[EVENT] Tea Appreciation Class TWG Pacific Place SCBD Jakarta

October 1st, 2015. TWG Tea Salon and Boutique held a Tea Appreciation Class at their Pacific Place store. It's my first time to come in the place. Actually, I always thought that it's a fragile place, but turned out, it's quite nice with warm ambiance and colourful environment.

THE STORY OF TWG TEA

TWG Tea, the finest luxury tea brand in the world, was established in Singapore and celebrates the year 1837 when the island became a trading post for teas, spices and fine epicurean products. TWG Tea, which stands for The Wellbeing Group, was co-founded by Taha Bouqdib, Maranda Barnes and Rith Aum-Stievenard in 2008 as a luxury concept that incorporates unique and original retail outlets, exquisite tea rooms and an international distribution network to professionals. A veritable tea institution, TWG Tea is passionate about sharing its expertise and has become a point of reference for tea lovers thirsty for knowledge.

TWG Tea tasters travel thousands of miles across the globe every year, sampling hundreds of teas in search of the most desirable harvests direct from source gardens. Offering over 1,000 single-estate, fine harvest teas and exclusive blends, as well as tea patisseries and other tea-infused delicacies, TWG Tea is internationally recognised as a true innovator with the creation of new varieties of tea every season in collaboration with the world’s most renowned estates.

The TWG Tea team takes pride in shaping the aesthetic image underpinning all the brand’s products, constantly updating the notion of TWG Tea while respecting the Asian and European traditions of elegance and beauty on which it is based, now spiced with a touch of sensuality and originality.

The Environment

Dessert High Tea

THE TWG TEA COLLECTION

TWG Tea’s collection – the largest in the world – numbers well over 800 different single-estate, fine harvests and exclusive tea blends from all of the tea-producing countries. Committed to offering teas directly from source gardens, TWG Tea understands the evolving tastes of the modern tea drinker, and has developed special varieties in collaboration with the most renowned tea estates.

History of Tea

In one popular Chinese legend, Shennong, the legendary Emperor of China and inventor of agriculture and Chinese medicine was drinking a bowl of just boiled water due to a decree that his subjects must boil water before drinking it some time around 2737 BC when a few leaves were blown from a nearby tree into his water, changing the color. The emperor took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its flavor and restorative properties. A variant of the legend tells that the emperor tested the medical properties of various herbs on himself, some of them poisonous, and found tea to work as an antidote. Shennong is also mentioned in Lu Yu's famous early work on the subject, The Classic of Tea. A similar Chinese legend goes that the god of agriculture would chew the leaves, stems, and roots of various plants to discover medicinal herbs. If he consumed a poisonous plant, he would chew tea leaves to counteract the poison.

Pai Mu Tan

Smooth, delicate and highly refreshing, this fine TWG white tea, also known as "White Peony," yields a jonquil-coloured cup accented by notes of white blossoms and the flavour of fresh, raw buds. An excellent teas for the end of the day.

Fujian - White Tea: Yin Zhen

Baihao Yinzhen (simplified Chinese: 白 毫 银 针; traditional Chinese: 白 毫 銀 針), also known as White Hair Silver Needle, is a white tea produced in Fujian Province in China. Amongst white teas, this is the most expensive variety and the most prized, as only top buds (leaf shoots) are used to produce the tea.

Exclusive Tea Blends: White Spring Tea

The landscape metamorphoses, hitherto grey and dry, now bright and dewy, the magic of spring transforming the world with fresh silver tips of Yin Zhen white tea and fragrant cherry blossoms. Witness this marvel in the teacup, a blend of two of the most precious and most anticipated miracles of spring.

Exclusive Tea Blends: White House Tea

An ethereal white tea with fruits and fragrant roses, this tea leaves an enduring aftertaste of ripe berries. A diplomatic and balanced tea of sophistication.

Szechwan - Yellow Tea: Yellow Tea Buds

The rarest tea in the world, offered exclusively by TWG Tea, yellow tea used to be picked for and served exclusively to the emperors of China. The precious golden tea buds infuse into a translucent infusion and release a fine aroma with a soft, sweet taste. The leaves, once infused, can be eaten, and leave the palate with an exquisite, floral aftertaste.

Szechwan - Yellow Tea: Yellow Gold Tea Buds

This exceptional TWG Tea, once the favourite of Chinese emperors, has been transformed into an elusive jewel – a golden ornament as precious as it is ethereal. Each tea bud is lavished in 24-karat gold, which once infused, yields a delicately metallic and floral aftertaste. Unforgettable.

