Tastings at Ahmad Tea

This October some of the ChariTeas team were lucky enough to visit Ahmad Teas head office in Chandlers Ford, Southampton. At this time it is Tea buying season across the world. India and China have the same Tea growing seasons, there is no Tea produced from November through to spring, this is when all the essential repairs and maintenance takes place on the Tea bushes. So this is a very important time of year for Tea sellers.

 

Monthly Ahmad Teas tasting team, taste every Tea to ensure the highest standards of Tea go into our cup, so that taste and quality stays the same. Every Tea is graded once picked; the higher the number means the higher the quality Tea. Blenders can mix different grades to make new blends; English Breakfast Tea is a blend of Ceylon, Assam and Kenyan Teas.
When you taste Tea like this you must taste the Tea at double the strength we usually drink, each tea is measured out into 2 grams each, freshly boiled water is poured over the leaves, left to brew for a few minutes and to cool enough. Then you simply scoop, slurp then spit! You take a spoonful of tea then you slurp the tea to the back of your mouth. Slurping so that your taste buds get the first hit, then you immediately spit it out in to a spittoon or a spit jug as we used. It doesn’t feel like the most lady-like thing to do but we are informed this is how to do it properly!

While the Tea growing season is finished the work is not, this is the time of year when Tea growers reflect and evaluate on the past year. There are many factors that contribute towards a successful season, weather including climate which will determine the quality of the leaf. Also buyers, demand, growth and price. Buyers here at Ahmad Tea are involved with lots of different origins of Tea and therefore have lots of choice. They have to be very experienced and know the market well in order to get highest quality and the best price for the Tea leaves. There is allot of trust, honesty and long standing relationships between buyers, growers and sellers at Ahmad Tea. It is a huge responsibility growing Tea and so much unseen hard work is put into the taste we experience at home.
At ChariTeas Tea room we serve several loose teas, we were given the opportunity to taste the ones we serve and sell to get to know them better.  Tea tasting is a process that cant be rushed we started with the strongest ones first so we started with the black ones including English Breakfast and Ceylon. Blends like Original Green Tea and Jasmine are tasted last.

Green Teas are left till last as they are the weaker blends and do not want the others to overpower the taste. The process of Tea tasting is harder than the tasters make it look. The Tea starts off in the cup with the water in and then using fine china the tea is strained with special cups that have small teeth to strain the water out with minimal tea leaves left. Some of us made quite a mess making the tea and is in need of much more practice. We had a lovely time learning all the work that happens behind the scenes with the famous Tea brand and cant wait to go back to learn more.

Festive Fundraiser from U Support

 

 

 This Christmas ‘U Support’ children’s charity is giving young disabled, disadvantaged or those suffering life limiting conditions the Gift of an unforgettable day out.

 

Outside the ChariTeas Tea room there is a ‘Celebrity Tree’ and is decorated with crackers. Inside each cracker will have an experience for a child to enjoy; the children will be selected from charities, hospitals and specialist schools and those nominated by the public.

 

This Christmas fundraiser is to give hope at Christmas for youngsters in the community, children will be invited to come to the tearoom to pull a cracker and receive one of these special gifts.

 

The gifts will take place over 2013 and 2014 and range from tickets to watch Saints play at St Mary’s, theatre tickets at the Mayflower to see the Pantomime and for a lucky few concert tickets.

 

We are asking members of the public to nominate disabled children who they think will benefit the most from these experiences, if you know of a deserving child please contacts us at our charity office in The Marlands Shopping Centre or email info@usupport.org.uk.

 

We are also running a Christmas Toy Appeal for children in the community. If you would like to donate a toy please visit our office. To help a child, donate to U Support or give a Christmas present to a deserving child.

 

Following last year’s success, this year U Support has purchased 200 Pantomime tickets, some are especially reserved for wheelchair access. Here at U Support we are asking for your help by donating to our charity to ensure that we can do more events like this in the future and give children an experience they won’t forget.