We speak with Will Dixon, Yorkshire Tea buyer, and ask him some questions both about the brand and tips for the tea lover.
Yorkshire Tea has a very distinct flavour and depth profile. Can you tell us about the house style, and where you source your tea from?
Yorkshire Tea is a mix of origins which allows us to get the best characteristics from multiple tea origins. We add Assam tea (from north east India) which gives body and a malty character and we add teas from east Africa (Kenya and Rwanda in particular) that give great briskness (a refreshing taste that leaved you wanting more) and excellent brightness to the cup. We always blend these origins together at the same ratio to give a great and consistent taste – no matter when you taste Yorkshire Tea the blend will taste the same – we take great pride in giving the consumer a great cup of tea.
Following on from the above, can you talk us through your range?
Yorkshire Tea is our flagship blend. In addition to this we have;
Yorkshire Gold which is the best everyday cup of tea you can buy – it has a similar mix of origins to Yorkshire Tea but only contains tea from the very best tea estates from around the world. It also has a large proportion of Rwandan tea that gives the cup a beautiful golden colour.
Proper Strong which again has body and malt from Assam and brightness and briskness from east Africa but we put more tea in the bag – so if you like your tea a little stronger then this is the cup for you!
Can you give the home consumer five tips towards creating a better tea experience?
Use great quality tea – if you don’t start the process with a good quality tea then no matter what you do during the process then you won’t get a good cup of tea at the end of it!
Use water fresh from the tap and only boil it once! Water that has been poured for a long time or has been boiled multiple times loses oxygen and will give a flat cup of tea with less flavour.
Once you have poured boiling water onto the tea bag (either in a mug or in a teapot) then give it a stir. This gives a more consistent and even brew as sometimes tea bags can become folded and less surface area of the tae is exposed to the boiling water whilst brewing.
Share the moment – we like to think that tea brings people together and no matter what the situation there is always a place for tea!
Savour the moment – an extraordinary amount of passion, attention to detail and effort goes into making a cup of tea, from the grower right through to the people who pack it into bags. So sip the tea and give yourself time to really appreciate its taste and the journey it has gone through.
Can you tell us about the ideal temperature and infusion times for different drinking preferences?
When brewing black tea (which Yorkshire Tea is) you should always use water at 100°C as this brings out the most flavour from the tea. Brewing time depends on personable preference – if you like a stronger cup of tea and /or are going to add milk then brew the tea for longer (up to 5 minutes) – don’t however leave the bag in for too long or the tea will develop an unpleasant stewy taste. If you like a lighter cup of tea then brew it for a shorter period of time. The main thing is that you enjoy your cup of tea – so if you like your cup of tea brewed a certain way then keep doing it that way!
Apart from the quality and excellent price points, why should the consumer try Yorkshire Tea?
We at Yorkshire Tea are really proud of the impact we have at origin (the areas of the world that we buy our tea from). We support the growers we buy from through various initiatives and work with producers that share our passion for doing things the right way and looking after both the people and the environments from which our tea comes from.