Presales are live!

Presales are back this year, but they are a little different. 

In the past there have been some struggles with presales. One of the main struggles being quality control. Afew years ago for example I presold the Monkey Valley Mao Feng. The problem was that the quality that year fell a bit short. It was as one person put it "muted". The problem was that since people had already placed orders and I had already bought the tea, I had to send it out. Last year I didnt do presales and I'm so glad I didnt. 

Last year Huang Shan teas were almost a complete bust. Monkey Valley, Cha Shan and the She Xian all tasted flat and flavorless. The yellow tea, which had been amazing the year before, was completely different as well.  

That being said presales are a great way to get tea afffiencadios such as yourself, the freshest teas at a discount. As a seller it also shows me where people's interest are so I know to buy more of that tea. Last year for example the Bi Luo Chun was a surprise hit and sold out very quickly. 

This year I think I have found a way to offer fresh teas at a discount while also maintaining quality control. 

Fresh on the website are presale mystery boxes. Instead of prepurchasing a specific tea from a specific maker, tea drinkers can purchase a mystery box. The boxes are slightly specific, such as the Mao Feng mystery box, to a little more general such as the Huang Shan Mystery Box, to completely random in the case of the plain old Presales Mystery Box.  This will mix the benefits of a presale with the fun of a mystery box!

There are afew logistics that I want to mention. 
At the end of April my sister is getting married and I am going home for a week. This will allow some people to get their teas extra fresh as I can bring the teas to NYC then ship them from there, but may also delay some teas a wee bit. 

Also because I myself dont know what will be in the box I can't say for sure when the boxes will go out. This year I plan to go to Huang Shan to make sure I find good Mao Fengs. So this may delay the shipments of boxes. It is safe to say boxes will go out in May latest. 

On a final good note, those of you who have a $35 mystery box or above can put one of their subscriptions to this. So instead of buying a presale, you can just use one of your months and get the same presale discounts. 

I am excited for this years tea season. I will write another blog to talk about my predictions and whats coming, but I will say now that this year I will be working more with Jing to offer a wider variety of Haung Shan teas! Ding Gu Da Fang and Old Tree Huang Shan Reds will definitely be on the website in the following tea year. 

Presales are available now and please reach out for any comments, questions or suggestions!