It started with an obsession...
For 10+ years, we’ve been obsessed with tea, visiting and sourcing teas directly from farmers and producers for our sister business Tea Angle. Diving deep into the different tea varieties, learning everything we can about the growing, production and brewing of high-grade, proper tea, and sharing that with tea lovers the world over.
We’ve always seen tea as being the non-alcoholic equivalent to wine. Everything that made wine great – craft, time, terroir – applied to tea as well, but with the added complexity of how to brew the tea in order to extract the ideal balance of flavours from the leaves.
Something old, something new
With the rise of interesting, non-alcoholic drinks over the last few years, we saw an opportunity to create something a little different using the teas that we sourced.
A lot goes into the making of high-grade, pure tea – history, tradition, craftsmanship, skill – and we don't want to mess with any of that. Our aim is to extract the right balance of flavours from the tea leaves and preserve them in every bottle. Our sparkling teas celebrate the world of traditional tea drinking in a way that is familiar and approachable, opening up the vast universe of tea appreciation to more people.
The Phoenix Mountains
The Phoenix Mountains of Chao Zhou, in Guangdong province, China, is the home and birthplace of Dancong oolong tea, which are some of the most exquisite and aromatic teas in the world. And when this tea gets produced as a black tea instead of an oolong, the fruity qualities, depth and sweetness that are inherent in the tea are enhanced. This is the Phoenix Honey Orchid Red black tea, and the base of our Honey Orchid Red sparkling tea.
Tea fields of Fujian
Fujian province is one of the key regions for tea, not just in China but around the world and it is from the area surrounding Ningde, Fujian that we source our aromatic and traditionally scented Jasmine Pearl green tea. This involves fresh jasmine flower buds being spread over finished green tea and left overnight to let the buds bloom and the tea absorbing the jasmine fragrance. The flowers are then removed the next day and the process repeated over a few nights. The result is a balanced and aromatic Jasmine Green Tea, and the base of our Jasmine Pearl sparkling tea.
Made in Australia
We work directly with tea masters in China to source our range of high-grade teas. The leaves are sent to our brew partners in regional Victoria, where they undergo a 24-hour cold brew that gently extracts all of the desired aromatic and volatile compounds within the leaves, with just enough tannin and structure to remind you that what you’re drinking is in fact tea.
Acidity is needed to help with preservation and is balanced with just enough sweetness to give the tea a more rounded and satisfying mouthfeel. The drink is then sparkled to further enhance the aromas of the tea and also to add an additional layer of texture and interest to the beverage. The result is a refined and sophisticated beverage that can be paired with a meal or enjoyed on its own.