Arvind Khedun – the first Tea Master Champion of Ireland! That sounds so good says Arvind, having won the first ever Tea Masters Cup in Ireland, an inaugural competition run by the European Tea Society at Food and Bev Live in Dublin in early February. Arvind beat a strong field of ten, having only just decided to compete on the morning of the competition. It turned out to be a good family day as just before competing Arvind had watched his wife Renata win the SCA Ireland Latte Art  competition.

The competition consisted of tea and food pairing and his winning combinations were Dan Long Oolong brewed at 75 degrees, paired with soda bread, organic orange marmalade and almonds for the judges’ choice, and Sho Puer, rinsed twice and brewed at 85 degrees paired with Wensleydale cheese, cranberries and multigrain crispbread for his own choice

Arvind himself is a skilled barista, having been the Irish Barista Champion in 2018.  He was born in Mauritius, but has lived in Ireland for twelve years. Previously having worked with Bewleys Teas he is now responsible for coffee quality and customer service at Cloudpicker in Dublin. They currently have a small tea offering, sourcing their teas from Germany.

European Tea Society will now be sending Arvind off to the Indian Subcontinent later in the year to represent Ireland in the World Tea Masters Championships.