Sipping the 24ct Gold TWG Tea and More

10/13/2017

Grand Fine Harvest Tea Collection stands out for its eight exclusive single-estate teas. Taken from the most celebrated tea-producing regions in Asia and Africa, we demystified four unique selections for you to savour from the jet-black hand-blown glass flasks that mark a sense of opulence.

PHOTO BY TWG doc.

Entering the Singapore-hailing premium tea salon & boutique TWG Tea in Jakarta, one might be awed by the palatial interior that features the golden age of sail in 1837, adorned with a vast array of eclectic tea packaging bedecking the salon.

But one of the most striking treasures is TWG Tea’s latest collection, the Grand Fine Harvest Tea Collection (GFHTC), for its finest single-estate tea compilation, that comprises eight selections of teas of the Chinese green tea Grand Lung Ching, Taiwanese blue tea Grand Oolong, Sri Lankan black tea Grand Ceylon, Indian black tea Grand Darjeeling, Chinese Grand Pu-Erh, Japanese green tea Grand Sencha, Mount Mulanje blue tea Grand Malawi, and the rare white tea Grand Golden Yin Zhen.

Encased in a Victorian-style hand-blown glass flask, the curated teas were chosen from five tea categories, including green tea, blue tea, black tea, Pu-Erh and white tea all were sourced from six-tea producing regions of China, Formosa, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Japan and Malawi.

Once you take out the tea leafs from the flask, you would notice that the tea constitutes multitude of tea tips, the hallmark of tea plant Camellia Sinensis.

Among the finest selections, meet the crowning jewel of the series, the Grand Golden Yin Zhen. A masterpiece of tea connoisseurship of the white tea category, the China-origin beverage is a limited harvest tea in which each bud was dusted with 24ct gold. The dusted gold surely gives a deluxe look, but once you sip the flowery note of the glistening molten blend, you’re in a royal visual treat.

From the black tea delicacy, the Grand Darjeeling is indispensible for its ultimate muscatel grapes and orange aroma, with hazelnut taste on the palate. Due to the fruity essence, the tea is known as the ‘Champagne of Teas’. Infused around three minutes, the velvety leaves that came from the misty hills of Himalayan foothills is ready to be indulged.

Marked by the unique history of Mount Kirishima, the Grand Sencha is another unique blend that gives you a more balanced palate. Handpicked and steamed, Grand Sencha leaves are easily distinguished by the perfectly thinly sliced fleshy texture. When infused, taste the brisk floral sweetness.

Complete your tea voyage with the Helen of Troy of tea, Grand Pu-Erh. Sourced from tea-producer province Yunnan in China, favoured by the likes of tea connoisseurs, this bittersweet Grand Pu-Erh offers some earthy qualities due to the slowly aging and fermenting process for seven years. When it’s brewed, usually for 3 – 4 minutes, watch the deep dark woodsy tea grow and change. However, it is not only the distinct taste that makes its famous, pu-erh is revered for its tonic effects on the mind and body, a prize the Chinese have reserved for themselves.

The four of the eight delicacies are only the prelude of the exquisite TWG’s Grand Fine Harvest Tea Collection – make sure you try the rest of the magical blend.

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Banyubening Prieta
Author
Banyu has been a contributing writer to The Jakarta Post, Sorge Magazine and Metronome Indonesia after graduating from Parahyangan Catholic University with a degree in international relations. She is the owner and co-founder of the Jakarta-based organic restaurant and healthy catering business Burgreens and the co-founder of Suazad Media.