Laura's Tea Room Visits Northern Tea Merchants: Part Two

(Northern Tea Merchants).

The second day of my tea tasting started with a drive through the wonderful Derbyshire countryside. Being a town mouse, so to speak, I was enthralled by the beauty of Derbyshire. The views are amazing, and you can see for miles around. Due to the weather being dark and grey it could look beautifully bleak at times, but when the sunshine came out the whole place seemed to light up. On the higher ground I could see miles and miles of England's green and pleasant land!

When I arrived at the shop, before the tea tasting started, I was given the chance to peruse the shop. Did I make a purchase? Too right I did!

I had strict instructions from my Mum to purchase some Gourmet teabags, a favourite of her's. (I also treated her to a mug for mother's day which is coming up!).

For myself though, I did not hold back. I brought two gorgeous caddies, one featuring teapots, the other images from Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit.  A girl can never have too many blends of tea, and indeed, too many caddies to store the tea in! And the prices were extremely reasonable, too.

But what of the important tea? Well I purchased the following:

·         Russian Caravan as I needed to top up as I was low on this blend.

·         Keemun (for the same reason)

·         Earl Grey - simply because it's divine (review coming soon!)

·         Lady Grey with Blue Cornflowers

·         Lavender Earl Grey Tea Temples.

I genuinely wanted to purchase more, but had to consider that I had to get the tea home on the train. To be honest, if I drove, I would easily of purchased double the amount! So I made the decision to stock up on some favourites and try a few new tea's, too!

 (My purchases, including the delectable caddies!)

And, I have to say that Michelle, the lady who serves in the shop, is one of the nicest ladies I've had the pleasure to meet!

The second day of tasting focused on flavoured tea's and fruit infusions.

I am actually hugely embarrassed as I write this and am literally cringing but I have to be honest. James gave me the job of filling the pots of tea and I will admit I did actually muck up and put too much in. Of course you live and learn, but I was mortified inside as some of the more stronger flavoured tea's such as the cherry ones were slightly overpowering. If I could of done any of the trip again it would of been putting less tea in.  So, for that James, I am sorry!

I really enjoyed tasting the flavoured tea's. There were some I liked, such as the Red Berry infusion, which though sharp and tangy was really pleasant. There were others, such as the Chamomile, that I liked slightly less.

For me though the biggest thing ever was the Cuban peppermint tea. As regular readers will know I LOATHE mint tea. But I am now converted.  I have already reviewed the tea, so I won't go on too much about the mint tea, other than to say it's totally and utterly amazing! (In fact I liked it so much that after we had tasted all the tea's James said, why not finish it? So I did!).

 (After two manic days I was tucked up at home in bed with a nice, fragrant cup of Fine Cut Cuban Peppermint for which I have developed a intense obsession).

I even tried a bit of coffee, which honestly,  I couldn't get on with, not being a coffee lover, but at least I tried!

After a spot of lunch I was really excited to go on the tour of the factory. And it was fantastic.

First of all, for health and safety reasons, and which every visitor to the factory would need to do, I was required to sign a form explaining that I was generally in good health and that I hadn't been ill recently.

After donning a particularly attractive blue hairnet and overcoat, we entered into the part of the factory where the coffee was roasted. I was totally amazed at the huge sacks of coffee that were neatly stacked in the holding area. I ran my hands over the hessian sacks that the coffee came in and it felt really lovely. Sort of rough but at the same time pleasant. I was amazed, having a total lack of coffee knowledge, what a raw coffee bean looks like. It rather resembled, in colour at least, a pistachio nut!

I never thought I'd be so excited to see machinery but oh I was. James showed me the machinery that roasts the coffee bean so they get that lovely chocolate colour. He demonstrated to me, which I thought was mind blowing, how the machinery works. Something that would bamboozle me was second nature.  I was astounded at how high the heat was during the roasting process. Frightening temperatures!

