Richard Smyth, managing director at Tea Trading International, knows a thing or two about a good brew. Here, we learn all about the art of crafting the cup – from leaf to table
Tell us a bit more about your offering.
We’re a specialised tea company based in Jebel Ali. Our whole focus is on providing outstanding teas for the HORECA sector. The key difference between us and our competitors is that we buy all teas directly from the plantations, then bring them to Dubai where we develop our own recipes specific to the local market, local water and International travellers. They’re blended and packed here, so are as fresh as can be.
To achieve this, we have developed two brands: Vertea and The Leaf.
Vertea, Teas of the World, is a range of premium teas sourced from selected gardens in the best tea-producing areas of the world. The blends and flavours are specifically created for the tastes and preferences of the region.
The premium hotel range is packed in individual bags, staple-free in envelopes for freshness and hygiene. It’s a quality premium product for the 5- and 4-star hotel category. Then, there’s also a catering range which includes Yellow, Red and Green label, and it’ suitable for canteens and offices: these blends are robust, full-bodied blends from Kenya and Assam for strength, ideal with or without milk.
The Leaf is a super premium range of outstanding teas, carefully selected from around the world. Ideal for the discerning exceptional experience 5-star hotel tea lounges, these teas create exceptional quality flavours and characters: it’s a range of teas covering the very best of black, green and herbal.
We even included a stronger Irish Breakfast with three grams as we realised that customers who prefer a strong tea with milk were not happy with an English breakfast, which in this region can be consumed with or without milk.
Designed for the tea connoisseur, but accessible to everyone, the whole leaf tea is packed into bio-degradable pyramid bags, sealed for freshness in envelopes. The loose tea is also available, but in pouches.
We also develop teas and flavours for individuals and co-pack for larger organisations.
How do you ensure your practices are always sustainable?
We pride ourselves in knowing the full supply chain sources of all of our teas and packaging. We’re signatories to the Ethical Tea Sourcing Partnership, which focusses not only on the tea, but on the overall welfare of the people right through the journey: from bush to cup.
As our teas are blended and packed here in Dubai, and our packaging is sourced locally in the UAE, this makes our carbon footprint one of the lowest – considerably lower than that of imported brands. The tea bags are compostable, and all our tea bag tissue is completely plastic-free.
What makes a good cup of tea?
This starts with selecting the right teas. We at Tea Trading International DMCC are a locally based specialist tea company and do all our own selecting, blending and packing here in Dubai. Consequently, the teas are considerably fresher as they arrive direct from the producing countries. We then only blend and pack as needed.
As masters of tea, we would suggest our whole Leaf Tea, either loose or in pyramid bags (this is the same loose tea, but just in a more convenient format). Then, it really is as your grandmother taught you: freshly drawn water (or bottled), freshly boiled, kettle to the warmed pot and allowed to brew for four or five minutes for black tea. For green tea, the optimum temperature is at 85 to 90 degrees Celsius.
For a restaurant or hotel, the most important point is training and consistency. Customers expect staff to be knowledgeable in all aspects of the selection, preparation and often benefit from some guidance: this then needs to be consistent across the team. Recognising this, we at TTI provide a full training programme for staff.
Having said all of that, tea is one of those beverages that everyone has their own way of brewing, and as far as they’re concerned that’s the perfect way to do it. If they’re happy with it, then so am I.
What are your thoughts on the fluoride content controversy when it comes to tea production?
Fluoride is a mineral which has beneficial effects for our teeth and bones. With regards to teeth, the most common benefit is the prevention of dental caries as confirmed by the European Food Safety Authority. In small to moderate doses, fluoride may help strengthen bones.
Tea is a source of fluoride. Two to three servings of tea a day contribute to fluoride intake, but levels don’t exceed European safety limits and aren’t even high enough to reach recommended levels. Higher tea consumption of four to five cups daily would be better for our dental health. Consuming up to five cups daily meets the recommended levels of fluoride and is still below recommended limits.
So, in summary, four to five cups a day are actually good for dental health. Additionally, the flavonoid polyphenols and antioxidants in tea give positive benefits by reducing plaque formation and having anti-bacterial effects. Green tea is a natural breath freshener!
Do you think tea tasting should be more popular in the region? Absolutely. There’s a lack of awareness generally as to the interesting story that tea has to tell. We organise tea tasting and training for our customers at hotels and the two major airlines here in the UAE. Being based in the DMCC Tea Centre, we have excellent facilities to show the full process from the individual tea selection, to the construction of a blend, then the physical packing.
If organisations would like to have private tasting demonstrations with the opportunity to create their own blends, we would be happy to.
