Cornwall in Focus News

Tea going down well in Japan

Published 20 Aug 08 10:29

An article on this morning's BBC Breakfast television channel reported that Tea grown at the Tregothnan Estate is being exported in ever increasing amounts to the Far East and more especially Japan. The Tregothnan Estate, home of the Boscawen family since 1335 lies four miles southeast of Truro on the banks of the River Fal in Cornwall.

The tea plantation is the idea of the estate owner, the Honourable Evelyn Boscawen. Cultivation began about ten years ago and has been increasingly bearing fruit since 2005. It is the United Kingdom's only tea plantation. Tea comes from a special form of Camellia sinensis and Tregothnan Estate has the optimum climate to grow Indian and Chinese leaf Tea. “We can’t compete with the Tropics but the conditions are similar to those for a high-altitude, slow growing tea like Darjeeling,” says Jonathon Jones, garden director at Tregothnan. The leaves are hand-picked from April to October and blended with other exotic leaves to make four different varieties: Classic, Afternoon, Earl Grey and Green. The tea then undergoes processing involving withering and, if making a black tea, rolling, oxidation and drying until they contain just 2% moisture. If making green tea, the oxidation process is replaced by steaming. The whole process takes on average 36 hours and is completely natural. There are no additves or chemicals and with careful planning the plantation is self sustaining.

The current tea range includes:

Classic Tea - A unique blend of the finest Assam and China Type leaf with exclusive Tregothnan leaves,
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea - A light and exotic blend of the finest Darjeeling tea and the exclusive hand-plucked leaves from the Estate
Green Tea - A delicate and refreshing blend of fine Chinese Green tea and exclusive Tregothnan Green tea
Earl Grey Tea - Citrus bergamia is blended with Classic tea to create a really fresh identity for Earl Grey as well as the Tregothnan Herbal Infusions such as Lemon Verbena Tea and Manuka Infusion. All varieties are available from the Online Shop.

For more information on Tregothnan Estate, please telephone +44 (0) 1872 520007 or +44 (0) 01872 520000 for your wholesale enquiries. Tregothnan are also online at www.tregothnan.co.uk.

Where Can I try Tregothnan Tea?
Tregothnan Tea is available at Charlotte's Tea House in Truro. Charlotte's Tea House is on the first floor of the Coinage Hall. Walking through the door is like stepping back in time. From the beamed ceilings and chandeliers to the waitress's uniforms and Earl Grey tea, it is 'a sanctuary of Victorian Tranquility'.

Please telephone +44 (0) 01872 263706 for more information or if in Cornwall pop in to Charlotte's Tea House, Old Coinage Hall, 1 Boscawen Street, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2QU.

Slightly more expensive at £1.90 a cup as opposed to the norm of about £1.60, Tregothnan tea is much sought after and you can really taste the difference.

For the tea experts - How about a Tea Masterclass on the 23rd of October, 2008, at Charlotte's Tea House with Jane Pettigrew. The cost for the day is £175.

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