WASHINGTON, 26 January 2003 — There is nothing more civilized than a cup of tea — especially when enjoyed at Washington’s beautiful botanical gardens with the world’s top authority on teas, Sam H.G. Twining, ninth-generation director of Twining & Co.
“Earl Grey is Twinings’ top selling tea, it’s sold all over the world, doesn’t matter where, it’s always No. 1,” he told Arab News at the press briefing introducing the exhibition of 100 historic teapots.
Informed this correspondent wasn’t fond of the Bergamot oil in Earl Grey tea, Twining didn’t blink, recommending instead their “Lady Grey Tea,” which Twining said has a soft bouquet of lemons and oranges, but no Bergamot oil.
Arab countries were very good Twining clients, he added, and praised their appreciation of tea, saying: “They love their good tea.”
“The secret to our success is that the flavor — no matter where you go — always tastes the same.”
Sam Twining represents a family and company whose name has been synonymous with tea for almost 300 years. And Twining, now in his mid-sixties, is widely recognized as the world’s foremost authority on tea.
He joined the company at 23, beginning at an entry level “pot boy” position, preparing tea samples for the tea tasters that create Twinings’ famous blends, from teas shipped from India, China, Sri Lanka and Africa to England where they are combined by the Twining blenders.
Now the company’s corporate relations director, he deals with more than 90 countries worldwide, including the Arab world.
Twinings was instrumental in establishing the Twining teapot gallery in the Castle Museum, Norwich, in 1989, and organized the teapot exhibition tour, which has already traveled to Sweden, Norway, Belgium and Australia. It arrived in the US in 1995, and is now at Washington’s botanical gardens, the last stop before returning to England.
The teapot exhibition has a good tale to it.
Twining said in1987 he was contacted by a woman who said her husband was an overly avid teapot collector, and his expensive passion had led their bank to start foreclosure proceedings on their house. Intrigued, Twining looked into her story. He said it was true: “Every flat surface in their house was covered with teapots. 2,500 teapots — to be exact.
“This fabulous collection was going to be broken up and sold to different corners of the world,” he said, and, after a bit of a search, found the Norwich Castle Museum would buy them.
The exhibition features 100 teapots from the 18th and 19th centuries, plus the world’s largest teapot, which hold 13 gallons of the brew. It was made in 1851 for the Crystal Palace Exposition in London.
There are also fine examples of “creamware,” England’s contribution to the history of ceramics. English creamware was the first practical earthenware pale enough in color to resemble porcelain.
What makes these teapots so special — is some show how British potters overcame their Chinese counterparts.
“When the teapots arrived in the 16th century, the tea was already in them,” Twining explained.
The challenge for the British potters was how to compete with the Chinese over the earlier decorated teapots. Twining said a “little earthenware teapot from 1730” in the collection symbolizes this example. Potters could decorate earthenware, but strived to achieve the same with porcelain. The British potters got to where they could make it white, he said, but their problem was hot water might always shatter the pot. This, he said, is why one puts milk in the cup first, and then tea.
“It was Mr. Joshua Wedgwood who invented shatterproof tea ware in 1760.”
In the early 19th century a fine ‘bone china’ (using ground animal bone) was developed and crafted into elegant tea services. The basic recipe is still used today by manufacturers of elegant tableware.
And, of course, there’s always a story within a story: When Richard Twining was elected chairman of the London tea dealers in 1789, he was undoubtedly mindful of the American colonies’ Boston Tea Party in 1773, and persuaded the British government to lower taxes on tea. “This marked the year tea replaced beer for breakfast,” said Twining.
[In 1773, Colonists disguised as Indians, emptied 342 chests of tea into Boston harbor to avoid payment of a British tax on tea. The British response helped unify the colonists and brought the movement for American independence.]
But for those who can’t fly in to the botanic gardens to view the exhibition, a great resource is available.
“My Cup of Tea,” is a book written by Sam Twining about the “world’s most popular beverage,” and published by James & James (Publishers) Ltd.
Full of anecdotes and history, it also serves as the Emily Post of proper tea storage and service:
To keep tea fresh, one should: “Store them in a screw-top jar or tea tin. Tea, like blotting paper, draws up kitchen smells and moisture. Black tea has a longer life than green tea, so buy the later more frequently.”
Obviously, Sam Twining knows the ins-and-outs of preparing a proper pot of tea:
“To make the perfect pot of tea you may use a teapot made of silver, stainless steel, glass or porcelain or an earthenware teapot glazed on the inside (a Brown Betty). Brewing times vary according to the size of leaf: small leaf teas 2-3 minutes, medium size 4-5 minutes, large leaf 6-7 minutes. It is not rude to take off the lid and stir before serving.”
Here are Twinings’ 10 golden tea rules:
• Tea loves oxygen. Draw cold water from the cold tap into an empty kettle to ensure the maximum oxygenated water.
• Tea loves cleanliness. Make sure that there is no layer of staining in your teapot. If there is, place 2 dessertspoonfuls of bicarbonate of soda in your teapot and add boiling water, then leave for two to three hours. It will leave your pot spotless, and most importantly, without an aftertaste.
• Warm the pot, but there is no need to dry it.
• Whilst all tea merchants advise one teaspoon for each person and one for the pot, always remember that tea should be as you personally like it, as weak or as strong as you wish.
• Because tea loves oxygen, put the boiling water on the tea as soon as the water boils. This maximizes the oxygen in the water and thus makes the best tea. (Note that green tea prefers water just before the boil.)
• Never take sugar in your tea as it numbs the palate and takes away from the taste of tea. Change to a fruit tea if you want something sweeter.
• A tea cozy extends the brewing time artificially, producing bitter, stewy tea. A removable infuser or tea bags can help to get round this problem.
• Lemon is good in Ceylon teas and the light black china teas.
• Remember: Milk in first. If you want to put milk in last, you may get fatty globules on the surface.
• Scum on the surface is caused by water. Invest in a water filter — it helps enormously.
Sam Twining also says different teas can go with different times of the day, according to the weather, the food you are eating, and even the company you are keeping.
Oh yes, and do try the Lady Grey Tea.
