LONDON – Tuesday , 25 October 2011 – The ubiquitous tea bag is functional, but cram ped which m eans that tea leav es inside can get crushed, causing flav our loss. Enter new Lu Lin Tea Cubed which offers tea in cube-shaped bags that stay firm and allow the use of whole tea leav es without the leav es getting crushed. This UK product is the innov ation of the week from Data monitors Product Launch Analy tics.

Ov er tim e, new shapes hav e been tried for tea bags including py ram id-shaped bags. Most bags, though, have space issues. Lu Lin Tea Cubed bags offer whole leaf tea flav our because the tea bags are large enough to utilize hand-picked, chem ical free prem ium whole leaf tea.

Considerably larger than conv entional tea bags, Tea Cubed bags not only keep their shape, but one ny lon bag goes a long way , m aking up to three pots of tea. Tea Cubed com es in eight flav ours including Green Tea (Dragonwell), Puerh Tea, and Fuijan Oolong Tea.

Tom Vierhile, Innov ation Insights Director for Datam onitor notes “loose leaf tea m ay be the best choice for a great tasting pot of tea, but that can be too m essy and inv olv ed for consumers in a hurry .” He goes on to say “the cube shape works well for other ty pes of products including soup stock and sugar, so it could be just the ticket to shake up the tea m arket.”

Sun food critic tests cube teabag

“I was yacking away while making my first brew. But I shut up as soon as I experienced the aroma from the pot. It was really quite exciting and the smell was so enchanting. I was quite overcome.

The vapours kind of transported me elsewhere and the taste matched the aroma, leaving the roof of the mouth dry, as a good tea should. It is definitely refreshing. I am a huge PG Tips fan but I have to say Lu Lin makes my PG Tips taste like cardboard.

It's a bit like going somewhere in a helicopter — once you've done that, you don't want to go back to a car or the train.”

Read the full article here:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3823922/Sun-food-critic-tests-cube-teabag.html

Our Tea Cubed Keemun Breakfast was tasted in a blind taste test by Alan and tea expert Jane Pettigrew, together with 2 other tea’s – an English breakfast teabag, loose leaf English breakfast tea.

Alan Titchmarsh said: “I choose this one, it’s got more flavour” revealing that his favourite of the 3 was our tea, the Keemun Breakfast Tea Cubed.

Jane Pettigrew said: “A step up from the ordinary teabag... it has huge leaves and lots of space for the tea to actually brew”.

Британской студией United By Design разработан дизайн упаковки для нового чая Tea Cubed от компании Lu Lin
Teas (Китай). Инновацией в дизайне стало использование чайных пакетиков в виде куба. Новая упаковка призвана
подчеркнуть ценности китайской компании, а именно оригинальность и происхождение.
Восемь видов чая различаются при помощи цветового кодирования.
Целевой аудиторией продукта в студии видят потребителей, которые предпочитают рассыпной чай, но не любят
возиться с его завариванием.

The packaging for Lu Lin Teas’ new Tea Cubed product has been created by York based United By Design.
The product is aimed at tea consumers who might like to try loose-leaf tea, but could potentially be put off by the hassle involved.

Owen Turner, creative director of United By Design, said:
“The branding and packaging of Tea Cubed is designed to reflect Lu Lin’s values as a specialist tea company dedicated to originality and provenance.
“The pack design differentiates the exciting new Tea Cubed range in a very individual way, telling the Lu Lin story simply and effectively as the company continues to expand its range of products. Our aim with this project was to increase ongoing awareness, produce sales growth and assist in developing new listings and markets.

” Amy Gallagher, managing director of Lu Lin Teas, added: “United By Design has worked with Lu Lin from the beginning, providing vital and inspirational design ideas. As well as being creative, Owen is also extremely brand-minded; he was instrumental in helping us to create our image and everything he does reinforces it further. He understood from the beginning the way we wanted to represent LuLin; fresh and unpretentious, yet classy and stylish.
“
The ranges that have been created for LuLin are essentially very different, but also all fit together as one brand perfectly, and Owen never loses sight of the overall vision. Our various products are all designed for different markets, but

Following the success of products such as sugar and stock cubes, world's first cube-shaped
re-usable teabags has hit UK markets.
LPV International, the company behind the Lu Lin tea, said that it has adopted the unique shape that promises to be the
"highest standard of teabag ever made".
Each bag makes a pot and can be used three times, though a box of eight costs 7.50 pounds.
"The cube gives maximum volume, allowing us to use the whole tea leaves rather than dust or broken leaves," the Daily
Express quoted a spokesman for LPV International as saying.
Eight flavours are currently available at independent shops.

