What makes the Lotusier tea humidor worth its Dh50,000 price tag?
... is the price of this tea humidor. Here’s why connoisseurs will consider it a worthy investment
According to Lotusier, a British brand specialising in high-end tea humidors, tea has five major “enemies”: air, light, heat, moisture and odour. In Lotusier’s creations, tea is stored in dedicated, handblown crystal containers, each fitted with four air channels to maintain an even distribution of humidity. In addition, a humidity pack is located in each container’s stainless steel base, to create a two-way humidification system.
Also featured in the humidor are hygrometers made in Germany. These measure the relative humidity level within each individual container (most tea varieties are optimally preserved within a 55 per cent to 70 per cent relative humidity range). The removable instruments are purposefully placed on the inside of the container’s lid, so they can be easily read.
It may look like a simple box, but the tea humidor consists of 20 components, cra ed in 12 workshops in four different countries. Woods are sourced from ecologically sustainable forests that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Measuring 30 centimetres by 25cm and standing 14.5cm high, the humidors took four years to develop and are available in two different configurations – a version fitted with four crystal containers also has room for a selection of tearelated accessories, including a stainless steel
tea scoop and four chrome-capped glass sand timers. An alternative version features six crystal containers, with no room for accessories.
Lotusier’s various collections reference the world’s five major tea-drinking cultures: there is Cha-Jing for China; Saicho for Japan; Indus for the Indian subcontinent; Andalus for the Middle East; and Deco for “the Euro-American Occidental”.
A new addition to the Japan-inspired Saicho collection is the Kyoto Sakura humidor (pictured). It is cra ed from pink sycamore wood, which lends it its powdery baby pink hue, and comes with a marquetry design. “Our delicate colour palette of so pinks, muted greens, soothing lilacs and creamy whites is evocative of renewal and vitality, as well as a gentle nascency so closely connected to spring,” says Lotusier founder Åsa Eriksson-Ahuja.
Lotusier offers a free personalisation service for each of its humidors – removable stainless steel plaques that are magnetically fitted onto the humidor’s inner lid can be engraved with the names of your favourite teas, your name or initials, or, if it’s a gi , those of the recipient.
The company is currently researching charitable causes relating to global tea-plantation workers, to which it will donate 10 per cent of the profits from each sale of its tea humidors.