Beyond the Bag: Discovering Rare Tea with Henrietta Lovell

Tea is considered something of a panacea in this country. Got a crisis? Put the kettle on. Hard day at work? Put the kettle on. Just woken up? You know what to do. For such an enthusiastic nation of tea drinkers then, it's a wonder we don't take more care over the quality of our brew. More often than not, we are happy to unquestioningly sling a bag in a mug, add water and milk and be done with it. We don't stop to speculate on whether we are getting the highest quality, most flavoursome tea, or indeed the best value for money. I certainly didn't until yesterday when, after a long and stressful day, I enjoyed a calming couple of hours with Henrietta Lovell, a.k.a the (award winning) 'rare tea lady'. Her passion for tea is incredibly infectious and, although she apologises numerous times for 'waffling on' about it, she really shouldn't, it's fascinating and I scribble frantically, trying to keep up with her tea-chings (sorry). Sip after sip was a revelation, a true education for the palette. I was shocked but excited to find I have been missing out on a whole world of flavour for the entirety of my tea drinking life. Henrietta started The Rare Tea Company in 2004 after falling in love with the drink while spending time travelling in China. She now sources her tea from small producers high up in the mountains who skilfully harvest and prepare the spring leaves and tips by hand and immediately package them into pouches to ensure lasting freshness. A stark contrast to a standard bag from one of the big tea companies which typically contains around 60 different teas, harvested mechanically and barely recognisable as a plant. Henrietta kindly brewed me a selection of teas to compare and I was astounded to learn that they all actually come from the same plant but (like wine), variables such as terroirs, regions, production methods and picking times influence the final result. First we tried a white silver tip (above) which was incredibly light, refreshing and clean tasting. Packed full of antioxidants, drinking white tea first thing will, according to Henrietta, 'make your liver sing'. Next we tried a green tea, which was a complete revelation. I know many people find green tea hard to get along with (myself included) but I promise you, this is a completely different drink. The bitter green tea we find in most shops is incredibly low quality which explains why it tastes so bad. Henrietta's tea is prepared in a wok over charcoals and has distinct smoky, grassy flavours. It is actually a joy to drink (to the point where I've had to stop myself for fear of laying awake all night). Oolong (above and below) basically falls between green and black tea, is processed by hand and crushed just slightly. Part of it is exposed to the air and oxidised, before it is rolled to stop the process at just the right time. The result is a tea with a fine floral note to it and a distinct apricot flavour coming through. The black tea you see below is delightfully named 'Emperors Breakfast'. It can be drunk with or without milk and has the most incredible malty, caramel flavours. We also find time to taste the Jasmine Silver Tip, which gets its seductive perfume from the process of steaming and scenting with fresh Jasmine flowers, picked at night when their scent is strongest. Before moving onto our final (and my favourite) brew, we try Henrietta's own blend of teas (served by Mark Hix in his restaurants in London and Lyme Regis) which includes African, China and Darjeeling teas and tastes earthy and floral all at once. And then finally we move on to my beloved bergamot flavoured Earl Grey, produced by Tregothnan - an ancient Estate in Cornwall, established in 1335 and actually managed by the descendants of Earl Grey himself! It is stunning, and Henrietta also let's me in on an extra secret. Instead of using lemon in your Earl Grey, try lemon verbena instead - a subtle, lemon flavoured herb which might be hard to find in shops but my research tells me is very easy to grow if you are into that kind of thing. By this point I'm feeling incredibly relaxed and to be perfectly honest - relieved, that 'proper tea' isn't something to be intimidated by, it just tastes a whole lot better and is more health giving than its mass produced counterpart. It is actually also good value as you need just a pinch of tea per cup and each pinch can be used three times (apparently the second cup is always the best). So I urge you people, to get back in touch with your tea drinking roots! It was those pesky Victorians throwing us all off kilter by mechanising the whole process - before their intervention, we recognised the value of decent tea just like the Chinese. Visit Henrietta, taste the difference for yourselves and pick up some tips on making the perfect cuppa while you're there. As for me, its thirsty work this writing business, I'm off to put the kettle on. You can also buy online at www.rareteacompany.com Helen Graves also writes her own London-based food blog, Food Stories.