Появились первые в мире квадратные чайные пакетики. Менеджеры компания
LPV International, которая разработала чайный бренд Lu Lin Chinese, рассказали,
что решили использовать уникальную форму чайных пакетиков для серии Tea
Cubed, чтобы повысить качество продукта.
В компании отмечают, что новая продукция будет доступна по приемлемым
ценам, пишет Upakovano.ru со ссылкой на Talkingretail.com. Ганс Верхузель (Hans
Verhoosel), директор компании LPV, объяснил: «Мы решили адаптировать эту
форму к чайным пакетикам. Для этого есть свои причины: традиционные
пакетики не могут содержать цельные чайные листы, поскольку чаинки слишком
стиснуты, чтобы в полной мере раскрыть свой вкус. В этом того, почему чайные
пакетики традиционной формы обычно содержат чай не очень высокого
качества».
«Сегодня, инновационный дизайн пакетиков чая Lu Lin Tea Cubed в форме куба
позволяет помещать в них цельные чайные листы премиум-класса, — добавил
он. — Они собираются вручную и поставляются в пакетиках, которые не теряют
своей формы во время заваривания».
В компании также отмечают, что долгий срок хранения новых пакетиков
позволяет реализовывать чай Tea Cubed по конкурентоспособным ценам.
Напомним, что бренд Lu Lin, название которого с китайского переводится как
«Зеленый лес», был запущен на рынок в прошлом году, когда Верхузель и его
коллеги стали недовольны качеством пакетированного листового чая,
доступного в Великобритании.

WHEN it comes to the future of the humble tea bag, there could now be six sides to every story for people in the South East.
That's because LPV International, the company behind the LuLin range of Chinese teas, has just launched what's believed to be the world's first cubed product of this kind.
LPV says the unique shape means the bags in its new Tea Cubed range are among the highest standard ever made. Each bag produces enough tea for at least three whole pots.
Hans Verhoosel, LPV director, explained: "Following the success of products such as sugar and stock cubes, we're now bringing the shape to tea bags, for very good reasons.
"Traditionally-shaped bags can't contain whole leaf tea as it would be too cramped to brew properly within their confines, the result being a massive loss of flavour.
"That space constraint helps explain why conventionally-shaped tea bags usually contain poorer quality ingredients, which don't need much room to brew.
"Now, however, the innovative design means our LuLin Tea Cubed bags contain only premium whole leaf tea. This is hand-picked, chemical-free and comes in bags which don't lose their shape during brewing." Eight varieties are available in the initial Tea Cubed range: Long Jing, Jasmine Dragon Pearls, Fujian Oolong, Ginseng Oolong, Keemun Breakfast, Lapsang Souchong, Puerh and Puerh with Lavender.
Each tea is available in a box containing eight three-gram bags. Boxes cost £7.50 and can be ordered online via www.lulinteas.com and next working day delivery to most parts of Britain is promised for orders placed before 2pm. There are plans to introduce a mixed box at a later date.

Fifteen years after pyramid bags hit the shelves, Lu Lin tea is the first of its kind.
The unique shape promises to be the “highest standard of teabag ever made”.
Each bag makes a pot and can be used three times, though a box of eight costs £7.50.
A spokesman for importer LPV International said: “The cube gives maximum volume, allowing us to use the whole tea leaves rather than dust or broken leaves.”
Eight flavours are available at independent shops.

Following the success of products such as sugar and stock cubes, world's first cube-shaped
re-usable teabags has hit UK markets.
LPV International, the company behind the Lu Lin tea, said that it has adopted the unique shape that promises to be the "highest standard of teabag ever made".
Each bag makes a pot and can be used three times, though a box of eight costs 7.50 pounds.
"The cube gives maximum volume, allowing us to use the whole tea leaves rather than dust or broken leaves," the Daily Express quoted a spokesman for LPV International as saying.
Eight flavours are currently available at independent shops.

