Tea tasting takes you way beyond your standard milk and two sugars (or yer coo an' two, to put it another way).
As someone who seldom ventures past extra-strong builder’s tea, I really want to give it a bash.
Keen to give us an intro into the world of tea, Pia Ikkala of Piacha invites us round to her plush Notting Hill flat to admire the brew.
Let the infusion begin
We sample 11 teas over a 90-minute session, plus a starter white tea to kickstart the tastebuds.
The beverages come out in tag teams of green tea, oolong, rooibos, herbal and black tea. Each type of tea has its own round.
Pairing them this way gives the taster a chance to compare like-for-like, steadily building from the gentler to the more robust brews.
Samples of the leaves are passed around for a smell first. Our eyes widen to the dizzying mix of nutty roasts, delicate florals and rich caramel-y tones.
We take sips from each cup, deciding which are our favourites in a series of taste-based discussions, like a ‘would you rather?’ with tea.
Herbal essences: chamomile citrus (front) and ginger chilli
Everyone has their own preference which shows that the character of the tea is as unique as the character of the drinker.
My winner was the milky oolong. The natural condensed milk-like sweetness is really satisfying and totally different to anything I’ve had before.
That said, the frat boy in me will always gravitate towards the throat-burning ginger chilli concoction…
A slice on the saucer
Tea duos are served with carefully-picked nibbles that:
Echo the origin country’s cuisine
For example, the salmon in the sandwich hails from Japan as does the nation’s fave bev, green tea.
Compliments the tea’s flavour
The earthiness of the lemon polenta cake (below) mirrors the intense fire of the ginger chilli brew.
Aren’t you forgetting something?
Oh, the 11th tea? I can tell that it’s been driving you berserk since the third line.
Well, the last one is the wildcard: the matcha.
Its powdered form makes it the outcast, though Pia says that rooibos could be heading the same way due to its increasing popularity.
The behemoth of healthy beverages needs a whisk to get it into shape. It’s apparently the most strongly-caffeinated of all of the teas, which I was surprised at. It would also explain a hell of a lot.
Pia says that this is a common misconception. People often think of black tea as the strongest as it brews at the highest temperature.
Matcha is thick – not pulpy, but grassy. You can sort of feel it scratching your tongue and the roof of your mouth. This version is pepped up with peppermint, which I like.
If you’re not a fan, it can also be enjoyed by putting in some frothed milk to transform it into a matcha latte.
The green goo goes really well with very sweet desserts, like the biscuit-packed tiffin we’re treated to.
Well-balanced and warming with sweet notes
Pia is incredibly knowledgeable, giving us the lowdown on the history, production and health benefits of the teas.
Not only does she guide us through oxidation processes, fun facts and the opium wars, but she’s genuinely interested in finding out how tea fits into our day-to-day.
With keen bakers in the group, Pia says that we don’t have to stop at the teapot. She suggests that we whip up some earl grey syrup, matcha ice cubes or tea-infused porridge.
The best thing about the experience was that she just wanted us to relax in each other’s company and enjoy the tea.
Tea tasting experiences costs around £20-£30 per person. Piacha offers public tastings and bespoke tastings – contact Pia for more. Check out your local tearoom to see what they can offer.
L-R: Vanessa, Tracy, me, Thai
Have your own tea tasting sessions!
If you’d like to do tea tastings on the regular, how about doing a monthly book club-style meeting? You can take it in turns to host. Pia has some tips to help you get started.
Teas
The idea is that everybody brings a tea. Just make sure that guests aren’t bringing the same ones. “Everybody has a favourite tea. They’re wedded to their favourite tea. People in the UK like to drink earl grey, a lot of English breakfast, a lot of chamomile, a lot of mint,” says Pia.
“Get a couple of rooibos drinkers; maybe someone who likes green tea.”
If organiser knows the teas in advance, they can line the up in order.
“Go from the most delicate to the really strong ones. You wouldn’t want to start off with matcha!” she laughs.
The aim is to get a balanced set of teas.
Equipment
You don’t need much in the way of kit, and you can pick it up pretty cheaply.
Pia recommends buying tea infusers that are quick to wash and that let you infuse all kinds of teas:
“Black teas and green teas have a smaller leaf than herbals. Oolongs expand massively,” she says.
Choose something that has a big infuser which has a lot of space for the water to move.
Tea infusers aren’t really expensive. An IngenuiTEA (the lad pictured opposite) costs £18.
“One is enough – put the water and leaves directly in and once it’s done you put [the pot] on the cup and the leaves stay in the pot.”
She says that regular teapots cost between £10 and as much as you want to put in, but suggests two teapots – one on the go and one in the wash.
As for cups, small ones will do. Shot glasses or espresso cups are also good, and guests can bring their own along.
You might want to consider a temperature controlled kettle too, which is what Pia uses for her tastings. For green and white teas you’re looking at about 70-80 degrees, oolong brews around 90-95 degrees and black teas can be brewed at boiling temperature, but it’s preferable to stay a little below boiling temperature.
If all else fails, you can make 70-80 degree water by mixing one-fifth cold water with four-fifths boiling water. Be careful with fine-leaved green teas as they can become bitter more easily if they’re brewed at a heat that’s too high.
Nibbles
Broadly speaking, this is the grub that works well for every type of tea. Keep it bitesize.
Green tea: Japanese cuisine like fish and other seafood
Oolong: Nuts or cheese, possibly a cheeseboard. Pia advises against strong cheese as it will overpower the tea – go for mellow ones
Black tea: Sweet treats, to compliment the tea
Resources
If you want to go a step further and wow your guests with your tea-based knowhow, there are plenty of places to turn to.
“The Tea Advisory Panel writes about health benefits of tea and is linked to UK Tea and Infusions Association.
“The UK Tea and Infusions Association has interesting facts like how much tea people drink, what kind they drink in the UK, where the teas come from. Tea brands themselves will have websites about their products. Once you start looking you might just want to be selective. The UK Tea and Infusions Association has very British info,” says Pia.
What’s your favourite tea? Leave a comment below!
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