Devoted to tea
The people at the Bell Tea Company are passionate about how they brew their tea. In fact, Master Tea Blender Alla knows exactly what she wants, right down to the cup!
THE PINK CUP FOR ME, PLEASE NAME Alla Heta, Bell Tea Company TEA OF CHOICE Bell Pure Green tea
As Master Tea Blender at the Bell Tea Company, I look back on my tea-making habits as a teenager with shame. I definitely had a dunk-it-and-go approach – basically giving the cup of hot water just a sniff of a tea bag. These days I have far more respect for the art of tea making – and tea drinking!
I always make sure it has brewed for three minutes before I drink it. It makes a huge difference – not only to the flavour of the tea but also it means you’re getting more of the healthy stuff, the antioxidants, too.
I love tea so much, my husband gave me a beautiful, pink, wide-brimmed cup, which is now the only one I will drink from at home. Yes, pink is my favourite colour but it’s more than that: I don’t like milk with my tea, so drinking it from a wide cup helps it to cool down quickly.
As Master Tea Blender, I source tea from estates all over the world – my last trip was to Sri Lanka – and I’m responsible for everything from quality control and organising tea tastings to developing exciting new blends for Bell. As you can imagine, I have developed a deep and abiding appreciation for tea.
My favourite teas are delicate and fragrant, like Bell Pure Green tea, and I’m not into any fancypants added flavours. I just love the 100 per cent pure, unadulterated taste of green tea sourced from the Zhejiang province in China, which grows some of the highest quality green tea in the world.
Tea is ‘my time’. I’ll grab a moment to sit in the sun, sipping on a little cup of tea and everything around me just fades away...
“I always make sure it has brewed for three minutes before I drink it. It makes a huge difference.”