Karine Laudort 
Newby Tea Tasting
Newby Teas is a luxury premium tea brand founded in London in early 2000 by Nirmal Sethia. The brand’s philosophy is based on a commitment to quality, authenticity, and sustainability. Newby Teas sources its teas directly from the best tea gardens in the world and only uses the finest, whole tea leaves to ensure that every cup of tea is of the highest quality. Newby’s offerings also include Teaware, Tea gifts and, of course, many varieties of tea.
I was honoured to be invited to visit Newby Teas London headquarters recently and to experience my very first tea-tasting session with their Tea Sommelier, Evita. We tasted 12 different teas:
1. Silver Needle
(Slightly creamy with a honey-melon aroma)
2. Emperor’s Green Gourmet Candy
(Green tea)
3. Sunflower Dew Vangogh
(Floral green tea)
4. Rare Assam tea
(Rich notes, malty taste and sweet aroma of brown sugar)
5. Milk Oolong
(floral notes with creamy caramel aroma)
6. Prime Darjeeling
(black tea with the aroma of muscatel grape)
7. Maharaja’s Breakfast By Matthew Williamson
(mix of malt with subtle sweet notes)
8. Exotic Earl Grey By Matthew Williamson
(Subtle bergamot oil and spicy safflower top note)
9. Almond Calm Van Gogh
(Natural flavour almond tea)
10. Persian Rose
(light golden cup with a subtle rose aroma, a gentle floral taste and a mild, lingering finish)
11. Night Calm
(A sweet, floral cup with hints of calming lavender & chamomile, leading to a warm, minty finish)
12. Yoga Relax
( A deep honey-coloured cup with a fresh Alpine aroma and soothing notes of holy basil and lemongrass)
The Chitra Collection
I was then given a guided tour of the Chitra Collection, an extraordinary private museum of historic teawares. In 2011 Nirmal Sethia, the Chairman of Newby Teas, set himself the task of acquiring the world’s greatest collection of teawares to record and preserve tea cultures of the past. Named after his late wife Chitra, the collection totals almost 2000 objects and is already the world’s finest and most comprehensive of its kind.
With objects from Europe, Asia and the Americas and from over a thousand years of history, the Chitra Collection is a unique reflection of the importance of tea and the diversity of tea-drinking customs across the world. Here is a selection of my favourite pieces:
One of the first official teapots is considered to have been made in the 16th century in Yixing in the Jiangsu province of China, about 120 miles northwest of Shanghai.
This “famille verte” (green family) teapot is so called because of the variety of clear green enamels used to decorate it. This Chinese export porcelain painted in this style, of which vast amounts were created for the Western market during the 17th and 18th centuries.
1832
Four-piece tea and coffee set with its matching salver as a royal commission created by renowned British silversmith Paul Storr. Each piece is engraved with a coat of arms below a German royal crown.
Trophy teapot, made by a silversmith named Benjamin Preston. It has a woodland scene in which hounds are depicted frenetically chasing a hare.
(1750)
(1878)
Bullet-shaped teapot is made from bloodstone mounted with gold openwork. The finial of the teapot has the shape of a seated Cupid aiming his bow and arrow at two love birds on the spout. The rococo style, which was popular in Europe in the mid-18th century, influenced the motifs and decoration.
Teapot was made at the Royal Worcester factory by the experimental potter George Owen who perfected the art of piercing ceramics to create a honeycomb effect. To create the honeycomb, Owen pierced the wet clay body freehand before each vessel was fired a number of times.
The teapot was created by Mr Sethia in 2016 and called the Egoist (which means ‘Selfish’ in French). It is big enough to contain only 1 cup of tea. After the guided tour hosted by their historian. Newby Teas has won many awards and accolades for its exceptional tea blends, including the Great Taste, Sofi, and World Tea Awards. The brand has also collaborated with prestigious institutions such as The Ritz-Carlton and The Dorchester. Furthermore, its teas are served in many of the world’s leading hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
What makes Newby Teas so unique
- Newby’s teas offer second-flush, prime-season, blacks, greens, and oolong teas.
- A state-of-the-art packaging and preservation facility unique to Newby expertly safeguards the product’s character.
- No other tea company employs the same rigorous testing standards as Newby. Over 150 awards and accolades have been awarded to the company, many from the prestigious Global Tea Championship, USA.
- The majority of Newby’s ownership is held by a British-registered charity. It ensures that the company’s honesty will never be compromised.
- Furthermore, Newby is the custodian of the Chitra Collection, which dates from the 10th century and is the world’s largest collection of teaware.
- In addition to ancient objects, The Chitra Collection houses modern objects such as The Egoist, the world’s most valuable teapot according to Guinness World Records.
- The Chitra Collection directly inspired many of Newby’s products, and the company now holds numerous internationally recognised awards.
- Newby strives for excellence in each and every one of its operations and is the only tea company in the world dedicated to popularising the art and culture of fine tea.
- In addition to its premium tea blends, Newby Teas is also known for its distinctive packaging, which features colourful, artistic designs inspired by different cultures and regions worldwide. Moreover, the brand is committed to sustainability and ethical sourcing.
- Lastly, it supports various charitable and social initiatives through its N. Sethia Foundation.
Generally, I am very grateful to have been able to taste a variety of Newby Teas flavours and better understand the tea-making process. Having the opportunity to explore and learn about the amazing Chitra Collection was an incredible experience, and the teaware on display was extraordinary.
To learn more about the craft of luxury tea, follow @newbyteas on Instagram, the Chitra Collection can be followed on @tea.museum, or to find more information, please visit the following websites www.newbyteas.com and www.chitracollection.com.
