Our Brewer's Pick Guest Tea series

By Emilie Holmes

In 2019 we launched our Brewer's Pick Guest Tea series - something as a team we had been talking about for a while...

What is our Guest Tea series?

Here at our Office & Warehouse in South East London we are lucky enough to regularly receive samples of tea - neat little packages sent from producers all over the world for us to try, many of which we've never come across.  Some are delicious, others, inevitably, are less so, but occasionally we stumble across something really special. Beyond the collective delight of discovering something extraordinary, we rarely had the opportunity to share them beyond our own team. While we pride ourselves on curating a growing collection of teas, not everything we taste and love earns a place in our range. These special teas are unique, innovative and often produced in very small batches. These are therefore not the leaves to fill your everyday cup, but instead something to be enjoyed in a quiet moment. They are for the curious tea-drinkers, those looking to try something new or expand their tea knowledge. A 'guest' series where we could share these exciting discoveries with you therefore felt like the perfect home for them, whether you’re a cafe wanting to share something new with your customers to encourage conversation around your wider tea offering, or a tea enthusiast at home. 

How does it work?

Every quarter, the team will sit down and taste a whole spectrum of teas, select finalists and then ultimately vote on the next tea to showcase, a small batch of which will be made available online and (where volumes allow) to our Wholesale partners too. However, this is truly limited edition so when it’s gone it really is gone. There are often more teas  we love than we have spots to fill in the series, but we hope you will love each of them as much as we do. 

First up in the line-up was the now long-gone Golden Buds - an unusual Chinese black tea made exclusively from the buds of the tea plant. Since then we've showcased a Japanese brown rice tea, Genmaicha, a pinewood smoked Lapsang Suchong, a delicate and floral Taiwanese Dong Ding Oolong and one of China's most famous tea exports - Long Jing - each very different but all equally exciting. 

How do I find out about new Guest Teas?

To be the first to know about new Guest Teas landing, sign up to our newsletter here and follow us on Instagram. Our current Guest Tea is a truly artisanal, Sri Lankan spiced Chai - Amba Ceylon Chai - which will be available until 31st December 2021 or as long as stock lasts.