Single Estate Teas

The most common question I get asked all the time is, what is single estate tea? Well, one way to think of it is, what is the difference between a Rolls Royce and a Ford Escort? One is a handcrafted original that has no duplicate, while the other is devoid of any distinction what so ever!

Common Man's Beverage

You have undoubtedly heard that tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, most consumed after water. Most people, who drink tea, prefer to go with a certain brand because of familiarity of taste, aroma, liquor etc. In order to maintain that kind of consistency, tea companies tend to blend teas from various sources until they arrive at their brand's trademark features. This consistency appeals to the masses, and allows manufacturers to produce the teas in thousands of kilograms for mass consumption. That is why the grocery store tea of a particular brand tastes the same from one bag to another, whether you buy it in California or in New Jersey.

So what is wrong with this? Plenty. For one, in the process of developing a taste that will suite the masses, manufacturers essentially kill all the distinctive qualities of the tea and come up with a blend that will be widely acceptable. Another, because such tea is has to be cheaply priced and produced in vast quantities, inferior tea, mostly left-over from the tea manufacturing process, forms the bulk of the tea, to which a token quantity of good quality tea is added to provide the fragrance, the color etc. In other words, the commoditized tea bag available is on the grocery store shelf is a mishmash of poor quality tea that is then marketed at the lowest price possible for a mass appeal.

Single Estate Teas on the other hand, are unadulterated, original high grade teas that originate from a particular estate, and carry the distinctive marks of the Estate, its elevation, its rainfall, its fertilization practices, its picking practices, the age of the tea bush, the grading by tea masters etc etc. In short, a Single Estate Tea is a Rolls Royce in the world of Ford Escorts - a hand crafted original, that can be cherished and enjoyed for its own marks of distinction.

Most connoisseurs of tea despise this mass commoditization of such a wonderful beverage. While most people continue to enjoy the mass commodity tea bags available in the grocery store for pennies, an individual who has tasted the distinctive aroma, the characteristic taste of a single estate tea will not go back to the grocery store tea bag! I have talked to many tea drinkers who swear that they would rather not drink tea than to drink the grocery store tea bag!!

Price is relative

Despite the fact that single estate teas are produced in very small quantities, the great thing about these teas is that unlike a great bottle of wine which will often cost an arm and a leg, most single estate teas are very much within the reach of most people. For the price of a good bottle of wine that would be consumed in one sitting at the dinner table, a tea connoisseur can enjoy outstanding tea every day, three or four times a day, for a month or more! Granted there are certain types of teas that are extremely expensive (last year, the highest bid for a Darjeeling tea came at $4000 per kg!!), such teas are indeed a rarity. Even today, most single estate teas are within the buying power of an average consumer. So don't be deterred by price. For most of us, a month long enjoyment of outstanding tea won't cost more than one person's cost of a night out in a decent restaurant.

Which Tea Will I like?

The second most common question I get is "I don't know which tea I will like, so what should I buy". There is no simple answer to this question, but the best answer I can give is, each tea has its own individual characteristic which you will come to appreciate the more you learn about it.

If you are buying from a reputable vendor, you will be drinking outstanding tea which will satisfy you in one-way or the other. When you buy a tea, try to learn as much about the tea as you can. Find out about the estate, its elevation, which tea producing region it comes from, how much quantity was produced, what is the history of the estate, who the current owners are, who the previous owners were etc etc. Drinking single estate teas is like setting off on a journey to enchanting lands about which you would otherwise never think. Once you have tried several estate teas and learned more about them, you will start identifying the distinctive qualities you particularly enjoy. Learning to appreciate Single Estate Teas is more about being aware of the beverage itself. The more you find out about the tea, the more you will come to enjoy it.

Drinking single estate tea is like starting a romance that will continue to intensify cup after cup. How about starting one today? If you would like to learn more about why you should choose Single Estate Teas from Jaya Teas, please click here.