Everyone takes the mickey about me drinking two cups of tea, in one go, as soon as I get up. I think it's normal.

I've been a tea taster for a long time. At Tetley first, which is where I trained. And then teapigs. And now SPILL, obviously.

The job of a tea taster also involves sourcing the tea and then blending it.

I've done the sourcing of SPILL - from Rwanda (my favourite).

But I've given up on the blending.

Sofia says it's lucky I've got other skills.

Here's why...

Lou x

 

 

Blending
“English breakfast”, “everyday" and “builders” are all names for saying the same thing - the kind of tea we drink everyday in the UK - with milk.

It is a blend of teas from different countries. Most commonly, Sri Lanka, India and East Africa. 

The job of a tea taster is to get their blend to taste exactly the same every time you drink it, even though it’s coming from lots of different places and varies in taste through the year.

It's quite the craft.

 

Photo shows tea tasting with milk. Rugabano Tea factory, Rwanda.

Why all the countries?
Our everyday tea has to have certain qualities to withstand milk and give us the kick we expect. Those things are:

> Flavour. 
> Body.
> Colour.

It’s hard to get all of those things from one place. So, although countries and blends vary, this is what tends to happen:

• Flavour - teas from Sri Lanka have lots of this. Delicate. Sometimes citrusy. But they are too thin on their own for a breakfast tea. Not enough body.
  
  
• Body - Indian teas give us this; specifically, Assam. Thick, Malty. Gives a mouthfeel more like custard than water. But you can’t buy it all year round so it’s pricey on its own.
  
  
• Colour - teas from East Africa have lots of this. Sometimes RED and sometimes GOLD. Depends on the terraine and the weather. But these teas can be “course” or “astringent” (you know that dry feeling you can get in your mouth after a sip of tea or wine?)

So that, is why tea from different countries get blended all together.

 

There's more
Because it's a natural product, tea from any one place will taste different throughout the year - depends on the weather. 

The job of a tea taster is to get every cup of tea you drink to taste the same all year round. 

And cost the same. Because that's what we expect.

It's a tricky business.

The trouble is
The big tea brands in the UK must buy tonnes and tonnes of tea week in, week out - to meet our tea drinking habits.

This means buying from hundreds of tea estates in multiple countries. They'll likely have to buy it in different ways - some through auction or via brokers/traders.

And when you buy things from different places in different ways, it's harder to keep track of the thousands of smallholder farmers at the bottom of the chain. Or exactly what they're paid.

So we said - "let's keep it simple"
> Find a tea that tastes so good it doesn't need to be blended.

> From one place.

> Know who's grown it.

> And what they're paid.

> Don't stress if it tastes a bit different in November than in July - it's natural. If you’re not a tea taster, you probably won’t notice. 

And little change does us all good.

 

PS - We think we found the jackpot 
Rwandan tea is a hidden gem. 
Rwanda makes just 1% of the world’s tea. 
But it is some of the best.
Bold. Full. And Golden. 

PPS - There's a lot to tea sourcing and tasting and blending. We'll share more as we go.

More on how tea is made here. 

Photo shows "Welcome" mat at the entrance to the tasting room. Rugabano Tea Factory, Rwanda.