... But they never mention taste!

When I read the reviews of some other teas or the companies that produce them I am astounded by the fact that each one seems to find a way to avoid what to my mind is a very basic characteristic of tea .... the flavor!
I wonder what would make them avoid the subject?

You'll notice when we get reviewed the first thing written (as in the one above... thanks Karen Salken) is about taste... this is our focus!
Yes, we do single origin, organic, eco packaging and as much as we care about all these things (and we do! ) what would it matter if the taste wasn't there!
We make a great effort to create unique blends and we go to great lengths to assure that our oolongs are smooth and luxuriant, our greens are crisp & fresh so we are proud when it gets noticed.

So when you hear about other teas that claim this or that ... ask yourself ... " I wonder why they didn't mention taste?

Just read an article titled "Tea gets a quality infusion"

It is a fact that SerendipiTea has done a lot of great work over the years to raise the profile of tea, tea drinkers, single origin, fair trade & organic tea manufacturing, so when I recently read the article quoted in the title of this post I was a bit concerned.
I guess that after just under a year of SerendipiTea returning to Australia it might be expected that some points points about what SerendipiTea does and how we operate that are generally very well known around the world may not have been communicated clearly here in OZ...

Let's try to correct that!

Let it be known, that our mission is to raise the profile of tea & tea drinkers and further single origin, fair trade & organic tea manufacturing and much much more... in general to bring the tea lover out of second class status and into a place where the tea offered is of the same quality that is currently enjoyed by coffee drinkers, this is what our founder Tomislav Podreka had in mind at the start... all those years ago right here in Melbourne!
The accomplishments of Tomislav are well documented through his work with chefs, culinary institutes, tea organizations and plantations world wide.

Now pardon me if I show my passion a bit here but as my job everyday is tea... I know what is available out there and I am also fully aware of the bold steps taken by SerendipiTea to shake up the perception of Tea and to raise this drink out of the shadow... the rather long shadow, cast by coffee in this town (Melbourne) I hope and am trying to bring to an end the day when a bag dropped into a cup of hot water, or sub standard loose leaf served in a stainless hospital grade pot is truly over!
There is much more enjoyment to be had from a great cup of tea than is currently acknowledged.
But ...
It doesn't all go unnoticed... In my last Tea Master Class I was very happy to speak to a room full of tea lovers and future tea lovers that were very interested in how much pleasure could be derived from a cup of tea and stunned by how far the flavor palette can be stretched.
In the end we will continue as we have been, championing the merits of tea and in particular fair trade , single origin & organic tea and now I guess we will redouble our efforts to get in the faces of the foodies.

The Book is Back!

What book you may say...
SerendipiTea : A guide to the varieties, origins and rituals of tea


This informative book, written by Serendipitea's co-founder Tomislav Podreka was originally published in 1998 , this 2nd edition was edited & redesigned by (co-founder of SerendipiTea) Linda Villano.
This book tells the story of tea of all types, passes on a few complementary recipes and through the knowledge Tomislav Podreka has cultivated brings the world of tea to life.
At 152 pages I was sorry to come to the end!

We are very happy to let you know that the book is available for $22.95 at Express Life (143 Greville St Prahran) & online at www.serendipitea.com.au

If you have an interest in tea ... do yourself a favour and pick up a copy.

SerendipiTea Master Class

SerendipiTea held it's first tea master Class Tuesday night in Port Melbourne at the neighborhoods new cafe Seven:am
When Jason of Seven:am came up with the idea of holding a Master Class at his place I was instantly on board, we had been planning a similar event at our place (Express Life ) and we will be holding one soon but I digress...
By 7 pm the room was filled with tea lovers, ready to sample what Serendipitea had to offer.
I had selected 12 blends from our line to talk about and to sample and in just about 2 hours it was going to be tight.

We discussed , look, feel, aroma, and most importantly taste!
I think it went quite well ...
Big thanks go out to Jason , Jacqui & Ben at Seven:am

Stay tuned for our next tasting night.

Winner : Best organic retail outlet in victoria !

No it's not our little shop in Prahran (Maybe some day)
This year during Organic Week the honor went to the fantastic Passion Foods in middle park!
I was lucky enough to be there at the presentation.
Quite an honor for our friends at Passion Foods
Congratulations Steve and crew

SerendipiTea and Seven:am Cafe Present a tea master class

Ok Kids get your datebooks out ... Flip to Tuesday November 10 2009 and mark down in ink SerendipiTea & seven :am tea master class

The night will include:

• Tea information& history
  
• Brewing Tips
• Informative discussions on tea types
• Seven: am's Head chef will provide light dishes

We will be joined on the night by author & Shakuhachi (Japanese Flute) player Camellia Cha who will Play & also read from her book 'Curiosi - Tea'.

This will be a Tea event not to be missed so book in on 90785776 or email jason@sevenam.com.au

Tea Mocktails - Ruby Sipper

Talent can manifest itself in many ways ...
some have a talent for talk, others for graphic arts... it goes on & on ...
I think no matter what your medium is the basic point is the creative is able to take seemingly disparate ideas or things rework them and create a whole new result.
Yesterday while I was meeting with a new client the Barista in the venue (Roberto) was creating an original mock-tail from one of SerendipiTea's tisanes out the back in the kitchen!
He combined Ruby sipper, kiwi fruit, lemon and a few other ingredients & a flair for presentation to create the drink pictured above.
Not too shabby for a few minutes work!
Watch this space for more on the venue and the mixologist.