With around 400 types of teas offering vastly diverse flavours bitter, sweet, floral, nutty and grassy; this tea boutique and salon at Mall of Qatar has become a new magnet for loyal lovers of tea.
Apart from numerous types of teas and their carefully crafted blends with flowers and herbs, a super special Chinese yellow tea combined with 24 karat gold dust is the real uniqueness of the TWG Tea, Qatar.
“TWG Tea offers around 800 types of teas but in Qatar we are offering 400 types. They are more than number of days of a year. Our variety and our quality is our strength,” said Manish Sabhnani, restaurant general manager while talking to The Peninsula.
They say ‘tea makes everything better’ but TWG has made tea itself better by continuous research and innovation. “TWG offers the largest tea collection and has developed partnerships with top tea producers around the world from China to South Africa. We have tapped those regions too which are lesser known for their tea production like Rawanda,” he said.
TWG Tea range includes white teas, black teas, green teas, blue teas (oolong), red teas etc. while each type of tea is further classified into subtypes based on origin, taste, aroma, blend among others of that particular tea.
People fond of green tea can choose from a vast range of green teas like Moroccan Mint Tea, Geisha Blossom Tea, Jasmine Queen Tea, Blue Lotus Tea, Pink Garden Team among dozens of others and the same applies to white, black or other main categories of TWG teas.
“Here at restaurant we offer different kinds of teas in teapots of different colours. Strong teas are served in black pots while golden pots are used for light teas which have cooling and soothing effects on consumers,” said Manish.
TWG Tea, a Singapore-based company, Manish said, opened its outlet in Qatar last year which was widely welcomed and appreciated by loyal clientele. “Earlier they would secure their stocks during their foreign trips and some would buy them from Dubai.”
'He said that black tea was the most popular among Qatari citizens and TWG Tea Qatar had also created a blend for karak lovers. “It is a blend of two types of strong black teas spiced up with spices like ginger, cinnamon.”
“Now people both Qataris and residents are trying new flavours as well. Some of our clients maintain a list of teas they have already tried and they liked them. We have different tea blends with fruits, flowers, herbs, spices,” Manish added.
The Yellow Gold Tea Buds: It is the most precious tea in the world. “This tea is harvested one day per year on only one mountain in China. It is harvested only from the top of the tree which is the tea bud.” Then, Manish said, 24 karat gold dust is sprinkled over the tea.
This tea is available is loose form as well as served at the salon. “This exceptional TWG Tea, once the favourite of Chinese emperors, has been transformed into an elusive jewel - a golden ornament as precious as it is ethereal. Each tea bud is lavished in 24-karat gold, which once infused, yields a delicately metallic and floral aftertaste. Unforgettable,” says TWG Tea website while defining it.
Another widely liked tea at the salon is red tea from South Africa. “Actually it is not tea from tea plant - Camellia sinensis – rather it is produced by a native South African herb ‘Rooibos’ commonly called red bush,” said Manish.
TWG Tea boutique and salon also offers its customers tea-infused food like pastries, savoury items and desserts. “Our chef here is always creating new dishes. In TWG gastronomy, tea is a must and even salad dressing is infused with tea.”
All types of teas, in loose form, are sold in various packing starting from as low as 50gram. “During Ramadan, our Qatari customers bought different kinds of teas in one kg packing and above,” he said, adding that TWG Tea was also available in teabags which were purely made of cotton therefore completely safe for health.
To a question about possible medicinal virtues of various teas, he said: “We never made such claim and don’t market our products on these grounds but of course different teas may have different natural goods like some teas are natural source of Vitamin C. Blue tea (oolong) is good for indigestion or dyspepsia while white teas possess calming, soothing effects on human body,” he added.
Manish said that TWG Tea, Qatar was expanding its footprint across the country by making new partnerships with luxury hotels etc.
