Hordle june july22

New Forest Artisans:
By Suzanne Ashworth
Tea & Coffee Whether your favoured drink is tea or coffee, we all tend to have
our favourites and stick to blends we are familiar with.
However, there is also a growing recognition that not all brands offer the most sustainable
choices and that taking time to try some locally produced products can reduce food miles and
support the economic community. Times have been hard and being locked down due to Covid
has had a big impact on our spending and socialising – possibly we are all a little more
thoughtful in our decisions and want the best we can obtain within our own locality.
TEA
Tea is the world’s second most consumed
beverage and 84% of the British population
drink tea daily – often several cups! Now grown
in many worldwide locations the original tea
growing took place in Asia – the Camellia
sinensis plant is the derivative of all other tea
varieties. To grow successfully tea needs hot
days and cool nights, preferably at high
altitudes. In the UK we mostly consume black
teas with high caffeine levels, although the
health benefits of green tea is increasing
demand. White tea is more rarely found and
more expensive. Semi-fermented tea is
called oolong and the most exclusive tea of all
is pu erh tea, which is aged for up to 50 years.
Local New Forest supplier Tips &
Leaves (www.tipsnleaves.com) can offer all
these teas and source premium teas from all
around the globe. With
a motto of Is it tea
you’re looking for?, all
of their teas are
ethically sourced and
packed in home
compostable
packaging. Owners Ian
and Kelly (accompanied by their dog Gracie)
have also established The New Forest Tea
Company as a result of the changes during
lockdown – previously they ran two tea lounges
in Lyndhurst and had been sourcing teas for
over a decade. However, the Covid lockdown
gave them time to not only develop new
blends, in association with their tea importer,
but also to address their concerns about
sustainable production and supply. They now
package tea in refillable pouches or use
packaging made from Natureflex, which breaks
down after 3-6 months. All their ethically
sourced, premium teas come in plastic free,
compostable tea pyramids – addressing the
growing concern about the plastic present in
big brand tea bags. They also pack all their teas
in home compostable pouches as well as
offering refill options to keep your tea tin full.
You can buy their tea online (postage free if
your order is over £20) and Ian and Kelly also
supply wholesale to many New Forest
companies – cafes, farm shops, hotels,
restaurants and holiday accommodation. Their
commitment to provide “premium tea that
doesn’t cost the earth” and expansion since
2021 has led to The New Forest Tea Company
being awarded the Best New Business in the
New Forest Brilliance in Business Awards.
Find out more about Ian and Kelly’s adventures
in sustainable tea supply on their facebook
page, twitter , email on
newforestteaco@gmail.com or meet them at
the Highcliffe Food and Arts Festival. Their
website has details of their products and
accessories – www.newforestteacompany.com.
COFFEE
I turn now to where to get really amazing
coffee in the New Forest area – Forest Edge
Roasting is based in Lyndhurt and run by Robyn,
who started a coffee van on returning from
Australia and missing the coffee scene she
found there. She wanted to also tackle the
amount of plastic waste created by the
mainstream coffee outlets and determined to
use sustainable coffee beans and plastic-free
packaging. Robyn was told by everyone she
asked that being sustainable and profitable in
roasting and selling coffee would be impossible,
but she set off in her solar-powered coffee van
anyway! Once Covid put paid to her mobile
work, Robyn concentrated on roasting coffee
sourced from ethical suppliers and keeping
homeworkers supplied with specialist coffee. By
September 2021, Robyn was able to open her
coffee house in Lyndhurst and continue her
online business…...
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