我們的品茶師
創辦人之一Louise是經驗豐富的品茶師，擁有超過15年的品茶和採購茶葉經驗。茶的好壞，她一試就知。Louise走訪世界各地大大小小的茶園，尋找優質茶葉。每一批茶她都會親自品嚐，以確保你飲到的是最好的茶。
究竟品茶師平時都是飲什麽茶的呢？Louise每天早上都會飲兩杯英式早餐茶，你就知有多美味。
甚麼是茶？
你知道綠茶
和紅茶是源自同一款木本植物嗎？
其實，無論是紅茶、綠茶、白茶或烏龍茶、同是源自茶樹。茶類是按製作工藝而劃分。嚴格來説，南非博士茶和花茶都不是「茶」，因爲並非由茶樹茶葉製作而成。稍後會有更詳細的講解，繼續看下去吧！
在南北回歸線之間的熱帶地區，天氣炎熱潮濕，高降雨量，種植出來的茶葉品質最好。
中國、印度、斯里蘭卡及肯亞就是茶葉的主要產區，其次是土耳其、越南、伊朗及印尼，還有數之不盡的茶園。其實，天氣只要符合茶樹生長，就可以種出茶樹。就連英國康沃爾都有茶園！
茶葉基本製作工藝包括採摘鮮葉，萎凋和發酵，茶類亦視乎發酵程度而定。發酵（亦稱爲氧化）是讓茶葉接觸空氣而產生氧化的過程。簡單來説，茶葉發酵越久，茶就越濃越深色。紅茶為全發酵茶，味道濃醇，配牛奶同樣美味。綠茶則因爲加熱殺青而停止發酵，味道清爽，茶色明亮。
白茶
White tea is basically unprocessed tea and is named after the fuzzy white ‘down’ that appears on the buds. White tea is simply plucked and then left to dry. A bit of oxidation does happen naturally, as it can take 24 hours to air-dry the tea leaves, but very little. White teas should have a very pale green or yellow liquor – they are super-light and delicate teas, a real treat.
綠茶
Green tea is plucked, withered and rolled and then either roasted (in something resembling a giant wok) or steamed like your veggies (in a big cylinder); this heats the leaves, preventing fermentation and sealing in that lovely greenness. Steamed green teas tend to have a more delicate taste than the roasted version.
烏龍茶
The leaf is plucked from the bush and allowed to wither. It's then twisted and allowed to ferment… partially; that is, it's allowed to turn slightly from green to brown but not completely, and it’s then dried in a giant oven. Sometimes called “blue tea”, oolong is between green and black – it has some of the strength of a black tea but still has the fragrant taste that you’ll find with a green tea. Best drunk without milk.
紅茶
Black tea is plucked from the bush and withered in the open air. When the leaf becomes soft it is twisted and then fermented. The fermentation is the most important and skilled stage; this is when the leaf oxidizes and turns dark. Finally the leaf is cooked in a giant oven to seal in the flavour. Black tea is the British favourite, with milk and a couple of biscuits!
花草茶
薄荷茶
薄荷葉源於歐洲和中東，但現今種植地已遍佈全球。
The active ingredient in peppermint is menthol, which is an organic compound that produces a cooling sensation when applied to the mouth or skin. Peppermint has been taken after meals for centuries and we love it as a tea and in a chocolate!
南非博士茶
南非博士茶亦名為國寶紅茶或紅灌木茶，因其口感香醇、帶天然甜味和堅果香氣，和天然不含咖啡因及低單寧而廣受歡迎。它來自南非紅灌木的葉子，這種葉只生長於南非中部的Cedar Valley。
博士茶並不屬於「茶」類，因為它是由豆科灌木(aspalathus linearis) 的植物針葉烘製而成，這種葉在加工過程中會由亮綠色轉為紅色。
博士茶含有豐富營養，因為不含咖啡因而被認為是最佳的茶替代品。儘管它是花草茶，但你仍可加入牛奶當奶茶喝。
洋甘菊花茶
Chamomile is one of the old favourites among garden herbs and its reputation as a medicinal plant that helps you snooze is well known. The fresh plant has a lovely scent, with a distinct ‘appley’ smell - not lost on the Greeks, who named it ‘ground-apple’ (Kamal-melon).
甘草根
Liquorice, or sweet root as it is known, is grown throughout Europe and Asia. The roots of the small liquorice plant extend to 30ft in length, and it is this root which is used to make our tea thanks to its natural sweetness.
good vs bad tea
A good tea is a well-made tea - one that has been looked after and finely crafted. Generally tea estates have to choose between making large volumes of ok tea or a smaller amount of something really top-quality. If they choose the latter they will only pick the best leaves (the freshest shoots from the top of the bush) and process them very delicately ensuring that they don't damage the leaf.
We always say, "The best tea is the one you love the best". And if you're anything like us, that will change depending on the time, the occasion, even your mood. We love all our teas, at different times - asking us to pick one would be like a parent choosing a favourite child! What you can be sure of is that teapigs teas will always be of the best quality.