Green tea may be gd for us but does it have to taste so bland?

Numerous stories and scientific studies abound about how good green tea is for health. So what is stopping all us health conscious folks from guzzling gallons of the stuff, like the Chinese or Japanese do? Our study shows that it is the taste of green tea that is putting us off. Despite being well aware of its numerous health benefits, most of those surveyed find that green tea tastes bland and are shocked that you do not add milk to it.

Does green tea really taste that bland? Does something so good have to be so boring? Do the billions of Chinese worldwide know something that we in the UK don’t? Discover China’s Secret teas, where can one find good quality, great tasting green tea.

Though most consumers’ experience of Chinese tea is the bitter tea served in restaurants, or the green tea leaf dregs sold in supermarket tea bags, there is a whole range of high-grade Chinese teas of which the West is largely unaware.

Inspired by the Chinese who revere tea tasting as much as we do wine tasting, China Secret teas (www.chinasecret.co.uk) has been created to make tea drinking a visual and aromatic experience – through fine handcrafted flowerball teas, which, when brewed, reveal a flower on the inside. As the quality of leaves used is so high, one can keep topping it up with hot water to have throughout the day. Making a cup of tea both economical, healthy and tasty.

China Secret’s tea-makers practice time-honoured methods of crafting tea. During the March harvest, only the single leaf blade from the tip of the stem is plucked. After the steaming process, the blades are then hand-fashioned into their various shapes; a tightly rolled leaf is an indication of high quality tea. While drying, jasmine flowers are infused underneath the green tea leaves numerous times to produce a rich flavour and fragrant jasmine bouquet. All of China Secret teas come from the Fujian province – the most honoured of the tea producing areas. They come in packs of 4, 8 and 12 – small enough to treat yourself or large enough to share! Varieties include:

Fragrant Floating Orange (Dan Gui Piao Xiang), a mushroom shaped green tea with three flowers inside – a blend of jasmine & delicate fruity apricot sweetness.
Golden heart or Golden treasure (Jin Yuan Bao Cha ) Jasmine mixed with floral sweetness) and heart shaped, just to give that extra ahh!
Fresh flowers (Chu Shui Fu Rong). A green ball with pink Osmanthus flower inside which gives the jasmine smoked green tea a delicate fruity-floral apricot aroma.
Pink Glory (Hua Long Tu Zhu), a long green tea oblong with pink flower inside, which has a delicate aroma of jasmine mixed with floral sweetness.
Thousand Days Peach Blossom (Qian Re Hong Xian Tao), an oblong green tea with a pink flower inside which has a complex aroma of jasmine mixed with floral sweetness.
Sweet perfection (Jin Shang Tian Hua ), a green tea posy with 3 yellow Chrysanthemum flowers - a taste of floral sweetness with a hint of pleasant nutty note.

China’s Secret was started in 2005 by Hazel Tan Weiersmuller who in her quest to find good quality Chinese green teas decided to set up in business for herself and other like-minded tea aficionados. She fell in love with the teas after her uncle brought them back from China as a gift. Hazel’s aim is to establish Chinese tea houses where people can practise the art of tea drinking and just sit and enjoy tea, conversation and life – a lovely antidote to the fast paced adrenaline packed experience provided by today’s coffee houses.

For more information, product reviews and photographs please contact Hazel Tan Weiersmuller on +44(0)7796697315 or contact her via email at: hazel@chinasecret.co.uk.

www.chinasecret.co.uk