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About RateTea.net:
RateTea.net is a website where anyone, not just connoisseurs, can rate and review teas.
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Free & Open to All:
• Anyone can sign up for a free account and begin rating teas immediately. • RateTea.net does not accept samples from tea companies; the website works by people reviewing the teas they are already drinking. |
Independent:
• RateTea.net is not affiliated with any tea company. We do not sell tea, and we do not receive any payments through affiliate programs from tea companies. • We strive to offer the most accurate information on tea available on the web. |
Committed to Sustainability:
• RateTea.net highlights tea companies actively promoting sustainability and encourages people to promote sustainability through their personal choices, including organic tea, fair trade, composting, and more. ( Read more ) |
The purpose of RateTea.net is to encourage people to develop their appreciation of tea and promote sustainability in the world of tea. RateTea.net was founded in 2009 by Alex Zorach, and is owned and managed through Merit Exchange LLC. RateTea.net launched to the public on Sep. 18, 2009.
Our database of teas:
We keep a database of teas indexed by brand, style, and region. Although it is not the largest database on the web (Steepster currently has a larger database), to our knowledge it is the most detailed database available. Single-region teas are classified to the level of provinces, states, districts, or counties, when this information is available. Rather than classify teas broadly (black, green, etc.) we identify particular varieties of each of these broad classes of tea, both to help people discover the vast richness of tea traditions, and also so that teas can be compared against truly similar teas.
Do you recommend any other tea websites?
We have collected a list of online tea resources, including forums, review sites with a team of reviewers, and other online communities. Of particular interest is Steepster, a website that is most similar to RateTea.net among the listings, but that focuses more on social networking features, and that also features specials on teas and teaware.
Do you list bottled teas for rating and review?
Currently, no; RateTea.net focuses on loose and teabag teas. Read about why we do not list bottled teas.
About Alex Zorach:
An avid tea-drinker, Alex Zorach is actively involved in the design and maintenance of websites and systems oriented towards creating community and real-world activity, such as Merit Exchange.
Alex has an M.A. in statistics from Yale (2008), an M.S. in applied mathematics from U. Delaware (2007), and a B.A. from Oberlin College (2002). He has worked as a consultant in statistics and information technology, and also has experience in operations research, management consulting, retail pricing, theoretical ecology, and accounting. His interest in statistics enables him to have fun devising an effective rating system for teas.
Q: What motivated you to create RateTea.net?
Alex: I am an active user of RateBeer.com. As much as I love beer, I drink a great deal more tea than beer, and as much as beer is a complex beverage with many subtleties of flavor and aroma, I find tea far more interesting. One day, craving a similar site to ratebeer.com, I typed "rate tea" into google and was disappointed to find no similar site; but I was pleased to find the domain RateTea.net available. I was already actively involved in programming a much more complex site, Merit Exchange, which made designing a second interactive website easy by comparison. Thus RateTea.net was born.