A Tasting Flight Preference Card That Shapes a Tea Reorder Request

A tasting flight is a pleasant way to meet new teas, but it leaves a gap. A customer enjoys five small cups, says "I loved the second one," and goes home. Weeks later they ask for "more of that tea," and nobody is sure which one they meant. This proposed workflow closes that gap with a short preference card. It is an example process, not a report of results from any shop.

The idea

The card is a one page record, paper or digital, that links each tea in the flight to a reaction. When the customer later sends a reorder request, staff open the card first and then reply. The card is the source for the request, not the customer's memory or the shop's.

What the card holds

Keep it short enough to finish while the cups are still warm.

Flight name or date, so the card refers to one specific tasting.
A numbered row for each tea, with the tea's name exactly as it appears on the shop's own label.
One reaction per row: want to buy, would try again, not for me.
One optional word field per row for what stood out, such as "smoky" or "too bitter."
A line for how the customer usually brews it: loose leaf or bags, with milk or without. This is a preference, not a rule.
A contact preference for the reorder conversation, such as reply by email or tell me in the shop.

Do not collect anything you do not need. A first name or a card number written by hand is enough to match the card to the person in the shop.

Inputs before a reorder is drafted

The completed card.
The customer's reorder message, even if vague.
The current list of teas the shop has available, checked by a person at that moment.

Decision branches

When the request arrives, compare it with the card.

The message names a tea that is marked want to buy. Confirm the quantity or pack size the customer wants and check availability.
The message names a tea marked not for me. Ask a gentle question before processing: "Our card shows you weren't keen on this one. Is that the one you'd like?" This may be a naming mix up.
The message says only "that smoky one." Look for a row whose word field matches. If exactly one matches, confirm it back in writing. If two match, list both names and ask which.
The message names nothing on the card. Treat it as a new request and do not assume the card applies.
The tea is out of stock. Offer a close alternative from the card's would try again rows, and say plainly that it is a different tea.

Stop conditions

Pause and ask instead of proceeding when:

two teas could fit the description,
the card has no row for the tea the customer names,
the customer's stated brewing style conflicts with the tea suggested,
the card is missing or illegible.

Never fill a gap by choosing for the customer. A wrong parcel costs more than one extra question.

Worked example

Imagine a card with six rows. Row two reads Tea B, want to buy, word: "malty." Row four reads Tea D, would try again, word: "floral." The customer writes: "Could I get another bag of the malty one?" Staff find one malty entry, confirm: "That is Tea B from your tasting. Would you like the same pack size?" The customer agrees, staff check stock, and the request moves to the order step. Had Tea D also been marked malty, staff would have asked which of the two before doing anything else.

Practical notes

You may keep the card for a limited period and discard it afterwards; how long is your own choice. Tell customers what the card is for in one sentence at the table. The word field is optional, not mandatory, and a card with only reactions still works for clear requests.

Small acceptance test

Run this with six invented cards and a colleague acting as the customer.

Write three reorder messages: one precise, one vague with a matching word, one naming a tea not on the card.
Hand each to a staff member who has only the card and the stock list.
Pass if the precise request is confirmed without a needless question, the vague request is confirmed back in writing, and the third is treated as new.
Add a fourth message that matches two rows. Pass only if staff ask which one.
Add a fifth naming a not for me tea. Pass if staff query it before processing.

If any case ends with a guess, simplify the card wording and repeat the test. Adopt the card only after all five behave as described.

Conclusion

The card does one job: it turns a pleasant afternoon into a record that a reorder can lean on. It adds a minute at the table and removes guessing later. Change the reactions or fields to suit your shop, but keep the link between each numbered tea and one clear reaction, because that link is what makes the reorder reply reliable.