Lu Lin Tea Cubed offers tea in cube-shaped bags that stay firm and allow the use of whole tea leaves without the leaves getting crushed. This UK product is the innovation of the week from Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics.

LPV International, the company behind the Lu Lin brand, has launched cubed tea bags. Eight varieties are available in the initial range: Long Jing, Jasmine Dragon Pearls, Fujian Oolong, Ginseng Oolong, Keemun Breakfast, Lapsang Souchong, Puerh and Puerh with Lavender.
Updated on Thursday 03 November, 2011

USP A claimed world first, the six-sided bag has enough brewing room to deliver the full flavour of whole leaf tea in a convenient format that would look classy in a hotel bedroom. The nylon, heat-sealed cubed bag retains its shape during brewing and its durability keeps the price down.
Details Each durable bag contains enough hand-picked, chemical-free tea to brew three whole pots of tea (at a cost of 30p per pot). The merits of the bags, which can be branded, will be promoted to the consumer.
Flavours Eight - Long Jing, Jasmine Dragon Pearls, Fujian Oolong, Ginseng Oolong, Keemum Breakfast, Lapsang Souchong, Puerh, and Puerh with Lavender.

World cuisine restaurant chain, Rice Flamebar & Grill (RFG), has chosen LuLin Teas for four of its outlets.

LPV International, the company behind the LuLin brand, is supplying its Blooming tea range for two of RFG’s Manchester outlets – Oxford
Road and the Trafford Centre; and its Sheffield Meadowhall and Newcastle Metro Centre restaurants; along with a selection of tea ware.
The LuLin Blooming range consists of Seven Fairies, containing Jasmine and Marigold; Oriental Beauty with Jasmine, Marigold and
Globe Aamaranth; and Butterfly Dance, which contains Jasmine, Lilly and Marigold.

Marge Santos of RFG said: “LuLin was chosen ahead of other brands because of the strong flavour of the teas and LPV’s commitment to quality and customer service.

“The flowering teas are proving popular at all four sites. Aside from its unique flower bloom, the taste is really good and refreshing.”

The packaging for Lu Lin Teas’ new Tea Cubed product has been created by York based United By Design. The product is aimed at tea consumers who might like to try loose-leaf tea, but could potentially be put off by the hassle involved.



Owen Turner, creative director of United By Design, said: “The branding and packaging of Tea Cubed is designed to reflect Lu Lin’s values as a specialist tea company dedicated to originality and provenance.

“The pack design differentiates the exciting new Tea Cubed range in a very individual way, telling the Lu Lin story simply and effectively as the company continues to expand its range of products.

Our aim with this project was to increase ongoing awareness, produce sales growth and assist in developing new listings and markets.”

Amy Gallagher, managing director of Lu Lin Teas, added: “United By Design has worked with Lu Lin from the beginning, providing vital and inspirational design ideas. As well as being creative, Owen is also extremely brand-minded; he was instrumental in helping us to create our image and everything he does reinforces it further. He understood from the beginning the way we wanted to represent LuLin; fresh and unpretentious, yet classy and stylish.

“The ranges that have been created for LuLin are essentially very different, but also all fit together as one brand perfectly, and Owen never loses sight of the overall vision. Our various products are all designed for different markets, but I think they all stand out in their own way and the response to them has been extremely positive.”

The company that launched the world’s first cubed tea bags has added three new varieties to its loose leaf range along with a range of Tea Collections.

LPV International, the organisation behind the LuLin brand, is now offering Black Long Jing, Black Oolong and Yellow Tips ‘Single Estate’ Chinese teas to independent retailers, alongside the 40-plus varieties it sells already.

Hans Verhoosel, LPV director, said: “Black Long Jing is made from the same type of leaves as its green equivalent.

“It’s also known as Red Plum, due to its colour and deep fruity undertones. It isn’t that common in the UK but we believe it will suit the British market very well.”