In the market:
Newby Teas
Available in most luxury hotels in the Middle East
Packing
Newby Teas are packed at the Newby preservation, storage, blending and packing facility in Kolkata. Packages are shipped directly to the facility for preservation, blending and sealing. The facility is located in the middle of all the tea growing regions, thus reducing transit time.
Quality
Using just the leaves of a single estate means standards can vary from year to year. That’s why only leaves from a variety of tea gardens, picked at their most tender, are selected. Expert tasters in India sample thousands of harvests, with their recommendations sent to the founder and tea specialist. Only after he has personally tasted and approved each tea will it be ready to bear the Newby name.
Quality control
Newby’s factory in Kolkata, India consistently achieves an ‘A’ rating for food safety from BRC Global Standards, a leading quality certification programme used in more than 120 countries.
Flavour
Multi-functional protection keeps light, heat, moisture and odours at bay, all of which can adversely affect teas transported in less considered conditions.
Member of the Ethical Tea Partnership
Newby is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, a global organisation committed to improving the lives and environment of tea workers throughout the world. The company shares ETP’s aims of making tea production better, fairer and more environmentally sustainable.
Newby Teas
Launches Collaboration with Matthew Williamson
In the first
collaboration of its kind, renowned British designer Matthew Williamson has
partnered with Newby Teas to produce a limited-edition collection of teas in
intricately designed tea caddies.
The collaboration is the latest venture for Matthew Williamson, who has enjoyed great success in fashion, interior design and homewares since his debut at London Fashion Week in 1997. The collection features three tea blends created in partnership with Matthew Williamson. These bespoke, loose-leaf blends are presented in packaging designed by Matthew Williamson.
Williamson was
personally involved in the project, directing and curating the designs to his
own specifications, and tasting a variety of tea blends in consideration for
the collection. Known for his bold prints and use of vivid colour, Williamson
has taken inspiration from the Rajasthan region of India to produce evocative
prints based on original water colours, each one reflecting a facet of the
chosen tea and its heritage.
newbyteas.ae
AVANTCHA
AVANTCHA is a boutique, specialty tea concept, established in Dubai in 2014 by Markus Zbinden and Marina Rabei. With a portfolio of over 100 fine teas and tisanes, the company sources from all over the world single estate teas and evocative blends.
The teas are from organic certified tea gardens and/or pesticide-free, with each batch lab-tested. Teabags are packed with whole leaf teas in biodegradable material. They also produce minimalistic teaware, designed in-house.
Marina Rabei
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
What’s your best-selling product and what makes it unique?
We have a few tea blends and fruity infusions that were exceeding our sales expectations in 2019: The Rush Hour Berry is a mouth-watering blend of flavourful garden and forest berries. The initial hit is sweet, with strawberry and blueberry dominating. The aftertaste lingers with cranberry and hibiscus tartness. The blend is a winner because it uses natural flavouring and whole berries pieces, with a seductive deep pink colour.
Oriental Moments is an intensely fragrant melange of Pu Erh and Black teas, cinnamon, sandalwood and vanilla – the ultimate digestive blend with strong Arabic notes. Organic Japanese Gyokuro is the most precious and noble of Japanese teas. It’s shade-grown, rich and full-bodied, with a savoury finish on the palate, a true tea connoisseurs’ choice.
Organic Matcha Ceremonial Grade is rich, umami, creamy and savoury: our customers keep coming back for this premium quality grade.
Please tell us more about some exciting new developments for your company.
AVANTCHA online teashop launched worldwide delivery and AVANTCHA Tea Bar in Al Manzil hotel, the first step towards enhancing and elevating the tea quality and tea service in hotels.
We’re is the official tea partner for the newest Waldorf Astoria DIFC. Working together with the talented F&B team, we crafted a bespoke tea blend, Bronx Afternoon Excite, featuring juniper, vermouth and bitter orange, inspired by the world famous cocktail Bronx, developed in Waldorf Astoria NYC during the prohibition period.
AVANTCHA is the official tea partner of Abu Dhabi EDITION hotel, where we crafted the bespoke tea blend, Organic Bedouin Caravan, featuring Lapsang, Keemun teas and Sicilian bergamot. Our bi-monthly educational tea events are shaping a new face of a tea lovers’ community.
What are some of the biggest upcoming trends?
We’re seeing rapid, increasing demand for low and no-alcohol beverages. With the new tax introduced on sugary drinks, we see a great opportunity to consumers turning to tea-based beverages. We’ve been working with numerous B2B customers to design new beverage menus that incorporate our fine teas.
Tea and food pairing is becoming increasingly popular; we’re launching tea and cheese pairings in January. Moreover, sustainably sourced teas and tisanes, and eco-friendly packaging, are growing trends, with more and more hotels seeking organic teas packed in biodegradable packaging.
Consumers now demand
transparency about how and where products are sourced, a proof of claimed
certifications and a great company culture.
avantcha.com
