Tregothnan Tea Gardens, Cornwall, UK

Northern Tea Merchants Newsletter No: 4

I am writing this in my room at a charming guest house (The Manor Cottage in Tresillian TR2 4BN!) after a most interesting, fascinating and heart warming day.

I have been privileged to attend the first Tea Masterclass that was held at the only tea estate in the UK, the by now well-known Tregothnan estate in Cornwall. I can only strongly urge all our readers who have an interest in the tea they drink to attend these exclusive (and until now rare) insights into this most historic trade. Although with my very traditional introduction into the tea trade - a strictly ‘Northern Tea Merchants’ point of view! – I had a wonderful day. I can identify most strongly with the valiant and now fruitful efforts made by Mr Boscawen and his tea garden team of staff in their production of the very first credible (and good quality!) tea to be made in the UK. With their first planting in 1998, their current yield of crop is small but extremely popular, and they are working diligently and intelligently toward becoming totally autonomous in their production.

The setting is therefore idyllic and very ‘British’ so the course content needed to be something to not be a bit of a let down…

I was captivated from the beginning. After initial introductions and well-served tea, Jane Pettigrew talked with an unrivalled passion and depth of knowledge about the history of tea and its origins into the UK and how it gradually became intertwined with our culture. Then Tim Clifton launched into an explanation of the ways that tea is plucked in his inimitable and engaging style. The rest of the day was full of tastings, a visit into the Tregothnan tea gardens, a delicious lunch, explanations of how the various types and leaf grades of teas are manufactured and many more interesting and valuable insights from Jane and Tim.

I am lucky that in my job never a day goes by without me learning something new about the wonderful products we process and package. But today I learnt many more things from areas of the trade that I mainly only have telephone dealings with from here in the UK.

Earlier I used the superlative ‘heart-warming’. The reason I used this was that there are a few trades in the world that you can really love. I love Tea. I was brought up with it. My Dad used to smell of it when he came home and he’d been out delivering to customers and finishing off at his warehouse in the 70’s. I smell of it now when I’ve been setting up a tea bag machine or delivering to customers and finishing off at the warehouse! It’s in my blood. So today, the cockles of my heart were truly warmed.