All good stories should start in front of a campfire in the company of friends and a warm cup of tea in your hands. This tale is about the world’s most consumed beverage. And no one makes quality tea like the London-based Ahmad Tea.
Famed for their gift boxes and everyday teas, the company only uses the finest, freshest and most flavorful tea leaves that are selected by expert tea tasters to ensure that every single cup of tea bearing the Ahmad Tea name matches the high expectations of tea connoisseurs.
The tea leaf grows on the Thea Sinensis plant, a member of the Camellia family; it grows naturally to over 20 feet, and is indigenous to China and India. When in cultivation, the tea bush is regularly pruned so that it is kept to a height of three feet.
Only the tips and the top two layers of young leaves, where the sap and nutrients are concentrated, are plucked. Not only does this help to provide a good quality cup of tea, it also stimulates the growth of the bush, thus increasing the maximum yield.
Tea bushes are grown best between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and between the altitudes of 1000 and 7000 feet. They enjoy warm, tropical climates with good rainfall. The climate dictates whether the bush can be plucked all year round, or if it is seasonal. The warmer climates, such as those of Africa and Sri Lanka, allow all year round production, with especially high yields during the monsoon periods. Colder climates, such as those found in the Himalayan foothills, only produce yields in seasonal “flushes.” Differences in soil acidity, altitude and climate produce the distinctively different flavors of the various teas.
The preservation of the tea’s quality over its long and intricate journey from the estate to your hands is dependent upon the continuous care with which it is treated, tested and tasted every step of the way.
It continues through care at every step of Ahmad Tea’s selected teas’ journeys. And it culminates in the creation and recreation of each blend according to the palates, skill and experience of the Ahmad Tea artisan tasters, supported by the exhaustive nature of tasting, selection, blending and testing procedures. Every day more than 500 cups of tea are carefully tasted by experts. The process uses the skill and experience of the Ahmad Tea artisan tasters to create only the best tea blends.
There is a common misconception that the two most popular varieties, green and black tea come from different plants. When we refer to tea, it all comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant, so interestingly black and green tea share the same origin, but have been made in slightly different ways.
Black tea has been either cut or rolled which releases all of the juices and the natural enzymes, starting an oxidation process. This means that the color changes from brown to black, and it also causes a change in flavor, giving black Ahmad Tea its superb quality and consistency in taste.
For green tea, the process is similar, but before cutting or rolling, the tea is heated to a very high temperature. This destroys the natural enzymes and an oxidation process can’t take place, therefore the tea will stay green. This is what gives it the enjoyable flavor, from the classic taste of pure Green Tea to the fruitiness of Strawberry and Kiwi Green Tea.
Ahmad Tea offers a range of flavored black teas too, which are proper black teas with added fruit pieces. These are still black teas but flavored to give a truly delicious blend to satisfy the palate. There are also delicious tea infusions which are not traditional teas, but fruit and herbal infusions with natural ingredients. These give a rainbow of flavors, aromas, and moods to keep every tea enthusiast happy and satisfied with their choice of blend.
Whatever your cup of tea is, there is one at Ahmad Tea that is perfect for you.
Ahmad Tea can be found in all co-ops, supermarkets and quality retailers. For more on tea follow @ahmadteaarabia on Instagram.
