World's best tea maker Stephen Twining shares trade secrets

A lot more of the uncontrollable goes into a good cup, more than you can ever imagine — from the temperature, to the climate, the moisture in the air, the soil, in India, the monsoons — which is why when you taste a wonderful cup of tea, it’s almost like the world has worked towards creating that perfect cup of magic, just truly and exclusively for you,” begins Stephen Twining as we sit down to an ambient seated conversation amid the resplendent and wonderfully invigorating environs of the Leela Kempinski on the Old Airport Road.

Much like the space we are now seated in, an aura of Zen seems to envelop Stephen as he regales me with tales of the past, the present and the future of the tea empire his family has so carefully built. The Twining family business, now wholly owned by a larger mother company, still retains much of its individual identity and if a company in Greece can be ignored for its antiquity — this tea-bag joy that the world shares might just be the oldest company in the world.

“There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with the Twining name, a lot of expectation to be lived up to. I am thankful for the systems that have been put in place by my predecessors, which is why I needn’t worry too much about the quality — there are enough of checks in place,” Stephen shares.

Stephen comes from a long line of family members who chose to take on the responsibility of the Twining name and as he shares, “this isn’t really a family business in the traditional sense of the term. None of us are forced to take on the responsibility. I chose to do so, unlike many of my siblings, because I truly adore tea.”

Quite predictably, I further peruse, and he replies, “My love for the drink began when I was around nine years old and I was asked and managed to organise a tea-tasting session for my class. I was surprised to see how all my friends and classmates were completely in awe of how different each blend of tea tasted. They were so excited about the differences in a Darjeeling, an Assam and the likes and that thrilled me. I guess, I made up my mind right then and there’s been no turning back.”

Tea, in every form, brings a smile to Stephen’s face and so we ask him how much he knows about Indian chai. “Well, we’ve introduced a blend of Nilgiri and Munnar teas in the west and call it Chai Tea. It’s a huge success. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of tasting proper Indian chai as yet, but I am looking forward to that later today,” he enthuses.

What about Chinese teas? “We’ve introduced single origin Chinese teas into the international market a while ago, but the product is yet to enter Indian markets. I guess, you’ll be sipping on Twining’s Chinese teas in a year or so, and as a prelude, let me just warn you — they’re incredibly addictive,” he answers.

New products, new markets and newer ways of experiencing and selling tea — the Twining family has ensured a foolproof system of success, but what does the heir apparent love about his tea the most?

“Well, I have three simple rules that qualify and exemplify my tea drinking experience to the dot. They are: Firstly, always have a tea when it is warm, unless it’s an iced tea. Secondly, never kill the taste of a lighter tea with sugar, it tastes best when drunk without any sweetener added and thirdly, to be a real, pure-bred tea lover; discover a tea for yourself — define the experience by you and ignore rules one and two if you must!” he concludes.

We quickly exchange pleasantries as Stephen hurries off to the ballroom upstairs, where he and his team, quite ironically (for the lack of a better word), are addressing a gathering, telling them, quite simply put, why Twinings hopes to sell tea back to India.

Considering we are the largest contributors to their raw product, the idea does seem a bit insane, till one realises the last time we unconsciously reached out to that box of tea bags at a super market, it stated quite regally, with a coat of arms — ‘By appointment to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Tea and Coffee Merchants R. Twining and Company Limited, London’. Quality, after all, is everything.