TEA BARISTA

Historic definition: An Italian bartender who prepares and serves a range of hot and cold drinks

Current definition: Someone who serves and prepares coffee, often with passion and dedication

Future definition: A professional who prepares and serves with skill, passion, knowledge, innovation and dedication, not only coffee but a range of drinks including TEA and botanicals.

By Dominika Piotrowska/David Veal

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David Veal
Tea Biz Podcast Episode 2 - Click to listen

Features

This week we travel to Malawi, Africa where industry veteran Ranjit Dasgupta talks with Honorary Consul Jordan Price about a tea growing region gaining a reputation for producing innovative and sustainable specialty tea Click to Listen

… and to the Nilgiri Mountains in South India where Aravinda Anantharaman reports that hundreds of small growers in 100-member “farm producer groups” are collectively learning how to transition from fertilizer- and pesticide-dependent land practices

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David Veal
Japans Cultural Tea Bridge to Europe

Over many centuries, successive waves of tea and tea-drinking customs flowed from China to Japan. The Japanese absorbed the Chinese influence but, over time, Japan established a unique tea culture. Now the currents of Japanese tea culture are flowing outward to Europe.

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David Veal
THE PREMIUMISATION OF TEA - Members of the European Speciality Tea Association provide their thoughts on the current premiumisation of tea.

NISHCHAL BANSKOTA FOUNDER OF NEPAL TEA, NEW YORK

Tea is the new wine is how I have seen the trend grow. If we think back on the wine market, decades ago people just ordered red or white wine and cared less about other aspects of it. Over time people developed a taste for Pinot noir, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot and so on. Now you will find people ordering 1985 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23.

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David Veal
What is UMAMI?!

The word is now fashionable in restaurants across the world, but what is this fifth taste sensation called umami?

Trying to describe umami is a challenge in the same way that describing sweet is next to impossible. We know what a sweet taste is because we have experienced it and it is fully on the tongue. Umami is not salty, sweet, sour, or bitter; nor is it a combination of any of these.

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David Veal
Calling All Tea Baristas

Given that tea is the new coffee it makes perfect sense that the new kid on the block will be the Tea Barista.


Who is a Tea Barista?

If for some time you have been passionate about tea and coffee, in terms of knowledge and skills, your connection with the value chain and speciality tea community and you embrace innovation as well as enjoy delivering a fantastic sensory experience then you are probably a Tea Barista.

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Harriet Endean
1st International Tea Day

This special day is dedicated to tea and gives us an opportunity to recognize and appreciate the contribution of countless tea workers in producing countries and along the supply chain who work to ensure that we can enjoy our daily cup of tea.

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Harriet Endean
Russian Speciality Tea

Andrey Kolbasinov is one of many tea professionals working really hard to promote the growth and renaissance of speciality tea in Russia, a country with a long story in traditional tea culture, but one which has also embraced the modern coffee culture. There is now the beginnings of a speciality tea culture, promoting and stimulating interest at home and in the retail sector, led by people such as Andrey, Dimitry Sobolev, Sergey Khorolsky, and others.

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Harriet Endean
Arvind Khedun – the first Tea Master Champion of Ireland!

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.

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a conversation with . . . Marulin Teas

Pilar Serrano of European Tea Society had the pleasure of talking to Mr. Lin Kunti of MingJian Township, Nantou County in Taiwan when they met recently at the Speciality Fine Food Fair in London. As well as visiting the Fair, Mr. Lin was in London to meet his new grand daughter and support the family business, Marulin Teas, run by his daughter Chau-Jean Lin.

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Guest User
European Tea Society at Horeca Expo in Gent

European Tea Society was present at the Horeca Expo in Gent, in conjunction with Brita Water Filters on their stand 1101 where we promoted speciality tea and explained what we are about and why people should join, which several from Belgium and the Netherlands did. We also delivered several seminars on how to brew a perfect cup of tea, delivered by Bernadine Tay. We hope to be back at the next edition of the show.

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Harriet Endean