Tea drinkers are indeed celebrating as they toast the Great Taste winning teas from various parts of the globe. Great Taste is one of the most coveted food and beverage awards programs.
An official said 434 teas entered the competition in total (out of 14,205 overall entries across food and beverage), and a total of 13 of the 153 winning teas received the 3-star ranking, while the rest received 2- and 1-star rankings. In total, there were 5,556 winners in the competition across all categories.
Recognized as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste – organized by the Guild of Fine Food, London – values taste above all else.
It's an international competition, which takes place over 90 days in both the Dorset and London judging venues, and is judged by a rotating panel of industry experts. The results were declared on Aug. 1 (the 3-star tea winners are listed below).
Great Taste has a rigorous judging process, with a comprehensive blind taste-testing of food and drink products from a staggering 110 different countries worldwide.
Its prestigious judging panel is made up of more than 500 food and drink professionals, including critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, journalists, broadcasters and experts in the field.
2022’s judging line-up included head buyers from Selfridges, Whole Foods, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose, as well as food editors, chefs, restaurateurs, food and drink consultants, and other distinguished experts.
Past winners have claimed that displaying a Great Taste badge has increased sales by as much as 50 percent, as consumers from around the globe clamor to taste the best food and drink products each year.
The highest rating is a Great Taste 3-star, which will have been sanctioned by more than 20 expert palates – and this year just 241 products in all were awarded this top accreditation.
John Farrand, managing director at the Guild of Fine Food, said, “We are chuffed to be unveiling the list of award winners for 2022. It’s been another exceptional year of high quality, innovation and creativity. We’re seeing a steady increase in plant-based products year-on-year, and the fermented and functional foods are really starting to hold their own in terms of taste.”
The 13 Teas That Received the 3-star Honor, Including Comments from Judges
1. Teaholics
Winning Tea: White Peony
Teaholics.co.jp/en
Comment from the Judges: “The dried leaf is indicative of skill and care in the manufacture. A full, rich delivery, with depth of character, yet soft and gentle at the same time. A slight tinge of sourness, with the finish predominantly sweet. Character does develop as the tea cools, developing greater complexity, and at this stage we feel it is an exemplary white peony.”
2. Galerie du Thé
Winning Tea: Luyeh Red
GalerieDuThe.com
Comment from the Judges: “The aroma on the dried leaf is fascinating – perfumed yet smoky. It delivers an extraordinary infusion, perfumey and smoky without being bakey. The palate delivers sweetness, roastiness and mineral notes, finishing on astringency tinged with smoke, but with roasted fruit notes persisting. Quite extraordinary.”
3. Formocha Tea Co.
Winning Tea: Oriental Beauty
Facebook.com/Master.Tea.House.Formocha
Comment from the Judges: “The flavor notes we glean are exactly as noted in your description. The persistence of delicate rose on the finish is remarkable. A supremely good example of a delicately nuanced oriental beauty.”
4. Taiwan Classical Tea Garden
Winning Tea: Paochong Tea
Rich168777.com
Comment from the Judges: “A beautiful quality of leaf with a buttery, sweet aroma on the infused leaf. The tea has opened up with delightful fragrant notes in evidence. An outstanding tea, which requires some precision in brewing.”
5. Teapigs Ltd.
Winning Tea: Tung Ting Oolong
TeaPigs.co.uk
Comment from the Judges: “Delicate and smooth, yet absolutely full of flavor. An exquisite high grown oolong with a wonderful, sweet character that lingers long after tasting. Floral flavor notes of jasmine and honeysuckle abound. Simply delicious!”
6. Arai's Tea
Winning Tea: Mt. Fuji Tea Oriental Blend
Araien.co.jp
Comment from the Judges: “A wonderful example of Japanese black tea, glowing with amber clarity in the cup. It's enticingly aromatic and surprisingly complex on the palate as well as deeply refreshing. Beautifully balanced, too, with just a light touch of bitterness and astringency. A little milk renders it perfectly smooth and rounded, yet still nuanced on the palate. Delicate and delightful.”
7. Teaholics
Winning Tea: Blue Mountain
Teaholics.co.jp/en
Comment from the Judges: “A beautiful quality of leaf with soft, floral character. We feel this is an Oolong in nature. The infusion carries notes of mango, flowers and nectar alongside a velvety smoothness on the palate. A little astringency on the finish, indeed as of green mango, provides balance.”
8. TeaVivre Tea Company
Winning Tea: Lu Shan Yun Wu Green Tea
TeaVivre.com
Comment from the Judges: “A fine, delicate, twisted leaf, nicely tippy. The liquor has a flavor of fresh cobnuts and fresh, raw asparagus and is indeed mellow, bright and elegant with gentle astringency. A deeply pleasing tea.”
9. Atelier Sueyoshi Seicha, LLC
Winning Tea: Furusatonohana Saemidori
Sueyoshiseichakobo.co.jp
Comment from the Judges: “Beautiful quality of leaf yields a sweet, delicate liquor, silky on the palate with light persistence of gentle vegetal notes. Beautifully balanced with very light astringency matching the delightful sweetness.”
10. Flora Tea Group LTD
Winning Tea: Jasmine Pearls
FloraTea.com
Comment from the Judges: “A very beautiful quality of tippy leaf, wonderfully twisted. The delivery of citrus is delightfully subtle with the bergamot sitting alongside rather than overwhelming the Tachibana. Beautiful clarity of the golden liquor too. A pleasing absence of bitterness along with light astringency completes a perfect balance. Gentle notes of Tachibana linger on the finish.”
11. Team Tea
Winning Tea: Moroccan Mint Organic
TeamTea.co.uk
Comment from the Judges: “A vibrant, zesty tea with great clarity. The tea base is light, and of great quality. The zestiness of the peppermint is underpinned by a buttery creaminess. The finish of fresh mint is persistent and perfectly delightful. An outstanding example.”
12. Pryce Tea
Winning Tea: Osmanthus Oolong
PryceTea.com
Comment from the Judges: “An inspired blend and meld of flavors, relaying notes of blossom and of ripe apricots with gentle green tea character. Delicate yet full of flavor, sweet but balanced with light tannins, this is delightful and refreshing. There's no doubting this is an outstanding flavored tea.”
13. Shizuoka Tea Co. Ltd
Winning Tea: Earl Grey Japon Tea
Store.Shizuoka-Tea.jp
Comment from the Judges: “A very beautiful quality of tippy leaf, wonderfully twisted. The delivery of citrus is delightfully subtle with the bergamot sitting alongside rather than overwhelming the Tachibana. Beautiful clarity of the golden liquor too. A pleasing absence of bitterness along with light astringency completes a perfect balance. Gentle notes of Tachibana linger on the finish.”
How to Enter the 'Great Taste' Competition in the Future
For all companies interested in the compeition next year, they will need to keep their eye out on the Guild of Fine Food website’s for details. Entries usually open in February. This was the schedule this year, as an example.
To learn more about the Great Taste awards program, visit the Guild of Fine Food at GFF.co.uk.
Roopak Goswami – a contributor to World Tea News – has worked for more than two decades as a newspaper journalist in Northeast India. Tea is his passion, and he covers the tea industry regularly.
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