A visit to the estate that grows our Lemongrass & Ginger
Our Lemongrass and Ginger is grown on part of a 64 acre estate maintained by just 10 workers. The estate is part of the Greenfield FLO Social & Welfare Society and is located near Hatapule, Sri Lanka at 1500 MASL.
Read moreCoffee vs Tea
We recently wrote an article for Stand Art, the highly regarded and beautifully published specialty coffee journal that is popular with Europe’s coffee aficionados. At Storm we know there is a great deal more love for coffee than tea and in our own small way, this is something we would like to address. The article explains why…
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The world’s Rarest Oolong tea?
Think
oolong tea – that beautifully nuanced semi -oxidised leaf that is neither green
nor black but somewhere in between - and you’re most likely to conjure up of
those great teas from Taiwan and China. Sri Lanka, master of black and green
teas, has never been famous for its oolong so during our travels last year, we
were both shocked and delighted to discover a garden that occasionally produces
tiny micro-lots of this delicious tea. We were told that preparing this oolong is
incredibly labour intensive which is why they only produce such tiny nano-lots
of just 1kg every few months. Naturally we were determined to source a little
for our Storm Tea customers.
The Detoxicating World of Tea
Hands up if you ate and drank far too much
of the wrong sort of things over the Christmas period. Ok, so that’s virtually
everyone but there’s nothing wrong with the occasional blowout and we’re bound
to enjoy a bit of a feast when we’re away from work and spending time with our
friends and family. But all good things come to and end and now it’s January -
a new year and a new start - and for many of us it’s time to get back into
shape by going back to the gym, cutting back on the beer and gin and losing a
few pounds. For a limited period we’ve launched a detox tea – comprised of
herbs that include nettle leaves, St John’s wort, ginko leaves, lemon grass,
green tea and whitethorn leaves. It’s full of antioxidants and vitamins – it’s calorie
free and a delicious way to get back on track. Take a look ….
A visit to the Jalinga Tea Garden, Assam, North India
During July 2017, I travelled to India with my Storm Tea colleague Ric. As mentioned in earlier blogs, we were hoping to Visit Darjeeling and Assam but political issues and violent protests had forced us to cancel the Darjeeling tour and so we spent the extra time visiting the Jalinga organic tea garden in Assam. Since our best-selling product, Organic Estate Breakfast, is comprised of a high proportion of this tea, we firmly believe it is crucial to understand where it comes from and to know first-hand the conditions it grows under. We had carried out a similar exercise in Sri Lanka the year before where, amongst other gardens, we had visited The Harington Estate where the other component of this blend is produced.
Read moreJalinga - The World’s Only Certified Carbon Neutral Tea Garden
Climate change is perhaps the greatest threat faced by mankind and the animals and plants that we share our planet with. As is well documented, a few degrees increase in average global temperature is all that is required to create an irreversible situation that, we’re told, will bring about apocalyptic destruction to the world we live in. Mass flooding, huge deserts, migration, war, global crop failure and starvation are amongst the headlines of doom predicted by the world’s top scientists who place the blame at the massive increase in CO2 emissions since the start of the industrial revolution. But the thread of hope that we’re hanging to is that it’s not too late. By drastically decreasing our CO2 emissions on a global level, there is still a belief that the situation can be arrested.
Read moreTrouble Brewing in Darjeeling
‘The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry’ – once said Robert Burns in his poem ‘To A Mouse’. The line was inspiration for John Steinbeck’s brilliant novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ and of course the words are often used as a saying for those things we planned that never worked out.
Read moreStorm Tea – Preparing for our Travels to India
It’s always interesting to read a trip report to understand in greater detail the stories behind our teas; where they come from, how they are grown and processed and news of any tea gems we may have unearthed along the way...
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