Good & Proper Tea

Good & Proper Tea

The first really cold day of winter and I'm in need of something hot and comforting.  It's more than two years since I first queued at Good & Proper Tea's silver Citroen H van, parked up in south London, for a steaming hot cuppa.  There were hot buttered crumpets too, with honey, marmite or jam for those in need. The sheer simplicity of a good and properly made cup of tea and a freshly made crumpet was such an obvious winner, I wondered why I'd never seen it done before.

There are food and drink trucks all over London serving up everything from Pizzas and burgers  to pork buns and gumbo.  Personally, I can pass on 90% of them, but, when they really focus on what they do best, they are a glorious part of London life.  Good & Proper Tea is definitely in my top 10% category and, finding myself in Old Street, I headed straight for its first premises to refuel.

It's not easy to find right now being in a not-quite-finished office development, but if you find yourself by Old Street roundabout it's worth seeking out.  The space is small but functional.  A long bar allows you to see all the teas on offer - a selection that has grown over the past couple of years and ranges from a strong Indian Assam black tea through a savoury Sencha to a tart, ruby-red infusion of Egyptian Hibiscus.  You can take-away or, as I did, shelter from the cold on the single bench inside in the warmth.  A delicate cup of fresh, floral Oolong was very welcome and, joyously, there are still crumpets for tea - now made with a sourdough starter and all the better for it.  It's not at all compulsory but I confess I like to talk tea and Manager Ashley happily and knowledgeably obliges.  I hear a second branch, in Soho, is planned.

Somehow they've managed to keep the easy-going air of that Citroen van - which is still on the streets by the way, including south of the river at Brockley Market where I first encountered it.  Good tea, properly made, and crumpets.  I like Good & Proper Tea very much.

Good & Proper Tea Co  
The Bower
211 Old Street
London EC1V 9NR

This is 'My Cup of Tea'

Lime Blossom
My Cup of Tea

I've always enjoyed a nice cup of tea.  My tastes were unsophisticated, mostly involving a tea bag, a mug and a splash of milk.  Sometimes a spoonful of black leaf tea, maybe with a little bergamot, brewed in a pot and taken as it came.  But those ubiquitous cloying 'flavoured' teas and stale tasting herbal infusions have always made me recoil.  I was going to take some persuading that teas and infusions don't have to be like that.   

Then, one day, I noticed a new trader at my weekly shopping haunt.   A trestle table appeared.  A small display of teas and herbs.  I walked on by, several times.  After all, it was just tea.  Over the following weeks the display grew and was so beautifully laid out.  Finally, I could no longer resist taking a look.  Little pots of Green and Black teas and finely rolled Sencha leaves sat alongside dishes of vibrant Lime Blossom and Camomile and hand-tied muslin teabags containing ginger and lemongrass.  A few exquisite little teapots and drinking bowls dressed the table.  So it was that I put myself in the hands of an expert to see if my prejudices could be overcome. 

Orange blossom
at My Cup of Tea

My Cup of Tea is a modern, artisan, tea specialist established in 2008.  The recipes are inspired by tradition and the rich and varied cultures of the world.  The attention to detail is clear, from the quality of the teas, herbs, blossoms and fruits which go into the blends through to the delicate china cups customers taste from.    

Ausra Burg and her team do more than just import teas. They make their own superior quality blends and herbal infusions.  Ingredients are sourced direct from growers who have to meet strict specifications to become My Cup of Tea suppliers.  They work with tea makers of many generations who have direct ties to Estates and share a commitment to quality.  

Rooibos, blackcurrant & blackcurrant leaf
at My Cup of Tea

Ausra picked wild herbs from the fields with her mother, who recorded every detail year by year in her 'Bible' of herbs.  This instilled in her a passion for their benefits.  That 'Bible' now plays a very important part in My Cup of Tea.  For me, this small business stands out from the crowd by sourcing herbs which are grown naturally, specifying when and what parts of the plants are harvested, how they are dried, separated and packaged.  Then there's the hand-cutting and expert blending when they reach My Cup of Tea's Workshop.  The quality of the ingredients on display there is impressive.  The display of covetable thick glass apothecary jars is not just for show but serves to keep the ingredients in optimum conditions.  

The blending process is extensive, starting with a base to which herbs and, sometimes, fruits are added.  In the herbal teas, sometimes several parts of the plant are able to be used, such as the leaf, fruit and stem, each imparting subtly different aromas and taste.  There are no artificial flavourings here, no unnaturally perfumed brews or muddy tasting infusions made from dessicated herbs.  Ausra told me "we refuse to compromise because we believe if we love what we make then our customers will love it too".

Inhale, then try a cup of black tea, subtly flavoured with cassis and vanilla; a delicate White Jasmine green tea, the uppermost tips having been dried scattered with Jasmine flowers; a fragrant, clean tasting Orange Blossom or Lime Blossom tea.  Based on past experience, I almost ignored an infusion containing fruits but by now I was prepared to try anything.  Raspberry leaf and fruit makes use of the leaf, immature fruits and stem, each imparting subtly different flavours, and it was astonishingly good.  Rosehip, apple, hibiscus flowers, natural strawberry and raspberry flavours go into the Wild Berry teabags.     

You don't have to take my word for it.  Go into the *My Cup of Tea Workshop on Saturdays and see and taste for yourself. Ausra and Emiko will even help you put together your own personal blend.  I came away with a bag of Green Rooibos with blackcurrant leaf and fruit.  Yes, me, the "teabag in a cup" tea maker.  Well, not any more .  A mug of black tea with a splash of milk will always go with a bacon sandwich, for me, but a visit to My Cup of Tea's Workshop has changed my tea drinking habits for ever.

My Cup of Tea
96 Druid Street
London  SE1 2HQ

* UPDATE AUGUST 2014 - The Saturday Workshop is no longer open as My Cup of Tea has now opened its flagship store in the Ham Yard Hotel courtyard in Soho open 7 days a week.