For the Love of Tea

Did you know…on becoming the highest scorer for Premier League team Liverpool, Mohamed Salah commented that he would celebrate at home with a cup of Chamomile Tea?

He is not the only person to enjoy a brew. According to Statista* data, 8,872,280 of the UK population enjoy 2-3 cups of tea a day, whilst 7,333,430 have 4 or more. This includes black teas, green teas and herbal infusions. I know I’m in the second category!

Putting the kettle on and offering a cup of tea is a widespread welcome for visitors to your home or workplace. It is also a great way to warm up on cold British days. This might be a reason why Egyptian-born Salah wants a cuppa after a match!

National Tea Day®

On Friday 21 April, the nation is invited to unite in solidariTEA for National Tea Day®, an annual event organised by The Tea Group. This offers a great excuse to bring family and friends together for a tea tasting, afternoon tea or simply a catch up with a cuppa.

For 2023, National Tea Day® is dedicated to the memory of Queen Elizabeth II. Cake bakers, cafes and restaurants around the country are being invited to bake and decorate cakes inspired by the Queen’s collection of hats. These regal creations could offer the perfect accompaniment to your chosen brew.

I invite you to use the occasion to sample a different tea to your usual brew. In the UK, we favour black tea, known globally as English Breakfast Tea. However, there are many other teas, all originating from the Camellia sinensis tea bushes. The difference is how they are processed after hand-picking.

One of the most popular blends in our tea range is Festival Vanilla Chai, a blend of Assam and Ceylon black tea with warm and sweet spices.

Have you tried our award-winning Chic Lady Grey; a delicate tea which is the ideal option for a traditional afternoon tea?

Maybe I can tempt you to try something completely different, such as Chinese Milk Oolong, Pai Mu Dan white peony tea or Japanese Sencha green tea. Each has a rich history and is prized as a quality drink in countries across the globe. Let me know your thoughts if you decide to sample them!

First Flush Darjeeling

Tea producers and traders have had concerns about supplies of Darjeeling Tea this year. A prolonged dry spell, lasting 4 months, had the potential to affect the growth of the tender new leaves that provide the much coveted First Flush. Fortunately, rain fell in the region at the start of March, bringing hope of more downpours and a favourable crop.

Let me share 3 facts about Darjeeling tea:

  1. Darjeeling Tea was the first product to receive India’s Geographical Identification (GI) tag. Like Champagne in France and Cheddar Cheese in England, this means that only tea grown in the region can use the name.
  2. Reducing the cost of transporting tea, ready for export, led to the building of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. This feat of engineering still offers a breath-taking ride up into the hills and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  3. First Flush Darjeeling accounts for 20-25% of the region’s annual tea production and is renowned for its quality. The majority is exported to Europe and Japan, two tea drinking nations. Some of it makes its way to Holy Cow Tea, as we proudly stock premium Darjeeling First Flush!

Whilst Darjeeling is a world-renowned premium tea, a new rival is on the horizon.

The Rise of Nepalese Tea

I’ve yet to try it, however, there is a growing interest in Nepalese-grown tea, even in India. Nepal has hilly, fertile land that is ideal for tea plantations and produces orthodox and Cut, Tear, Curl (CTC) varieties. Currently, most tea plantations are small, making export in large quantities an issue. They also lack a coordinated system for certifying the origin of the tea.

However, Nepalese tea has proved popular at international tea events. At present, it is also sold at a lower price than teas from India. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to give it a try and when I do, I’ll share my verdict.

Time for Tea

In my book, it’s always time for tea. However, make a point of coming together to share a brew on National Tea Day®. Will you also buy, or bake, a cake disguised as the late Queen’s hat? I love to see it if you do!

 

* https://www.statista.com/statistics/302046/tea-usage-frequency-in-the-uk/