please help us save 52Teas! Please help me get back into the art of blending teas and help my daughter and I become business partners in the process! Please help make our dream come true!
Gingerbread House Genmaicha Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
With marshmallow root, orange peel and a touch of peppermint blended into our Japanese Genmaicha, we tried to infuse a whole gingerbread house (gingerbread, orange gumdrops and spice drops, creamy frosting and all) into one tea. I think we did pretty well, but you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Please check out my campaign to take over 52Teas here! Please help me keep 52Teas alive and kicking out those teas every week!
Taster’s Review:
I really liked that when I opened the pouch – I could smell GINGER! I like my gingerbread to be heavy on the ginger flavor, I like that punch of ginger flavor, but all too often when it comes to gingerbread, I’m of the opinion that there just isn’t enough ginger to call it gingerbread.
So I was happy that I could smell ginger here. The brewed tea smells a bit less like ginger (or gingerbread) and a bit more like brewed genmaicha with it’s nutty, toasty essence. There are some warm notes of ginger, the fragrance of the ginger is just not as strong as it was with the dry leaf. I’m also picking up on some sweet, cakey notes in the scent too. It smells quite yummy.
Even though I like to let the tea cool a bit before I start writing a lot about it, I couldn’t stop myself from taking a little sip while it was still quite hot. Mmm! I have a really good feeling about this tea. It’s going to be a cupful of yum!
And it is! I like that the ginger is dominate, but it isn’t overpowering the other flavors. This tastes the way I want my gingerbread to taste – with a strong ginger note. I can also taste notes of creamy, marshmallow-y icing and notes of orange.
These flavors don’t overwhelm the genmaicha tea which is sweet and nutty with a really nice pleasant roasty-toasty flavor. I like the way these flavor of the genmaicha taste with the gingerbread house flavors. It’s sweet but not too sweet because the nutty flavors add some dimension to it to make it not so candy or cake-y that it ends up tasting cloying.
It’s a really fun flavor.
This one resteeps well too. The flavors are less distinctly “Gingerbread House” and more like a gently spiced cookie. It’s still quite tasty though and definitely worth the effort to resteep it, so hang on to those leaves!
I see that this tea has sold out, so I am hoping that other customers have enjoyed this tea as much as I did so that when it comes time to vote for reblends – this one will eventually get reblended!