It can command a high price, the French are some of its biggest consumers and you should slowly savour every mouthful. Is it wine? Is it chocolate? Nope, it’s tea.
Priced about 30% more than your average cuppa, gourmet or ‘fine’ tea has become an affordable luxury and one of the more unlikely success stories to emerge during the recession, according to this article in the New York Times.
While the Brits still reign supreme, new markets like the US and France are now embracing tea, the latter country having a strong hold on the luxury tea market for almost 20 years (who knew?).
Perhaps the French connection shouldn’t be so unusual considering the oenophiliac talk that has been surrounding these teas like “single estate”, “religious experience” and “tea is more complicated than wine.”
Price too is reaching fine wine levels. Yellow teas can fetch up to $2,120 for a kilogram while wine writer Victoria Moore blogged about how she paid £180 for 125 grams of tea in The Guardian. The tea in question was Tregothnan’s single estate brew, which is grown in Cornwall and the first tea to be grown entirely in the UK. (I’ve tried it and it’s nice, but not quite £10 per cup nice. I will stick with Tregothnan’s fine blends, thank you).
JING tea, like Tregothnan, also have an impressive commitment to the slower things in life, helping many of their suppliers achieve Fairtrade status, along with selling Soil Association certified organic teas, which they claim they have chosen for their taste and not just their ethical status.
I’ll drink to that.
Image courtesy of JING tea
