Blog

Wow, what a fantastic few months it’s been here at Tea People!

We’ve celebrated even more awards, welcomed a game-changing new arrival on-site and been absolutely delighted to get back out on the road – spreading the word about our teas and our mission, and making some wonderful new friends along the way. So, without further ado, let’s get you up to speed on what’s been going on at Tea People since our last update …

Great Taste Awards – our first ever 3-star winner

You already know that our teas taste great but it’s always nice to make things official, isn’t it?

And last month, at the 2021 Great Taste Awards, we were delighted to add another six teas to our growing list of award-winners - taking our curr

Did you know every July, we celebrate one of the most amazing and versatile plants - HEMP!

Hemp Tea

Hemp plants have been around for a long time. They have been mentioned in early Indian scriptures more than 10,000 years ago. However hemp plants have also been mired in controversy and even exiled as they are often mistaken for their intoxicating cousin, Marijuana. Now, legal advancements are changing how people view and access hemp. Also careful breeding and selection have given rise to cultivars exceptionally low in the chemical compounds considered intoxicating. National Hemp Month offers an occasion to rediscover hemp and its usefulness for both people and the environment.

Hemp provides

Matcha is a green tea that looks somewhat like hallucinogenic green cocoa, and is drunk whole rather than steeped and has a strong oceanic vegetal taste with a very sweet aftertaste. Due to the fact that it is drunk whole, this tea has at least 3 times the antioxidant found in other green teas and several times that found in a glass of orange juice.   

Matcha is also said to boost metabolism and help reduce cholesterol levels when it is drunk regularly. It is a very versatile drink and can be had hot or cold, sweetened or unsweetened. 

It goes particularly well with dairy and can even be used as an ingredient in a variety of foods ranging from cakes and ice creams to scones and cookies, which brings us to what we will be doing today. 

There are some amazing sweet treat recipes out there but we decided to try this Green Tea (Matcha) Cake with White Chocolate Frosting, using our stunning Matcha Silver (cooking grade matcha).

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Green tea cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1

Matcha is a powdered green tea made by grinding high quality tea leaves. Although the process of making and consuming powdered green tea was originally invented in China a long time ago, it was in Japan that the process was converted into a fine art. Even now Japanese matchas are considered the finest and the Ceremonial grade of Matcha (Matcha Gold) is used in prestigious tea ceremonies.

The use of matcha has skyrocketed in popularity lately due to its unique taste and myriad health benefits, with matcha shots, lattes, teas, and even desserts appearing everywhere from health stores to coffee shops. Therefore, we have an amazing recipe for a Matcha Latte you can have hot or cold!

Matcha contains the nutrients from the entire tea leaf, which results in a greater amount of caffeine and antioxidants than typically found in other green tea. Studies of matcha have shown its components have a variety of benefits, showing that it can help protect the liver, promote heart health, and even aid in weight loss.

So, what are you waiting for, here is a simple recipe to create a beautiful Matcha Latte. You can either use either our Matcha silver or our Organic Matcha for this.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp matcha green tea powder
• Sweetener to taste
• 3 tbsp warm water
• 250ml cold milk or 300ml hot milk (For vegans, use a barista version of you favorite plant milk)

How To Prepare

1. Spoon the Matcha and the sweetener(if using) into a mug or cup.
2. Add the warm water and mix with a spoon until it is a smooth dark green paste to ensure no lumps form.
3. Warm the milk in a small saucepan and pour into the mug until nearly full. Use cold milk for an iced latte.  
4. Use a whisk to mix the paste and milk together until frothy and smooth.  
5. If you so wish, you can add a few sprinkles

Our brand new contemporary DHPO range has landed, here is all you need to know about this beautiful range.

They are a great way to add some minimalistic style to your kitchen, compact enough so they do not
take up anymore space than necessary and so eye-catching they will have guests wondering where
you got it.

Not only will these pieces bring some elegant style to your home, they are also made from all natural
and eco-friendly materials. Each of these products include a stainless-steel infuser to hold your
favourite loose tea, which is also an ideal way forward to being eco conscious.

Parts & Materials

Basket Infuser: Stainless Steel

• Dishwasher-safe

School supported by Tea People

As the days shorten, the weather cools, and the summer starts to wind down, there's just one thing on most children in Britain's minds: back to school. This annual ritual of pencil-purchasing, hair-cutting, and sleepless nights filled with mixed panic and excitement at the prospect of the new school year always makes me miss the days of my youth. Even if your pre-September routine was slightly less anxiety ridden than mine, I'm sure we all have strong recollections of these times of our lives.

However, not every child gets the chance to think about their imminent return to learning. 58 million children across the globe don't have access to education. For many of these children, the nerves, butterflies and ultimate magic of the school year will never become a reality.

Truth be told, I stumbled upon this recipe completely by accident. I had a hot cup of peppermint tea brewed and ready but the way things are in a growing business, I never got around to drinking it and it grew cold. Someone had mentioned cucumbers go well with mint so I  chopped up a fresh cucumber, dropped it into my now cold tea and stuck the cup into the fridge....and voila! a cold tea that made you tingle with cold even during the hottest day of the year!

I have now made slight changes to the recipe to further simplify and perfect the  recipe. Have fun!

Anja Nielsen - Tea People Volunteer

It may seem a bit strange: a 23-year-old who works full-time in London and endures a four hour round trip commute, volunteering to do Social Media for a tea company. In fact, put it that way and the question of time seems to arise. How on earth does she fit this work in? you may ask, and Why?

It's  simple enough really, how I make it all work. It's because I want to.

But volunteering for Tea People isn't about the fantastic opportunities I get to try different teas, or the fact that I'm able to follow along with the day-to-day growth of this small but mighty Social Enterprise. What makes me find the time (and it is only a few hours a week, truth be told), is the vital work that Tea People do in Darjeeling. The schools that every cuppa helps to build are the reason I asked to be a part of the organisation, and the reason I continue to make time for this work. Every child deserves an equal opportunity to succeed and I share the Tea People belief that this is only possible through equal access to quality education. We raise our mugs, together, to achieve this goal.