The Tea Maker’s knowledge is one of the keys to obtaining an excellent tea menu. These experts perform work which is sustained over time, during which they systematically identify, monitor and assess the suitability of the properties of the tea leaves from different origins, often on small plantations located in remote areas of China. The […]
The Tea Maker regularly visits the plantations, some of them tiny, located in countries such as China, India and Sri Lanka, in order to study and select the varieties of tea and tisanes which, by weight and infusion time, are ideal for preparing the finest flavoured drinks, in combination with other ingredients. With the Tang […]
At the Nanu Oya railway station, located about 27 kilometres from Sri Lanka, I am awaited by a rickshaw, a lightweight two-wheeled carriage which, on this occasion, is pulled by a young local. Once I am on the vehicle – a common means of transport in Asian countries – we set out on a journey […]
The name Darjeeling, a city in the Indian state of West Bengal, at the foot of the Himalayas, is derived from the combination of two Tibetan words, Dorje (thunderbolt) and ling(land), translated as “land of the thunderbolt”. On our arrival, Darjeeling reveals an interesting mixture of cultures, the consequence of the confluence of people from both Tibet and Nepal. While walking […]
By train, I am just an hour away from the city of Kyoto, in the Wazuka area. This part of Japan, ringed by mountains, has grown high-quality tea for over 800 years, acquiring real status as one of the most coveted and respected teas in the country. The different varieties of tea – over 300 […]
I find myself in the middle of the Cederberg Mountains, a vast region of South Africa covering 20,000 square kilometres, where the entire world rooibos production is based. What we call rooibos tea is an infusion made from the leaves of a bush native to this land. It is a tisane with highly beneficial properties, […]
I find myself in the middle of the Cederberg Mountains, a vast region of South Africa covering 20,000 square kilometres, where the entire world rooibos production is based.
What we call rooibos tea is an infusion made from the leaves of a bush native to this land. It is a tisane with highly beneficial properties, capable of emulating some of the effects of red tea.
The extreme conditions of this location are what make it possible to grow this variety. More specifically, the temperatures range between 48ºC in summer and 0ºC in the middle of winter. So I’ve been lucky. It’s right at the beginning of summer and, therefore, I don’t have to put up with the abrasive heat which, within a few weeks, will impregnate every part of the region.
Quite the contrary; I can sit comfortably and enjoy the scenery. Opposite us, great expanses of leaves from this bush dry in the sun, acquiring their characteristic reddish hue. In this landscape, the farm workers methodically collect the first shoots from the bush and separate the freshest leaves, depositing them in containers so that they start fermenting.
The intense aroma given off by the bush leaves penetrates our senses. This is exactly the same intense aroma which overwhelms us when, in any other place in the world, we have a cup of rooibos steaming in front of us.
