With tea size really does matter. In simple terms the larger the leaf size the more likely the tea is to be taken without milk. There are four main leaf sizes; whole leaf, broken, fannings and dust.
As you will remember from your geography lessons there is no such thing as seasons at the equator. Tea that is grown near the equator in say Sri Lanka or Africa does not have the same seasonality as the more temperate climes of Darjeeling, Assam or China. For teas grown away from the equator when the tea is picked can have a dramatic effect upon the taste. For example from poobong we buy first flush, second flush and winter teas and you would never guess they were the same teas from the same garden
Time of day can also make a massive difference to taste. teas that are picked in the hour before dawn, when it is light but before sunrise have a different chemical composition to teas picked during daylight. If you do not believe me try our Whyte tea!
The orthodox method of tea production allows portion of the whole leaf to be seen in the finished product. These portions can be sorted into a variety of sizes to produce teas with differing qualities
All teas are produced from the same plant; camellia sinsensis. The plant naturally occurs in China and Assam. The tea bushes in Darjeeling are all descendants of leaves removed from China by Diplomatic bag. Similarly the bushes in Africa and Argentina were cloned from Indian tea bushes.
The Crushed Twisted and Curled method produces the tea that looks like gravy granules. Although this can produce very good teas it also allows coarser lower grown leaves to be used.
Fermenting or how to make green tea into black tea
Black tea and green tea go down the same production line and come from the same plant. The sole difference is that black tea is fermented before drying
The higher that the tea bushes are grown then the cooler the air will be. This will allow the leaves to grow more slowly. Trust us; slow grown leaves are smaller and contain more flavour.
Who exactly is blending good for ?
Is blending done for your benefit? Is English Breakfast tea, a blend of Assam and Ceylon tea, a better drink than either Assam or Ceylon tea? Is fillet steak mixed with venison a better meal than steak or venison? Or is blending done to switch the power from the producer to the merchant? We are not against blending and are delighted if you want to blend two teas but in our view blending can be a political act
Why is there better tea in Berlin than Bristol?
Wander into any suburb of berlin. You will find Das Teehaus selling loose leaf teas of tremendous varieties and quality. Stop to take a drink in a suburban shopping mall or a museum. You will be given a tea menu revealing teas of the highest standard. Now repeat the exercise in Bristol. Tea is on the menu but as tea. Speciality means either English breakfast or Earl Grey. Are we a nation of tea drinkers or mugs? Our suppliers tell us we buy like continental tea buyers. Try for your selves and spot the difference. Or use Easy Jet to compare the tea drinking habits of Bristol and Berlin
Speciality - not for the likes of us!!
As part of the reinforcement and dumbing down of tea in Britain we use the word speciality to refer to anything other than cheap low grown branded tea. Rise up demand more!! Fisrst flush Assam isnt speciality it is a top class product. How about using the phrase proper tea instead?
How exactly does branding a bag of leaves improve either the product oe your satisfaction. We use really sensible brown paper bags that are foil lined and keep the tea dry. Branding is about severing the link between the tea garden and the drinker. Tea is a natural product that is not adulterated during production. Is branding about customer satisfaction or about changing the balance of power?
Is Fairtrade the way forward for tea? Paying a premium for a product that has a low market proce because it tastes disgusting. Or is a better way to work with the tea growers to produce much better quality products that can command a decent price all the time?
Okinawan Green Tea and weight loss
We think this is an urban myth. The good citizens of the island of Okinawa are no more healthy than the rest of the Japanese population. They all drink green tea which is marginally more healthy than drinking black tea. Following their low meat diet and drinking tea without milk may be a good idea though!
Tea is not always best drunk with a heavy meal. We have done quite a bit of work on this and do believe that tea consumed at appropriate times can contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Two experiments. Try having a pot of tea without milk an hour before your meal time. See if your appetite is diminshed when you eat the meal. Go out for the largest curry you can find. Stuff so much food into you that the waist band of your skirt is strained. Go home immediately. Make a pot of green tea and consume all of it. For many people green tea is one of the greatest aids to digestion and you will feel no ill effects from gluttony. This experiment is repeated most Fridays!!
Our favourite. There is no such thing as spearmint tea. This product is simply dried spearmint leaves infused in hot water. There may be something in it but...
Our purchasing policy is simple. We buy the best possible tea we can find. If we can find a good estate we buy from that estate. If they have a best product we will buy that. If it is good in one particular week we buy that week. We recognise that we are buying from across the world and respect the cultures of the markets in which we deal. We are developing long term relationships with our growers and know them well. We do not buy to a price; we buy to a specification. Cotswold tea is not trying to rival the supermarkets or the big brands. Our aim in life is to make available to everyone teas of a quality that will leave you stunned.
A tisane is a tea made from something other than Camellia Sinsensis. There are products such as Rooibos or Mate that have similar qualities to tea but are made from another plant
Should you put the milk in the cup before the tea?
When making loose leaf tea in a teapot infuse the tea in the pot and then add to a cup containing milk. When making tea in a mug with a tea pot allow the tea to infuse, remove the tea bag and then introduce the milk
Is it acceptable to add milk and sugar to fine tea?
Definitely. The tea growers we all know all add both!!
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Read what our customers think...
"From the outset, we identified Cotswold Tea as a key element in achieving what we wanted"
- Ludlow Castle tearoom
"We know we can rely on Cotswold Tea to provide the range and quality we require"
- Keepers Cottage self-catering accommodation
"The quality of the tea from Cotswold Tea ties in with everything we offer here"
- The Old Dairy Tearoom
Our reputation is built upon the exceptional quality of our tea, our knowledge and expertise about tea, and our personal brand of customer service. Read testimonials and case studies from some of the tearooms, restaurants, retailers and individual customers which we supply, plus an insight into our relationship with one of our tea growers. Click here
Dear Customers
With this long dry spell we have had keeping hydrated is a big challenge but somehow tea always comes up to the mark, be it a rousing cup of Assam or a refreshing light cup of Darjeeling. I have been resting up on the deck of my narrow boat with many a cup of Darjeeling this last month in between packing the new teas like cazy of course!
As it comes arround to the summer holidays I know a number of you just can't go away without your own tea so make sure you get your order in before you set off for your well earned rest.
Have a great summer and take care!
Regards
Kay Healey
Your Personal Tea Merchant
14th July 2010
Wellesbourne
Warwickshire
CV35 9NQ
Telephone
01789 555023