Geisha Blossom Tea

Elegant and highly refined, this TWG blend of green tea and refreshing, ripe southern fruits infuses into a fragrant cup that will calm and apprise after a day's disruptions.

Japan - Green Tea: Gyokuro Samurai

Several weeks before the harvest, the plantation is shaded to infuse the leaves with chlorophyll, which gives a unique and verdant taste, recognised by connoisseurs worldwide. This intoxicating TWG Tea green tea yields an exquisite nectar, boasting a tannin-free infusion with the sweet scent of fresh grass. A work of art.

Anhui - Green Tea: Taiping Houkui

A treasure from Anhui, this famous TWG Tea green tea has a wonderfully complex taste. The orchid-like fragrance leaves a lingering sweet aftertaste and a hint of flowery overtones on the palate. A gentle afternoon tea.

Laso - Green Tea: Champasak Rain Tea

Harvested from the cooler climes of the Bolaven Plateau, this lightly toasted tea evokes memories of a late summer afternoon. Dark olive-green to black leaves shimmer with bright gold-brown tips and yield a light and nutty infusion with buttery notes of walnut to leave a soft finish on the palate.

Exclusive Tea Blends: Silver Moon Tea

A TWG Tea blend of green teas accented with a grand berry and vanilla bouquet. Suave, with just a hint of spice. A tea for that special moment.

Ti Kuan Yin Superior

This renowned semi-oxidised TWG Tea from Fujian Province creates a mellow infusion with a sweet orchid-like fragrance and a delicate taste.

Fujian - Blue Tea / Oolong: Da Hong Pao

This powerful blue tea boasts dark and twisted leaves, which produce a full-bodied infusion with flowery notes. For a very special guest.

Fujian - Blue Tea / Oolong: Kwai Flower Superior

This semi-oxidised, large-leaf TWG Tea delicately blended with the pollen of osmanthus blossoms gives a bright, golden-yellow cup. Mild and subtle, it yields an incredibly aromatic fragrance of ripe Tuscan peaches.

Fujian - Blue Tea / Oolong: Grand Oolong Fancy

A composition of Formosa oolongs considered amongst the finest and most distinguished in the world, this highly aromatic tea is oxidised up to 60% and yields a smooth aroma and an earthy taste.

Fujian - Blue Tea / Oolong: Milk Oolong

Cultivated at altitudes of 500 to 1,200 metres, this exceptional Chinese method oolong is produced between the months of March and December and is composed of only the finest whole leaves. Lightly fermented and highly aromatic, this tea offers a delicate aroma that is both milky and toasted. The perfect accompaniment to an afternoon tea of scones and pastries.

1837 Black Tea

TWG Tea's renowned signature tea, 1837 Black is a unique blend of black tea with notes of fruits and flowers from the Bermuda triangle which leaves a lingering aftertaste of ripe berries, anise, and caramel. A timeless classic.

India - Black Tea: Okayti FTGFOP1

Located in the mystical Mirik Valley, the Okayti tea estate harvests for TWG Tea some of the most exquisite teas in the world. Its lush gardens are spread out over undulating terrain at altitudes of 1,300 to 2,000 metres. This magical first flush yields a delicate, golden infusion.

Fujian - Black Tea: Imperial Lapsang Souchong

This smoky TWG Tea black tea boasts beautiful leaves and a smooth, full-bodied flavour infused with the aroma of rare Chinese pine. A generous daytime tea that is perfect with a savoury meal.

Indonesia - Black Tea: Malabar OP

Established in 1896, this illustrious tea plantation in Indonesia harvests a fine black tea, which infuses into a flavourful cup enhanced with a touch of sweetness.

Vanilla Bourbon

Red tea from South Africa blended with sweet TWG Tea vanilla. Enveloping, this theine-free tea can be serve warm or iced at any time of the day, and is perfect for children as well.

Rooibos - Red Tea: Cederberg Mountain Tea

An enveloping, theine-free red tea that yields a rich aftertaste inflected with notes of sweetness. This TWG Tea can be served hot or iced at any time of the day.

Rooibos - Red Tea: Eternal Summer

A fragrant South Africa red tea embellished with notes of sweet summer rose blossoms accented with raw berries, which finish with a lingering aftertaste reminiscent of ripe Tuscan peaches. A theine-free tea to be enjoyed hot or iced at any time of the day.

Thanks TWG and Zomato for this event. It's very interesting to know a lot of facts about tea. Overall, I still prefer Ti Kuan Yin Superior. Light and calm. My favourite. :)

TWG Tea Salon and Boutique
Pacific Place Mall 1st Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman
SCBD, Jakarta
Phone: 021-57973272
IG: @twgteaid