Many people have asked us on numerous occassions who will be our tea supplier.
PG tips, Tetley… Yorkshire tea?
Well my friends, I can confirm none of above for builders tea is off the menu, though the tradesman are most certainly welcome to treat their palletes to something new.
We’ll be stocking tea farmed in the UK. Yes, you read it right. We’ve sourced a UK based grower of tea called Tregothnan. Classic afternoon and Early Grey.
Tregothnan was the first place to grow ornamental Camellia outdoors 200 years ago and it is this expertise along with the unique Cornish microclimate that helps our tea bushes, or Camellia sinensis, to thrive here today. Hidden behind the iconic kitchen garden door, which dates back to Plantagenet times making it the oldest remaining part of the estate, you’ll find the Camellia sinensis from which we made our first tentative tea experiments back in 2000.
Since selling our first cup of Tregothnan Classic blend tea in 2006 we’ve extended the range and captured the imagination of the tea-drinking public. The World’s favourite beverage, and a British instituion, finally finds a home on British soil. Today we are still as passionate as ever about tea and continue to experiment, create and innovate inspired by the exquisite botanical gardens that surround us.
Today, tea can be found growing in small pockets all over the home estate whilst larger plantations are located on Tregothnan land throughout the Southern tip of the county. One of our most recently planted areas sits opposite our restaurant Smugglers and tea bar on the river Fal, so our guests can actually watch England’s only tea growing as they enjoy an afternoon tea next to the river.
A pretty fascinating story, not to mention the stunning packaging the tea comes in!
What a box...
For our morning tea range, we’ve elected to go with the Family run Devonshire Tea company. They don’t grow their own tea but what they make sure they do is create the finest blend of tea using ethically sourced leaves from plantations in Kenya. The tea bags are ‘Fair Trade’ and ‘100% Rainforest alliance’, which we think it pretty important in the age of greed and capitalism.
In an ideal world, we would love for “Devonshire Tea” to be grown in Devon, although unfortunately the fact is the UK climate is not conducive to growing tea in anything like the volumes we need to satisfy the demand for “Devonshire Tea.”
These Kenyan Estates have acidic soil (from bright red volcanic earth), ideal for tea plants. They enjoy the perfect climate for quality tea growing – high rainfall (at least 60 inches per annum), together with a lot of sunshine to stimulate growth. The Estates are located in the Kenyan Highlands, on the steamy Equator, and benefit from an altitude of over 5,000 ft to ensure hot days and cold nights for perfect growing conditions.
Because of these perfect conditions and total lack of pests that usually attack tea plants in other major Tea Growing areas, “Devonshire Tea” is pesticide free.
We’ve all tried it and we all think the taste is unique and quite delicious.
Do you know what else is unique? No one else in Essex is stocking it! So you know when you purchase a cup, you’ll most probably be trying something totally new. As tea goes, we think that’s pretty exciting!
So, if you’re looking to taste UK grown tea, or ethically sourced ‘only sold at the Deli Teahouse’ tea, you’d best make your way down this Saturday for the grand opening!
We can’t wait to meet you!
The Deli Tea House 