Mr Verhoosel said Black Oolong was a Fujian Oolong which has been fermented for longer than normal.

Three new loose leaf teas have been added to Tea Collections

We've had round, square and pyramid now the cube-shaped teabag is here. Fifteen years after Unilever claimed a market first with PG Tips Pyramid, tea importer LPV International is introducing a cube-shaped teabag under the Chinese Lu Lin tea brand. Claiming to be the first of its kind, Tea Cubed comes in eight varieties, including Long Jing, Jasmine Dragon Pearls and Fujian Oolong.

The unique shape would provide the "highest standard of teabags ever made", said CEO Hans Verhoosel, a claim reflected in the £7.50 price tag for a box containing eight teabags.

However, each bag makes a pot and can be used three times. "The cube gives maximum volume, allowing us to use the whole tea leaves rather than dust or broken leaves, with space to brew," Verhoosel explained.

"The cube also stays firm, meaning the leaves do not get crushed inside."

Agency United By Design has created the packaging for Lu Lin Teas’ new Tea Cubed product.
The brand incorporates a unique, cube-shaped tea bag targeting consumers who might like to try loose-leaf tea but could potentially “be put off by the hassle involved�.
York-based United By Design designed graphics which, it said, were inspired by optical illusions. The packs are also intended to stack easily in a retail environment and are colour coded to differentiate the eight ranges of flavours.

“The branding and packaging of Tea Cubed is designed to reflect Lu Lin’s values as a specialist tea company dedicated to originality and provenance,� said United By Design creative director Owen Turner.
He added: “Our aim with this project was to increase ongoing awareness, produce sales growth and assist in developing new listings and markets.�
“United By Design has worked with Lu Lin from the Share beginning, providing vital and inspirational design ideas,� said Lun Lin managing director Amy Gallagher.

A new range of Chinese teas has launched for the hotel and catering sector.
The Lu Lin range, which means 'green forest' in Chinese, currently contains over 40 speciality teas, including green, oolong, black, pu erh, blooming and caffeine-free herbal tisanes, with prices starting at an equivalent of six pence per pot.
The company also supplies teapots, hot water jugs and infuser mugs.
As well as providing "top quality" teas, Lu Lin offers knowledge, guidance and training to organisations in the hotel and catering sector, covering subjects from developing a balanced tea menu to what pots to use, free-of-charge.
Chief executive officer Hans Verhoosel said: "We already have a wealth of knowledge of Chinese tea and experience in working with it. This includes considerable understanding of the types available, their characteristics and which regions excel in producing the different types.
"We differ from many competitors by working directly with our farmers, all of whose operations I inspect personally during my regular visits to China. We also have an employee permanently functioning as our purchasing and logistics manager in the country and orders are shipped straight from there to customers worldwide, typically being delivered in four to five days.
"All that means we have the tightest possible control over quality – literally from picking to pouring – plus our carbon footprint is kept to a minimum and our teas reach hotel and catering sector customers in the freshest state achievable."

A new range of Chinese teas has launched for the hotel and catering sector.
The Lu Lin range, which means 'green forest' in Chinese, currently contains over 40 speciality teas, including green, oolong, black, pu erh, blooming and caffeine-free herbal tisanes, with prices starting at an equivalent of six pence per pot.
The company also supplies teapots, hot water jugs and infuser mugs.
As well as providing "top quality" teas, Lu Lin offers knowledge, guidance and training to organisations in the hotel and catering sector, covering subjects from developing a balanced tea menu to what pots to use, free-of-charge.
Chief executive officer Hans Verhoosel said: "We already have a wealth of knowledge of Chinese tea and experience in working with it. This includes considerable understanding of the types available, their characteristics and which regions excel in producing the different types.
"We differ from many competitors by working directly with our farmers, all of whose operations I inspect personally during my regular visits to China. We also have an employee permanently functioning as our purchasing and logistics manager in the country and orders are shipped straight from there to customers worldwide, typically being delivered in four to five days.
"All that means we have the tightest possible control over quality – literally from picking to pouring – plus our carbon footprint is kept to a minimum and our teas reach hotel and catering sector customers in the freshest state achievable."

