GOURMET TEAS FOR EVERYONE

The Gryphon Tea Company has been founded with a mission to make very high-quality, gourmet teas accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Founder Lim Tian Wee has long had a passion for fine teas. And it is a passion that he wants to share with the world.

Ever since he joined Lim Lam Thye (www.limlamthye.com), the business his great-grandmother first started when she moved from Anhui to Singapore, Mr Lim had harbored aspirations of creating his own teas and his own exclusive tea label. Having spent some years in the family business, he now feels confident about creating teas of his own which will set the standard for gourmet teas.

Specially created by Mr Lim and his team of master tea blenders, each of the 10 teas that make up the Gryphon Tea Artisan Selection (www.gryphontea.com) is made from the world’s finest hand-picked leaf teas and herbs. Teas are beautifully packaged in individual silken sachets. The sachets have been designed to deliver the very best and most pure brewing experiences.

“Through Gryphon Tea, I’d like to demystify the ritual of tea drinking and make it something everyone can and should enjoy,” says Mr Lim. “I’d like to encourage consumers to be more aware of what they’re drinking by telling them what’s in their teas; where the ingredients come from; what to expect from their teas; and how to best get the most out of each of their teas. This is why we’ve provided all this information on all our packaging. I hope that tea drinking will become very much part of their lives.

“Gryphon is a tea company with a difference. We are a tea lifestyle company driven by the desire to present innovative gourmet food products to our consumers. As long as we are able to bring a different perspective to a food or lifestyle product, we’ll do it.”

The gryphon is drawn from an old logo for a brand called Gold Medal which Mr Lim’s father, who is also an artist, drew. “It consisted of two gryphons flanking a tea leaf,” Mr Lim explains. “I thought it was beautiful. I wanted to retain the legacy of what my father has done and achieved, so I chose to name our new enterprise the Gryphon Tea Company. Although the gryphon is a Western mythical creature, it means something very different to me. It is a subtle gesture that shows appreciation for what my father has done.

“Ultimately, Gryphon Tea is all about delivering experiences and their associated memories. Each blend is unique. To me, each one also has a distinct personality. And of course, each has been crafted with only the very best ingredients.”

Gryphon Tea has launched in September 2006 in Singapore and is available at selected Cold Storage, Marketplace outlets and gourmet shops. Soon, Gryphon Tea should also be available in more locations and throughout the region. Prices for a box of 20 sachets run from S$7.80 to S$8.80.

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