tea

Our Natural Luxury Sommelier Challenge made its international debut this week in Shanghai, China. The contest is an ethical tea grower’s perspective on the evolution of luxury. It offers a…

There is a calm before the storm, with a few offers peppering social media, and then – on the Friday before the U.S. marks Thanksgiving – the frenzy begins with…

A Tea Grower’s view of discount culture, ethical consumerism and the role of Ceylon Tea in a sustainable future Writing in The Australian last week, Damon Kitney headlined coverage of…

In the last days of July 2022, a superlative fine Ceylon pekoe tea was crafted in very limited quantity of less than 1 kg., on Craighead Estate. It was intended…

With or without milk, fine tea is a luxury that only demands a little respect. Fine tea is the ultimate taste adventure – infinite in its nature induced variety, a natural and inspiring herb that is imbued with natural antioxidant goodness and taste. That’s just one part of the story though for good tea requires good brewing. Whether with or without milk, tea can only delight when brewed properly. It’s not hard, but it is rewarding, and at a time that stress and chronic illness are increasing, we have never needed the goodness in tea more than now. The jury is out on whether tea should be taken with or without milk and it’s mostly a question of taste, but that debate should not distract anyone from drinking tea.

A new generation is driving change in a tea category where for decades price has meant more than taste or goodness. The trend they are forcing is about taste and wellness but so much more. As younger customers turn to tea, they are demanding a more sincere appreciation of ethics and sustainability. This offers a glimmer of hope for passionate tea growers who make tea for the love of the leaf.

A growing body of scientific evidence points to the human health benefits in tea. Yet tea growers who value quality suffer the consequences of discounting that drives them to compete with cheap, blends that are popular for the ability it gives brands to discount and lure consumers through price. That is harmful to an industry struggling to overcome an exploitative, colonial history and evolve into a sustainable, climate adapted, socially responsible tea industry.

Everything in life is about perspective. That’s to be expected, because what we believe is conditioned by what we know and that is naturally, our point of view. That makes…

Amidst the chaos and cost of COVID are looming climate and social challenges. A focus on cheap as a means of restarting retail post COVID has the potential to create greater dislocation than COVID itself.

The achievement of business men and women is universally measured in profit. My brother and I are singularly fortunate that the family business we joined three decades ago, was fundamentally…