The bud is back, baby. The bud is back.

What? Oh – maybe you didn’t realize that a couple of years ago we changed our name from “two leaves and a bud tea company” to “two leaves tea company.” And if you weren’t aware of that, go about your business, because technically to you, nothing’s changing.

To the rest of you: We’re changing it back! You spoke, we listened, and we agree with you. In an attempt to streamline and simplify our name, we removed a key part of our personality. And in this small company, our personality is who we are.

We took to Facebook this week to chat about “and a bud” with our fans, who are a thoughtful bunch. And surprise, surprise ... Gail Bull nailed it. She said, "'Two Leaves and a Bud’ has a certain rebellious charm to it. It seems to be saying, ‘yeah, our tea company's name is longer than most, but we aren't just any other tea company!’ Which is absolutely true.”

Gail, we’re pumping our fists at our desks. You totally get it.

As we say around here, “We take tea personally.”

(Inspirational music is swelling in the background as you read this next part.)

To us, this is more than a business — it’s personal. Our company is all about the tea. We’re not about wacky flavors, fancy packaging, or the latest fad being hyped in this industry. We make tea we love to drink because we know you tea lovers are addicted to our very high standards. And you guys, just like us, are full of personality.

If anyone can handle a name that’s nine syllables long and might start a conversation about tea, it’s you. Here’s how that conversation might go:

Friend/coworker/relative/neighbor: Hey, what’s that you’ve got there in your travel mug? I see you with it every day.

You: It’s my two leaves and a bud. I’m totally addicted.

Them: Two leaves and a what?

You: It’s tea. No wait, let me clarify — it’s the best tea. The highest quality tea in the world comes from the top two leaves and a bud of the tea plant.

Them: Whoa. You seem to know a lot about tea. You’re kind of awesome.

You <blushing graciously>: Here – I’ll give you a sachet. I realize I sound like a total tea dork, but if you try this, you’ll see what I’m getting at.

… and so on.

It’s a long name, and yeah, a bit clunky. But it’s also an accurate name … and the closest we can get to announcing who we are without wearing shirts that say “Hey – we’re resolute tea nerds.” (Although we’d totally wear those shirts.)

Because as you told your friend in an imaginary conversation (is this getting weird?), “two leaves and a bud” references the part of the camellia sinensis plant that makes up our tea. And a company’s name is more than factual — it’s emotional. Facebook friend Annie Bryant said,

“Two Leaves and a Bud was a fun name. Two Leaves seems like the company is growing up and becoming more serious. I liked the Bud.”

Whoa. That made us think. Our company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year! You could say we are growing up. Ah, those halcyon days back in 2004, when we had four employees instead of 11. But you can't force us to be more serious. Our anniversary this year will come with a new logo (see above), a redesigned website and a packaging refresh, but we'll hang on to our sense of fun with a death grip.

So in that spirit, we say yeah, we made an error of judgment, and don’t want to screw with your heads. We find an easy laugh is the best policy. Check out this handy infographic listing some reasons why we may have decided to bring back the "bud":

Cheers, tea lovers. Drink that two leaves and a bud with pride.