Wanna’ cuppa? Would love a cuppa. Tea is more than just scented hot water; it’s a mood. It can make you feel calm, at home or even switched on for the day. The modern array of tea available even competes with the subtle diversity of perfume. Whether it’s a winter remedy or a springtime refreshment, the world of tea is vast and vivid.
Today’s variety of loose-leaf and herbal beverages means you can frolic though a tea store like a child picking flowers. If you are as much a foodie as I think you are, then the delicate blends now available in Australia are sure to excite you. There’s a lot of care taken from the moment a leaf is picked all the way to the time it’s in your cup. Beat got to chat to some of the local connoisseurs in all their enthusiasm about this process and its rich manifestations.
It starts with the picking
“For many Chinese, Indian and Japanese teas the first spring crop, March to May, is often regarded as premium. If stored properly, these teas will keep well for up to twelve months” says Zane from Zee Tea, an online and wholesale seller. If you drink in rhythm with the season “Chai is great to drink now – rich, full bodied black teas blended with warming and exotic spices are so comforting during the winter months”. Know for their Chai, Zee Tea source all their tea from socially responsible plantations and their herbs as locally as possible. If the word ‘organic’ pleases you, their entire range falls under that category, which they hand blend themselves.
As we move out of winter, or as best we can in this city, “a tea that’s starting to become known here, that has been drunk for hundreds of years by Chinese royalty, is called white tea.” Madame Flavour, whose teas are available at supermarkets, describes to me. “This doesn’t mean you add milk. It’s called white tea because it’s plucked only in spring time, which in China is April. The little unopened buds still have white hairs on them, giving it the name. The reason it’s of interest to people is because it’s very high in antioxidants, even higher than the new green tea. It’s a really light and sweet tea.”
Blend it well
“It really is a full sensory experience. The new approach is developing a recipe rather than just adding flavour to black tea.” Madame Flavour made me feel an almost spiritual wonderment for her work. On the topic of senses, Zee Tea says “aroma is every bit as important as flavour in the tea drinking experience and our range of over sixty different teas will take you on a journey offering everything from sweet and fragrant green teas to rich, vanilla flavoured black teas. Our range is divided into three categories -classic, flavoured and herbal.”
The more visually exciting of the tea brands, Tea Blossoms, also sells their range online and wholesale. “We have created a unique range of blooming teas. Our range consists of black, white, green blooming tea complemented with natural herbs and flavours. We have recently introduced our fruit floral infusions – colourful and exotic teas that represent seven tea drinking cultures.” In a clear glass teapot, these blooming teas add elegance and a slight sense of majesty to a shared tea party.
In your cup
Madame Flavour attributes her popularity to the introduction of the infuser pod in Australia. “Conventional teabags lose a lot of flavour because the essential oils are lost in the grinding-up process. The infuser pod is a silky pyramid shaped bag that contains long leaf tea. It’s the sort of thing you would use with a teapot, but now you can just make it in your cup! That’s opened up a whole new word. People love the idea of a teapot, but the infuser pod is a convenience thing when you don’t have time.” That’s a win for all of us.
Tea Drop also sell a luxury pyramid shaped tea pouch for the ultimate infusion, with whole leaf tea, fresh cut herbs, real fruit pieces, flowers and exotic spices that unfold organically, without restriction. They also do a mean dessert tea to compliment the end of any meal, low in caffeine and full of flavour so you can sleep contentedly.
Party on
For a bonus experience, Madame Flavour is one of the few places leading the way on alcohol-tea mixes. “One of the things we’ve started to explore is tea-based cocktails. We had a fabulous cocktail maker develop some recipes for us. There’s a green tea champagne cocktail and also raspberry vodka and green jasmine tea cocktail.” Tea Blossoms also recommend a hot tea toddy, made by infusing black tea with honey, lemon, a whole clove and a shot of bourbon or dark rum of choice. The benefits of tea are certainly a way to make yourself feel better about, you know, drinking alcohol.
So if you are sick of pub craws, your alternative is tea-shop flouncing. Have fun and drink beautiful things.
