What does the Tea Guy drink?

Just realised that this is my first blog of 2010, I really must up my game! I have a back-log or should that be "back-blog" of ideas to share!

Still, being an ex-pom turned Kiwi one of the hardest things to get used to living in New Zealand is having Christmas and the New Year during summer. Christmas creeps up almost unawares, and then there is the "relaxing holiday" month of January juggling kids and, well kids, which seems to spit you out into February hurtling back into the hurly-burly of life.

During the last couple of months we have done quite a few tea tastings for external visitors and customers here at our tasting rooms at Bell Tea and I keep being asked what I drink, or what is my favourite cup of tea. One thing that strikes me these days is how tea consumers tend to drink different types of tea at different times of the day. Even within the growing Bell portfolio of teas I am conscious when developing the blends as to when certain teas might be drunk. For instance our most recent addition to our black tea range, Bell Indian Origin is great as an afternoon tea, one to savour, to really overcome all that your palate might have experienced through during the day.

It made me think though as to what do I actually drink during the day, so here is my rough routine. I always start the day with a cup of Bell Kenya Bold, without fail. I usually make this in a tea-pot whether it is leaf tea or teabags and very strong - that is how I like it. There is nothing like this to really get you going in the mornings. Now Stephen Twining would disagree with me as he sips his cup of Twinings English Breakfast and I wouldn't knock the strength and refined flavour for one moment, but for raw power and the ability to set me up for the day, Kenya Bold it is.

I usually have a coffee mid-morning aroung 11am after we have finished the morning's tea tasting, this is to try and appreciate the great coffees we have in our range, but also to improve my slightly dodgy barista skills! I usually have a double shot of fresh Gravity coffee with a small amount of milk. Now I'm sure there is a proper Italian word for this but I call it a "double-shot half flat white"

At lunchtime I usually have a green tea, and we have a lot of great ones to choose from, i love Twinings Green Tea with Orange + Mandarin, and also Twiste Kiwi from our "Live Tea" range, often though I might sip one from my library of samples. I tasted a great Oolong the other day which I have hidden away so no-one else can find it.

In the afternoon I will usually have a pot of India Orign tea there is nothing better than the Assam and Darjeeling flavours to revive me. Also, as these teas are seasonal and only available in a small window of production every year, I love seeing hoe the blend mellows and matures until the new season's teas arrive.

Finally, I alway finish my day with a cup of Twinings Peppermint, I find this very cleansing, good for my digestion and a great way of settling me for the evening.

So there is a rough journey through my tea drinking as opposed to tea tasting day.