Taking tea with the experts
Fortnum & Mason has long been a bastion of the British tea tradition. Established as a grocery store 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason, it supplied customers from far and wide with both basic provisions and more exotic fare. When tea became fashionable in the 19th century, Fortnum’s created bespoke blends for their customers, writing the top-secret recipes in a large ledger. In the early 20th century, King Edward VII requested a strong black tea that he could drink with milk, and the Royal Blend was born. Happily, the King’s blend was made available to all, and has been a bestseller ever since.
Fortnum & Mason has since developed into a department store selling an array of fine goods from fashion to kitchenware, but it is still visited by tourists and Londoners alike in search of the perfect cup of tea.
The tea tasting that goes on here is a nuanced business. Fortnum’s Director of Food Buying, Darren Williams, and his team are guardians of the Fortnum blends, so spend much of their time ensuring that the taste of Fotnum & Mason tea is consistent. Although the recipes stay the same year in and year out, the quantities change to take into account variances in crop.
Fancy hosting your own tea tasting? Williams outlines Fortnum & Mason’s strict standards…
If you can, always opt for loose leaf tea. Large leaves provide many more nuances of flavour than a tea bag.
Observe the loose leaves both wet and dry to check the quality of their colour and shape.
Choose your apparatus wisely. White saucers will show off the colour of the tea properly, while silver teaspoons won’t taint the flavour of the brew.
Taste tea at double strength. Use twice the amount of tea in the usual amount of water. This will bring out the discrepancies in flavour.
Use ordinary tap water. Your own area’s water is best, as that is what you’re accustomed to. Fortnum’s tea is sold in London, so London water is shipped upto Newcastle where the majority of the tasting takes place.
Brew the tea for the sufficient amount of time. Ideally it should be left for around 4 minutes to infuse. Resist the urge to agitate the leaves or tea bag.
Customise accordingly. Darjeeling tea is very dry so benefits from a little sugar, while milk will bring out all the notes of a breakfast blend.
Don’t stir. Agitating the milk (moving the spoon from side-to-side) blends in milk much more effectively.
Cleanse your palate if you’re tasting more than one tea at a time. Slices or apple or bread do the trick.
Relax. Tea drinking is as much about the ritual as the quality of the cup.
85 degrees celsius is the perfect temperature of water for green tea. Black tea is best with water just before boiling point
70 per cent of tea sold at Fortnum & Mason is loose leaf
97 per cent of tea in Britain is sold in tea bags
98 per cent of all tea sold in Britain is black
100 is the number of different teas Peiyi Lei, Fortnum’s Tea Salon Manager, has in her own kitchen at home
1902 is the year in which the Royal Blend went on sale. It has been Fortnum’s bestselling tea every year since
For more information on tea tastings visit www.fortnumandmason.com
Fortnum & Mason has since developed into a department store selling an array of fine goods from fashion to kitchenware, but it is still visited by tourists and Londoners alike in search of the perfect cup of tea.
The tea tasting that goes on here is a nuanced business. Fortnum’s Director of Food Buying, Darren Williams, and his team are guardians of the Fortnum blends, so spend much of their time ensuring that the taste of Fotnum & Mason tea is consistent. Although the recipes stay the same year in and year out, the quantities change to take into account variances in crop.
Fancy hosting your own tea tasting? Williams outlines Fortnum & Mason’s strict standards…
If you can, always opt for loose leaf tea. Large leaves provide many more nuances of flavour than a tea bag.
Observe the loose leaves both wet and dry to check the quality of their colour and shape.
Choose your apparatus wisely. White saucers will show off the colour of the tea properly, while silver teaspoons won’t taint the flavour of the brew.
Taste tea at double strength. Use twice the amount of tea in the usual amount of water. This will bring out the discrepancies in flavour.
Use ordinary tap water. Your own area’s water is best, as that is what you’re accustomed to. Fortnum’s tea is sold in London, so London water is shipped upto Newcastle where the majority of the tasting takes place.
Brew the tea for the sufficient amount of time. Ideally it should be left for around 4 minutes to infuse. Resist the urge to agitate the leaves or tea bag.
Customise accordingly. Darjeeling tea is very dry so benefits from a little sugar, while milk will bring out all the notes of a breakfast blend.
Don’t stir. Agitating the milk (moving the spoon from side-to-side) blends in milk much more effectively.
Cleanse your palate if you’re tasting more than one tea at a time. Slices or apple or bread do the trick.
Relax. Tea drinking is as much about the ritual as the quality of the cup.
Tea in numbers…
20 seconds is the average dunking time for a tea bag. Ideally it should be left undisturbed for 3-5 minutes.85 degrees celsius is the perfect temperature of water for green tea. Black tea is best with water just before boiling point
70 per cent of tea sold at Fortnum & Mason is loose leaf
97 per cent of tea in Britain is sold in tea bags
98 per cent of all tea sold in Britain is black
100 is the number of different teas Peiyi Lei, Fortnum’s Tea Salon Manager, has in her own kitchen at home
1902 is the year in which the Royal Blend went on sale. It has been Fortnum’s bestselling tea every year since
For more information on tea tastings visit www.fortnumandmason.com