Rich tea

6/Feb/2012

Ratan Mondal of Tea2You talks about putting down his potter's wheel, and bringing 'real' Darjeeling back to the British.

You specialise in Darjeeling tea, so are you from Darjeeling originally?
I was born in Calcutta in West Bengal. Darjeeling is the mountainous area of the same state, and I have a lot of friends and family there.

How did you come to be in the tea business?
Eight years ago I was a potter, selling pottery to people around the world. One day one of my buyers said to me, "When you are selling these teapots and mugs why don't you give them a tea to try also?" – so I visited my very good friends in Darjeeling. I stayed there for eight months learning about tea, roaming the tea gardens, looking at the tea leaves, learning the different processes, and tasting and tasting. Then in 2001 I came to London after applying for a scholarship with a business innovation fund, and started the tea business, I opened at Borough Market in December 2010.

What is so special about Darjeeling tea?
All good teas are grown at height and Darjeeling is 6,000 feet above sea level. The winter fog, the rain and the soil make for the best tea in the world – the 'champagne of teas'. 150 years ago this tea used to be widely sold in Britain, but then because of the high taxes the British stopped importing it. After Indian independence, some unscrupulous people began to bring over other types of tea which they labelled as Darjeeling, but which wasn't the genuine tea. My intention is to bring proper Darjeeling tea back to England. You will not get this taste if you buy the tea that is labelled as Darjeeling in a supermarket.

Considering it's the 'champagne of teas', it doesn't seem terribly expensive...
My intention is to make proper tea affordable to everyone – I believe all people should be able to drink it. I am running a business, but I have social responsibility also, and in my company I give proper wages, security and health – I have to do this properly, because I am a proper man.
How do you serve the tea?On its own. No milk, no sugar – just one teaspoon for a cup, brewed for two or three minutes depending on the strength you like, and you can refill it too when you finish it. It makes it very cost-effective, and you can throw the leaves under the bushes in your garden – it's very good for the soil.

What does it taste like?
It is mellow and fresh, sweet and slightly salty – it is the real stuff. Two of my customers have now completely converted from coffee they like it so much. On my stall I have a book which people have written in to say hot much  they like the tea. My favourite comment is the one that says it is "tea-liscious!"

Is Darjeeling tea as good for you as green tea?
Every tea is good because of the anti-oxidants tea contains. My teas are particularly good because you never put in milk, and if you pour in milk you are not getting the proper benefits.

What are the differences between tea culture in India and tea culture over here?
In India we drink tea along with a meal, and we drink from small cups. We also have chai tea, which we drink with bay leaves and cardamom as well as the milk and sugar that you have with tea here. In England, people drink from bigger mugs, because it's colder.

If white tea, green tea and black tea all come from the same plant, why do they look and taste so different?
It's the fermentation process. White tea is not fermented, green tea and oolong tea have semi-fermentation and black teas are fully fermented. All of the fermenting happens in India. They wither it, roll it, wither it, roll it, steam it sometimes – it is such a long process.

How do you have your tea?
Darjeeling tea is my favourite. In my home I have it in a mug, and I infuse it without using a strainer. I boil the water, pour it out, put one tea spoon in a mug, leave for three minutes, and after that the leaves will have settled down. After I finish it, I then re-infuse it – the second mug is just as good!