One of my favourite spots on the tour of the factory was seeing the filling of Northern Tea's cocoa drums. I had naturally assumed that the cocoa was put into the tubs, then covered by the silver inner lid and then the actual tub lid, but I was wrong. Cocoa tubs are filled from the bottom with the bottom of the tub sealed into place - it's pretty obvious and less time consuming really, but I'm not the smartest cookie on the planet so was amazed by the simple fact that the tub was sealed from the bottom! 

It was totally awesome to see how, despite cocoa powder being dusty, the area surrounding it was spotlessly clean.  Naturally, Northern Tea wouldn't have it any other way.  I watched with great interest the filling of the cocoa drums right down to how the boxes were sealed. Just fascinating. I was, quite honestly, in seventh heaven. I felt exactly the same as I did when I used to go to my friend's birthday parties at McDonalds and I was chosen to take the tour of the kitchens!

Then it was onto tea production area. And this is where it got super sexy for me.

First of all I was shown how the tea is loaded onto cranes and delivered into the factory. I saw massive bags of pure tea all ready for blending.  I saw reels and reels of Northern Tea's distinctive gold packaging, that shone in the sunlight. I was amazed and stunned by how all of this is done. Yes, the tea just gets delivered to me by the postman. But the processes that get the tea to that point are strict and regimented - and it's a regime that works.

I was delighted to see the machinery that makes the teabags. A machine that can produce thousands and thousands of teabags an hour. It was quite strange to see the paper that bags are made from on a roll. I just didn't think about that element of tea production.  Yet, it ought to be recognised.

Whilst touring this section of the factory we bumped into a lovely lady who was packing larger bags of Northern Tea's teabags. She worked rapidly and was obviously very adept at her job!

Sadly, that was where the tour ended. But I came away really impressed at how clean and tidy the factory was, how hardworking the staff where and how (it appeared to me anyway) smooth the process was.

I recall chatting to James in a email once and him telling me that quite often he had to fix the machinery when it was playing up. Now, seeing the machinery, that is even more a impressive statement.

After the end of the tour it was time for me to leave and James dropped me back at Chesterfield Station, I can honestly say I didn't want to go!

I had the best  two days of my life, and I mean that with all sincerity. I feel enormously privileged to have been asked by James to go up for a tea tasting. I was lucky to be able to see the factory as it works and to meet James himself who has been very kind to me over the past year.

As I stood on the platform at Chesterfield Station, wrapped up in my coat with my bags of tea at my side, I will admit I shed a discreet tear. I had been so excited for months about the visit and it flew by so quickly it only felt as though I had been there five minutes. And of course, when we are doing something we find so enjoyable we don't want that lovely feeling to end.  I genuinely felt so overwhelmed by it all.  And I am sure I've forgotten to includes bits and pieces in these two blogs!

(At Chesterfield Station, waiting to go home, reflecting on two of the best day's of my life)

I came away from my tea tasting with so much knowledge. I have learned about the terminology used in tea. I have learned how to ascertain the quality of a tea. How to appreciate it's distinct flavours.

On a practical level, I've seen the processes of tea blending and packing as well as coffee roasting and am hugely impressed by it.

On a human level, I've seen how hard the staff at Northern Tea work - something I have, to my shame, underestimated. But, in addition, I have seen how happy the staff are. There is a very obvious loyalty to the company that perhaps you can only truly see in smaller businesses.

I have been left impressed by the scope of Northern Tea also - for instance I've learned that they supply tea to the neighbouring Chatsworth House, how they supply tea abroad and how they supply coffee to Harrods.

In the previous blog I started by saying that Northern Tea Merchants is a company that is close to my heart due to the way they treated me and the exquisite quality of their tea. Now, I feel I've fallen just a little bit more in love with Northern Tea Merchants because I have experienced it in the flesh.

It isn't just a company that supply me with my favourite tea.  It's not just a website that I sit and browse. It's very real. With real (and friendly) people at the helm.

So, I can only end this blog by saying thank you's.  Thank you to all of the staff who made me feel welcome, who were friendly and hospitable.

And to James for inviting me and especially for taking the time out of his extremely manic day.

Thank you.