A nice cuppa tea

If you are planning to serve a cup of chai ... think again! It is not as simple as boiling water in a kettle and adding a few tea leaves.

Back in 1946, bothered about the lack of this basic information in recipe books, English author George Orwell published his golden rules for preparing a nice cup of tea in the British paper, The Evening Standard.

Last week, German tea connoisseur and manufacturer, Lars Ellerbrock, CEO of German company Lifebrands Natural Food, was spotted repeating Mr Orwell's act and giving talks on quality, presentation and the varieties on offer for your favourite cuppa in Bahrain.

Coming from a family of tea exporters he is the founder of Just T, a brand which offers a touch of style to the 'new generation of teas lovers' with 14 different flavours for customers who are sensitive to the ingredients, blends and emotions associated with tea.

He said: "Even though this country is rooted in traditions, people are attracted to new herbs and fusions and like world class products and brands. Habits have changed and people are always expecting something new.

"We source teas from the tea producing nations of the world and blend them in Germany, where we have blending and flavouring facilities with ingredients that come from Europe, Thailand and North America. We combine tea and fusions together and give them a special profile.

"Emotions are the reasons people drink tea and we have an answer for every one of them. We have different blends for different purposes because that is the flexibility that tea offers in comparison to coffee. Consumers are intelligent enough to decide what product they want and at what time. They just need to have the offer."

Just T was introduced to Bahrain over a month ago and has been gaining popularity among those who crave the exclusive. It offers a classic selection of four flavours - organic black tea Earl Grey, green tea original, black tea classic/Ceylon and black tea Darjeeling.

A great favourite is the herbal infusion range of Cool Spearmint, Rooibos Infusion Smooth Vanilla, Fruit Infusion with Sweet Berry and with Oriental Apple, Herbal Infusion Sweet Chai and Green Tea Morning Star.

The spa selection has four herbal infusions with chamomile and honey, liquorice and mint, ginger and lemon and orange and tangerine.

The latest range of Just T is available for sale and consumption at Vida restaurants in Hoora and Hamala and Illy Espresse Mente at the Sheraton. And every flavour of Just T explains the ideal way to prepare the brew on the reverse of its packaging.

Lars Ellerbrock's golden rules

1. Tea should be stored in a firmly closed container in a cool, dry and dark place. This prevents other scents (eg spices) from compromising the taste and saves the original aroma of tea. Tea should be used within three months of opening.

2. Always pre-heat the tea pot with warm water.

3. Boil fresh water and pour it over the tea (let it cool down to approx 70 deg C for green tea). One teaspoon or tea bag per cup is ideal.

4. Let the tea steep.The time depends on the type of tea and the desired effect. The shorter time the tea brews, the more stimulating it is. The longer the tea steeps, the more tannins are set free, giving the tea a relaxing effect.

5. Stir the tea and decant it or take out the tea bags.

GulfWeekly asked three executives to take the T test and rate their favourite from one to five

Assaad Khalil Saad, Jr assistant F&B manager, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts

Flavour of choice: Fruit Infusions with Sweet Berry

Rating: 1

Drinks: Coffee and Tea

Comment: I love this for its pure berry smell. It's really nice. I like the sweet and fruity taste. This is also my favourite because there are no additives or preservatives ... it is pure organic and very healthy. I drink this when I have to relax, take a break and enjoy a cuppa. My other favourite is Rooibos Infusion Smooth Vanilla.

We started serving these teas a month ago in our hotel. We have been receiving good feedback from our customers especially because everybody is focussing on their health these days. They like the smell of the teas especially as they are not heavy and are pure tea.

Patrick Farran, general manager, The Palace Bahrain

Flavour of choice: Green Tea Original

Rating: 2

Drinks: A firm tea drinker

Comment: I have tea both at work and at home. I like the classic flavours and I always go for green tea as it gives a real taste of tea. It's not artificial and has a real herb flavour to it. It is even better as I am trying to avoid caffeine. I also enjoy drinking Fruit Infusions with Oriental Apple. It is not so sweet and I like its sour taste.

We are becoming a boutique hotel and we like to have organic flavours. And this is why we opted for Just T. We have also gone for loose tea because we believe that we can customise the flavour of the tea and it is really nice to serve it in the pot.

Lamis Habib-allah, programme assistant United Nations Development Programme

Flavour of choice: Rooibos Infusion Smooth Vanilla

Rating: 1

Drinks: Tea

Comment: I like this tea because it does not have caffeine and I can drink it any time of the day. It doesn't leave the bitter tea after taste. It is fragrant and even if it cools down you can still drink it. I used to have Lipton and Ahmed tea but since I was introduced to this I have switched over completely.

With flavoured teas I have always had the problem that the ingredients were not always 100 per cent natural. It used to always give me stomach problems. But this is just perfect.