Lu Lin, whose name means ‘green forest’ in Chinese, emphasising its healthy and natural properties, contains two ranges –‘Daily Cup’, which contains four 250 gram tins of economically priced everyday tea, one from each of the main groups – Green, Black, Oolong and Pu Erh.
Recommended retail prices (RRP) start at £11.95 per 250g.
Chinese teas for independent trade | Product News | TalkingRetail.com Page 1 of 5 http://www.talkingretail.com/products/product-news/chinese-teas-for-independent-trade 14/01/2011
The second is a medium priced ‘Single Estate’ range incorporating 40 teas, with prices starting at an RRP of £5.95 per 50 grams. There are plans to add a third range at a later date.
All are sourced from a carefully selected group of small and medium-sized farmers.
In addition, Lu Lin products include gift sets – from starter boxes containing a variety of different teas, to accessories such as teapots, hot water jugs and infuser mugs.
Source: Lu Lin
Lu Lin, whose name means ‘green forest’ in Chinese, emphasising its healthy and natural properties, contains two ranges –‘Daily Cup’, which contains four 250 gram tins of economically priced everyday tea, one from each of the main groups – Green, Black, Oolong and Pu Erh.
Recommended retail prices (RRP) start at £11.95 per 250g. The second is a medium priced ‘Single Estate’ range incorporating 40 teas, with prices starting at an RRP of £5.95 per 50 grams. There are plans to add a third range at a later date. All are sourced from a carefully selected group of small and medium-sized farmers.
In addition, Lu Lin products include gift sets – from starter boxes containing a variety of different teas, to accessories such as teapots, hot water jugs and infuser mugs.

TWO Yorkshire tea entrepreneurs hope to capitalise on their knowledge of the industry in China by breaking into the British wholesale market.
Hans Verhoosel and Amy Gallagher, who run Belgian coffee and tea house La Place Verte, in York, want to take their Lu Lin teas brand to a wider audience.
Lu Lin, which means "green forest" in Chinese, is sourced from small and medium-sized farms in the provinces of Zhegiang and Fujian. Mr Verhoosel and Miss Gallagher began selling the tea and accessories in York two years ago and now plan to attend trade shows in order to win business with other tea rooms and the hotel industry.
Mr Verhoosel, who comes from Antwerp, in Belgium, said they began importing because they were disappointed at the quality of loose-leaf tea available in Britain.
"One of the great attractions of Chinese tea is its strength, quality and diversity.
"Although we initially intended that these would be available only in our coffee and tea house, the feedback from customers was so positive that we also made the range available in the La Place Verte shop."  

TWO hospitality entrepreneurs in Yorkshire are brewing plans to educate people on high quality Chinese teas.
Hans Verhoosel and Amy Gallagher, the team behind Belgian speciality coffee and tea house La Place Verte in York, are now marketing Lu Lin Teas.
As well as stocking the brand in their shop and supplying online, the duo have plans to expand into hosting home tea parties similar to the Avon or Tupperware business model.
Mr Verhoosel said: “I already give talks to business groups and organisations such as the Women’s Institute but we plan to roll this out in the near future by training people to use our knowledge of the teas to educate others, at parties or business functions, in a fun and interesting way.” Plans are also in the pipeline to seal deals with major hotel and supermarket chains.
“We can provide a wealth of knowledge, guidance and training to both retailers and the hotel and catering sector, covering subjects from developing a balanced tea menu to what pots to use. We can also train waiting and retail staff, as today’s increasingly sophisticated customer expects them to know about varieties and producing regions.” Lu Lin Tea, which means green forest, is sourced from a carefully selected group of small and medium-sized farmers.
“One of the great attractions of Chinese tea is its strength, quality and diversity.
Buying tea is similar to buying wines, it’s a similar culture. The taste of a certain tea can affect its flavour, similar to vineyards. Environmental aspects really do affect the taste.” Mr Verhoosel works directly with its farmers, overseeing operations on regular visits to China.
“People are far more conscious these days of where their food and drink comes from and by being directly involved from the source means we have complete control over quality – literally from picking to pouring – plus our carbon footprint is kept to a minimum and our teas reach customers in the freshest state achievable,” he added.