London’s Hidden Gem

Over the last six months, EP has been working with the London Tea Exchange; a genuine world-class business that very few know about.

It is strange but our knowledge of teas is really quite limited. This is especially surprising given the long relationship and history that the UK has had with tea. As one learns more, one does wonder why broader and more interesting tea menus have not been developed in the same way coffee has seen its options become so well known.

Interestingly, as we have developed discussions, so too have we discovered that many chefs are interested in learning how they can use teas to cook with, to bring further depth and diversity to taste. Many operations too have wanted to develop their tea experiences, so there is a rapidly growing momentum.

The London Tea Exchange is a hidden gem which represents over 800 teas from over 43 countries across the world including some of the rarest to be found. The London Tea Exchange works with many Royal Families across the world and with the Nobel Prize, where each winner is presented with a box of some of the rarest and finest teas in the world.

In May this year, the London Tea Exchange will be seeing the end of a five year project with the launch of the world’s most expensive tea, which already has a two year waiting list.

The founder of the London Tea Exchange is Aliur Rahman who has been a key figure in the City over many years, worked on UK trade delegations and has built a network which could rival “Who’s Who”. He was involved in discussions at Cop26 on Tea and is working with the United Nations looking towards a stronger sustainable future. The London Tea Exchange is also due to represent the UK at the Dubai Expo in early March. This is a world-class product seeking to ensure that tea once again becomes a premium choice and regains its rightful place.

With more people wishing to consume less alcohol and to be more mindful of their health & well-being, tea is beginning to see a renaissance. There is so much variety to be discovered which is unknown by most consumers. The opportunity is to educate and inspire consumers with the rich variety just as coffee did twenty five years ago. Across the country, afternoon tea sales have seen strong growth and performance over the last year and are set to grow further this year. (highlight this)However, the teas have often been almost secondary to the food and one of the aims is to create a platform for the teas to become the centre of attention as there is so much to try and explore. There are also so many afternoon tea experiences to be created round the teas to provide guests with genuinely interesting, innovative and immersive experiences.

Tea will become more important too within hospitality as many clients seek to drink less. It is said that over 50% are looking to reduce their alcohol consumption by half in the next year. 30% of UK adults are now classified as non-drinkers.

If you are interested in discovering just how tea can positively impact, then please contact us at lauran.bush@epmagazine.co.uk