Tea during breakfast...

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

four at four forty four

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
78
Reaction score
0
How do you serve your tea during breakfast? Loose leaf? Bag?
How do you heat your water for tea? Always have a pot on the stove? Mircowave?
How many types do you offer?
I've been serving bag tea and heating the water in the mircowave. Sadly I feel like I'm committing murder as I know this is not the best/proper way to do things. If I could do it 'right' I would only serve loose leaf with a tea strainer.
Just wondering what the rest of you do....
 
If you have a small number of tea drinkers - I have a Zerafina that is very cool and makes a perfect cup every time whether loose, bag, green, black, etc BUT makes a max of 2 cups at a time. For needs of up to 4 liters of hot water I got a Zojirushi water boiler/warmer for my husband (and use it in the B & B) that will boil the water and then keep it warm to the temp YOU set. It dispenses with one finger (needed for DH), you hit the unlock button and then hold dispense. Does not take up a lot of space (I have very little). It was less than $150. Best investment I have made yet.
I have over 100 varieties of tea for my guests - loose and bags. I have T-sacs so they can make bags with the loose and I also have infusers. We have white, oolong, chai, green, herbal, rooibus, and black teas.
 
If you have a small number of tea drinkers - I have a Zerafina that is very cool and makes a perfect cup every time whether loose, bag, green, black, etc BUT makes a max of 2 cups at a time. For needs of up to 4 liters of hot water I got a Zojirushi water boiler/warmer for my husband (and use it in the B & B) that will boil the water and then keep it warm to the temp YOU set. It dispenses with one finger (needed for DH), you hit the unlock button and then hold dispense. Does not take up a lot of space (I have very little). It was less than $150. Best investment I have made yet.
I have over 100 varieties of tea for my guests - loose and bags. I have T-sacs so they can make bags with the loose and I also have infusers. We have white, oolong, chai, green, herbal, rooibus, and black teas..
As far as number of tea drinkers it changes.... some days everyone is, some days no one is. That zerafina things looks pretty cool! After searching it on amazon.com I found many other tea pots too.
100 varieties!? Wow! How?
 
i had an electric, plug in tea pot for the hot water (some angel on this site picked it up for me and i reimbursed her) ... anyway --- lots and lots of assorted teas in bags although i did have a few loose teas and tea ball things (messy) so i got a couple tea steepers not made of metal .... guests could make their own tea at will. they LOVED it. coffee people could get their coffee, tea people could get their tea. i bought those little cups that have a tea pot underneath and a lid so they could take the tea to their table and let it steep. 'tea for one' they are called. i got them on sale.
i like both coffee and tea, and i like to have more than one 'cuppa' of either so it's nice to have the little individual tea pots.
how many rooms? how many guests?
 
I started with a 65 varities package from Stash tea. Then a friend & B & B owner became a tea consultant (like Tupperware parties only with tea) and they had a SUPER special that year (and I had a bit of extra cash) and I bought a lot of it - all loose teas. Guests like the tea and th variety Word of caution - they LOVE the idea of over 100 varieties but when faced with the selection (I had a tea hutch custom built for the teas) they are almost overwhelmed.
Edited to add - thanks for the reminder SS. I also have several tea for ones and several other larger teapots for brewing the tea.
 
I started with a 65 varities package from Stash tea. Then a friend & B & B owner became a tea consultant (like Tupperware parties only with tea) and they had a SUPER special that year (and I had a bit of extra cash) and I bought a lot of it - all loose teas. Guests like the tea and th variety Word of caution - they LOVE the idea of over 100 varieties but when faced with the selection (I had a tea hutch custom built for the teas) they are almost overwhelmed.
Edited to add - thanks for the reminder SS. I also have several tea for ones and several other larger teapots for brewing the tea..
i thought you might. i remember the picture of the awesome hutch with all the tea! now to me that is FUN.
 
Electric kettle in guest area for guest use - we provide an assortment of tea. On ocassion a British guest will make a whole pot of tea vs a cup. I have fruit/herbal teas, black teas and flavored teas. I don't do loose leaf as most guests don't use loose leaf, if they DO they bring their own special blends.
You can order STASH tea wholesale. They have samplers. You can also be added to the Stash Tea BOGO BandB prmotion for next time if you are interested, it is free to join, but costs you a room night if a guest redeems a coupon. You can stipulate mid week or a certain room if you like.
Overseas guests do not like typical American teas, like Lipton.
 
444,
We have an electric tea kettle for folks to self serve from. Its on the dining room buffet next to the trivet for the coffee carafe.
We offer only bagged teas and probably have 16-20 varieties on a little shelf at any given time.
We started out offering both, but the added mess and failure of some guests to confine that mess to the protected surfaces on our beautiful, custom built, wood buffet forced us to keep it simple and only served bagged.
 
I'm used to Harney & Sons and Mighty Leaf from other places of employment. They are pretty high qualitiy teas. Anyone know how they compare to Stash?
 
I'm used to Harney & Sons and Mighty Leaf from other places of employment. They are pretty high qualitiy teas. Anyone know how they compare to Stash?.
four at four forty four said:
I'm used to Harney & Sons and Mighty Leaf from other places of employment. They are pretty high qualitiy teas. Anyone know how they compare to Stash?
I personally think they are quite comparable, but stash is cheaper! Although, last time I was at our Home Goods they had Mighty Leaf as well as another 'upscale' one there pretty cheap....
 
I'm used to Harney & Sons and Mighty Leaf from other places of employment. They are pretty high qualitiy teas. Anyone know how they compare to Stash?.
Stash also works with innkeepers. I have received a $25 coupon when I've signed up for the book, plus some of their assortments are well-suited for us. Decent prices and a variety of what everybody seems to like. I supplement my teas with packets of instant cider, coffee, and hot chocolate.
 
We use those big thermos bottles with a pump like the convenience stores have. One for extra coffee, one for tea water. They keep it hot for an amazing amount of time. We offer bags and loose teas and there are a couple tea pots for those who would like to brew more than a cup.
 
I have an electric water kettle in the beverage center along with the coffee pot. There is a selection of teas, all bags. I do have some tea pots we use with loose tea, but not for guests. If I had a tea room business I would set it up for loose tea, but where people fix their own, tea bags are most convenient for me.
I stock a variety of teas. Bigalow, Lipton and others.
 
I have an antique library table in the dining room that serves as a beverage buffet. Electric tea kettle is there, with instructions. I have a tea box with quite an assortment of individually wrapped tea bags (variety of brands) and then a few interesting brands in some boxes. Also, hot chocolate, cider, and instant "cappucino". All the various sweeteners and some mini-moos. I have china cups and saucers there for tea (or coffee) and there are glass coffee mugs there too. The coffee carafes go out early in the morning with the real half and half. Guests help themselves to their first cup and we do the refills during breakfast service.
 
We have very little call for tea. It must be a regional thingy.
When we do serve tea, we have an electric kettle to heat the water initially. After the guest has made their selection from our small assortment (see entry above about having too many) we steep the bag for them in individual teapots. This makes for less mess at the table. Be sure you put a heat resistant coaster or pad under the teapot or you'll get a nasty little reminder on your nice wood table.
Our assortment usually includes: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Green Tea and an assortment of herbal teas.
 
The other thing about tea is perhaps the person isn't a tea drinker, but since this is a special ocassion, maybe first time BnB goer, they want to have a cup.
 
Back
Top