TeaGschwendner: The distinctive pleasures of tea

After many hours spent without food or drink, Muslims all over the world break their daily fast with water and dates followed by an invigorating cup of tea or coffee. A large part of the pleasure tea affords is that it gets you high but it is a “high” so gentle that we hardly notice it, yet it is for the sake of this subtle “high” that tea has been developed and constantly refined by generations of tea lovers during its five thousand year history.
In 1955, the New York Academy of Medicine held a symposium on “Pharmacological and Physiological Effects of Tea” and confirmed that unlike coffee, tea does not cause nervousness, insomnia, or stomach irritation when drunk in quantity. Their tests showed a cup of tea gives both an immediate and a delayed lift without secondary depressing effects later on. Moreover, tea increases mental alertness and agility, brightens the spirit and sharpens sensations.
Despite the ongoing demand for espresso, latte and cappuccino, tea remains the most popular drink in the world after water.
“Indeed, there is perhaps no other beverage that has been the object of such ritual and ceremony in societies the world over. Its fragrance and gentle aromas generate a sense of well-being and fellowship across the world and around the clock,” says Thomas Holz, the famous tea taster from TeaGschwendner.
TeaGschwendner which was founded in 1978, has branches all over the Kingdom in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran. The shop’s indulging atmosphere invites you to ask any question and perfect your knowledge about tea.
I familiarized myself with what is known as White Tea, a class unto itself. This exquisite tea neither fermented nor rolled comes mainly from the Fujian Province in China. The White Peony or Pai Mu Tan which is available at TeaGschwendner is considered a rare tea even in China. This tea, distinguished by its count of silver downy buds, is bright, aromatic and slightly sweet with clean notes of chestnut, honey and white flowers.
I also found a high quality Jasmine tea. Jasmine tea was apparently invented some eight hundred years ago under the Sung Dynasty. Flower and tea are mated in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavor of the blossoms and for the highest grades this process may be repeated as many as five times over the period of a month. The flowers may or may not be removed from the final product and in the lower grades they generally are not. The flowers are dessicated and contain no more aroma. Dried jasmine flowers add only visual appeal anyway and, contrary to what most people believe, are no clue to quality.
The selections of Japanese Green Teas include the most prized non ceremonial Japanese tea known as “Gyokuro” which means Pearl Dew. The rarest tea in Japan is the powdered leaf used for the tea ceremony. It is called “Tencha” or “Matcha” and consists of less than 1 percent of the production. “Gyokuro” is not weak and flavorless, it is mouthfilling and rich, with a very complex herbaceous quality to it.
Formosa Oolong is a superb tea. It’s called Formosa instead of Taiwan for the same reason Ceylon Tea isn’t called Sri Lankan Tea. The Latin name the Portuguese gave the island aptly applies to this tea, for Formosa means “beautifully shaped”. It is not a Black Tea, like Assam, Ceylon or Darjeeling and it is not a Green Tea either. The leaf is left to wither and ferment a little so that it comes up with two percent caffeine and something altogether different, known as “Oolong”. Formosa Oolong has none of Darjeeling’s astringency. It has in fact no astringency at all and there’s also none of Black Tea’s bitterness to the taste. It’s more deliciously fruity than any other tea and of a sparkling character that makes lemon and sugar unnecessary even for those accustomed to them and makes milk totally unthinkable.
If you like strong tea, Assam makes just your cup of tea. It is pungent, malty tasting, and full-bodied and looks unusually dark. If you add a few teaspoons of milk you’ll notice it takes on a bright red-brown color, while Darjeeling turns a grayish cast when milk is added.
Assam is a district in northeastern India that lies along the Indian-Burmese border. It is proof than not all high-quality tea has to be grown high in the mountains. Formosa Oolong incidentally is also low grown.
TeaGschwendner also carries a selection of Nilgiri Tea. Nilgiri is a Tamil word that means “Blue Mountains”, a range at the southernmost tip of India overlooking the Indian Ocean toward Africa. The Nilgiri tea gardens are drenched by hot monsoons, from the south west during August and September and from the northeast during January and February and this is when the best Nilgiri is harvested, although flush is produced and plucked throughout the year.
Another good black tea also available at TeaGschwendner comes from Kenya. A relatively new comer since tea was first grown in Kenya in 1903. The principal growing districts are in the Kenya Highlands, an extensive area covering both sides of the Rift Valley between Mount Kenya and Lake Victoria. The quality is so high in part because British companies have poured capital into the industry, developing some of the world’s most modern factories. Kenya tea makes a strong, dark and hearty brew, with a sort of sweetness to the fragrance and flavor that you will find in no others.
Last but not least, TeaGschwendner has a high quality selection of herbal teas which help us improve our health and offer a natural retreat from the challenges and stresses we face on daily basis.
If you are looking for a substitute to your morning tea or coffee, you may like to opt for the Herbalist’s Good Morning, a stimulating mixture which combines the tartness of hibiscus, the spark of green mate and the invigorating chill of peppermint.
I personally prefer the Herbalist’s favorite, a blend of rose hips, lemon grass, apple pieces, and linden and hibiscus blossoms.
And in this scorching summer heat, Fruit Teas make delicious iced teas. Blood Orange Fruit is overtly popular. Bursting with sweet, juicy, citrus appeal, this sunny blend is made with apple and beetroot pieces, orange peel, rose hips, freeze-dried orange pieces, hibiscus blossoms, safflower, orange and marigold blossoms.
Last but not least, I discovered a “Kid’s Fruit Tea”, a healthy alternative to high-calorie soda. This refreshing combination of apples pieces, rose hips, papaya pieces, hibiscus blossoms, pineapple pieces, carrot slices, orange peel, sour cherries, raspberries and peppermint can be taken hot or iced.
TeaGschwendner is a company committed to excellence. Tea tasters ensure that only the highest quality products are selected and this quality is assured by certified, transparent processes. Furthermore, by purchasing directly from growers, TeaGschwendner is able to guaranty the quality, safety and expertise of all its products at fair prices.

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