It’s not just the British who enjoy brewing a refreshing cup of tea. Chai and mint tea have been part of our region’s beverage rituals for centuries, and recently healthy green and fruit teas have become more popular. Even in the hottest countries, tea is perceived as energy-boosting because the caffeine or herbal mixes temporarily increase your heart rate. But the difference between a good cup and a mighty cup is in the luxury of the leaves.
For Sinan Al Saady, franchise owner of the high-end Mighty Leaf Tea brand in the Middle East, tea is a labour of love in all senses of the word. “It’s all to do with the quality of the tea, really,” he says. “My wife and I were on our honeymoon [in California], and we tried the tea while having dinner with friends at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.” In fact, the newlyweds were so impressed with the tea made by the San Francisco company that, “as a gift for my wife I got the dealership here in the Middle East. We also decided to open a tea shop in Saudi,” he adds. Chai & Ba opened in Jeddah in late 2005.
The region’s thirst for new and luxury tea quickly became apparent, “We sell to about 40 hotels, spas and restaurants in the Middle East. We also cater for A-list homeowners who like to have the best quality tea in their houses,” he explains. Mighty Leaf Tea buys and packages the first pick of tea leaves from plantations in India, China, Japan and Sri Lanka. “Tea leaves can be picked up to five times in one year, but it is the first that is the best quality,” says Al Saady. The leaves are then blended with a range of fruits and herbs to create the 120 different varieties of loose or bagged tea that Mighty Leaf Tea offers.
Although loose tea is favoured by purist tea drinkers, Mighty Leaf Tea has also developed unique handcrafted whole leaf tea pouches, more convenient for those who don’t have time to prepare their tea in the traditional way. Larger than conventional tea bags, the silken pouches are biodegradable and don’t infuse with the hot water, allowing the taste of the loose leaf tea in the pouch to brew naturally.
And you can pretty much taste the luxury. These teas are light, refreshing and flavoursome. Particular favourites include the Ginger Twist, a sweet-tasting, caffeine-free tea with a refreshing smell, and the Mountain Spring Jasmine, a delicately flavoured tea with a light, non-acidic taste, and one of the Mighty Leaf Tea company’s most popular teas. Al Saady’s favourite, the Green Tea Tropical tea is also the company’s best-selling tea, and with its unique blend of tropical fruits, smooth flavour and no bitter after-taste, it’s easy to see why.
For those aficionados for whom money is no object, the Mighty Leaf Tea company also stocks the vintage and exclusive Chinese pu-erh black tea. This tea is made from leaves dried in the 1950s and 1960s with a palm-sized block costing a cool 30,000 to 40,000 USD. Thankfully, the leaves can be brewed up to 15 times without compromising the taste. Of course, having the best-quality tea means nothing if you can’t display it properly, and Chai & Ba offer an exclusive range of tea boxes and a tea box personalisation service. High tea has just been turned up a notch.
The Mighty Brew
The routine for the perfect cup is pretty much the same the world over.
1. Use filtered or bottled water. Never over-boil as this will result in flat-tasting tea
2. Pre-heat the teapot or cups by pouring in hot water, letting it sit for a few minutes
3. Drain the pot or cup thoroughly
4. Add the tea pouch to the cup, or the loose tea to the pot
5. Pour in the water. Allow the flavour of the tea to infuse for about 3-5 minutes
Contact
Mighty Leaf Tea/NYJco
Jeddah, KSA
Tel +9665 04623950
