After our few days in Clanwilliam learning about the cultivation of rooibos, Arend Redelinghuys of Rooibos Ltd drove Pearl Dexter and myself right across the southern tip of the country to the Cape Mountains that stretch across the border between the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape province. 

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I am just back from a learning trip that, for a change, taught me about an important herbal infusion rather than about tea.  My 10 day trip took me up into the Cederberg Mountains in South Africa to find out more about rooibos, the red bush herbal that is becoming so popular in the US and Europe. 

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With snow and ice covering all of Britain this week, I’m not travelling anywhere so, instead, I thought this was the ideal time to catch up with tea shops and tea rooms around the country and find out how they fared during the festive Christmas period in terms of sales and customer choices. I asked a few of my tea friends if sales in

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 Last time, I wrote about three new tea companies in Bristol but didn’t have enough room to include a fourth called TART - named for the savoury and sweet tarts that are the speciality of the house.  Great name - short, memorable and to the point!  I had known for… read more...

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 I had to travel to Bristol a week ago and so took the opportunity of visiting some of the new tea stores and tea rooms that are attracting a good deal of attention there.  Bristol is a vibrant, lively town with a colourful mix of all different ages and types of people – perhaps a bit like a smaller version of London

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How wonderfully relaxing Sundays can be!  It’s the one day of the week when there’s time to chat and enjoy bowls or cups of tea with special friends!  This Sunday I was treated to Chinese-style ‘afternoon tea’ by Bin Shao, my Chinese friend who sells the fabulous Mao Jian tea that I wrote about last time.  He took me to Royal China on London’s

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 A couple of weeks ago, I was given two amazing green teas by a Chinese friend here in London and they’re so good that I simply have to… read more...

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 I mentioned in my last blog that I had recently been in the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India at the invitation of the family who owns two stunningly beautiful plantations there - Thiashola and Daverashola.  (The photo shows us being welcomed at… read more...

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 It’s wonderful how tea connects to so many other foodie aspects of life.  Just before heading off to India to the Nilgiri Hills in the last week of August (of which more next time), I was introduced to an amazing… read more...

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How I love London in summer!  The hesitant sun this year has kept temperatures… read more...

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