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Newby named No.1 TeaPremium tea brand Newby Tea - featured in FOUR's latest Winter Internationaledition - came away with seven awards at The North American Tea Championshipthis week - including the title of no.1 tea! Read on for more...

It was celebrations all-round for premium tea brand Newby Tea at prestigious independent teacompetition The North American Tea Championship this week, who came away with seven (yesseven!) awards from its Packaged Single-Service Tea category and saw its Kan-Junga andJasmine Blossom teas take first place!

Kun-Junga: No.1 in NATC's Black Tea - Single Origin category

Jasmine Blossom: Top-rated Jasmine Scented Green Tea

Named North America’s no.1 tea alongside Jasmine Blossom – Newby’s most popular green teaand a fusion of prime green tea leaves and night blooming jasmine flowers – Newby’s Kan-Jungais a perennial favourite originating from high altitude terroirs in the Himalayas, with a complexflavour, characterised by floral and muscal notes.

Other winners included Newby’s exclusive English Breakfast, Oriental Sencha and Milk Oolongblends, as well as pan-fired Hunan Green and Peppermint herbal infusion.

Stealing a few words from Newby Tea’s founder, Mr Sethia told FOUR: "the latest awards reflectour enduring mission to select, preserve and present the world’s finest teas."

With over three generations' experience in the tea industry and a global endorsement at theworld’s finest five-star hotels, fine-dining restaurants and exclusive, luxury retailers, it’s no wonderfamily-owned business Newby Tea is making its mark as one of the world’s top-rated teaproducers. And with over 200 teas in its range, we can’t help but expect that next year’s awardscould be somewhere in the region of 70, let alone 7. We await the announcement in ferventanticipation…

For more information, visit:

www.newbyteas.com

www.teachampionship.com

November 21, 2013

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A tea visionaryPosted by Melanie Lee

Wednesday January 8, 2014 | 3 comments

Mr. Nirmal Sethia is the founder of Newby Teas, an

international tea label that has won some 85 awards

from the North America Tea Championship, and the

British Great Taste Awards, since its establishment in

2000. It has amongst its loyal customers the three

Royal Castles in Stockholm, 7star Burj Al Arab hotel in

Dubai and the offices for the President and Prime

Minister in Poland. Mr Sethia is a passionate tea lover

(he even has an extensive collection of tea antiques)

and shares his tea love story with T Ching readers.

“I was born into prominent Indian business family in

Britain. Because of restrictions imposed on my

movements (for security reasons), I became quite the

rebel. When I was 14, I decided not to go to school

anymore and stand on my own two feet. My father was

a very wise man. He allowed me to embark on this

journey with his blessings and three commandments:

1. Do not steal, because God’s grace will be

withdrawn.

2. Do not lie. If caught, no one will trust you.

3. Do not be pretentious otherwise you will

never learn.

As luck would have it, an Indian friend helped

me to get a job as an apprentice in a tea brokerage firm at Plantation House in London. My pay was 7

shillings a week, which was enough to pay my train fare to work, rent a single room near Sutton Station and

get by with a limited budget.

My family had never been involved in the tea

business before. Out of necessity, I began to

understand the marvels of Mother Nature and

her gift of tea to mankind. Initially, all tea

leaves appeared the same, but then I was

taught to judge and value things not based on

their appearance but their inherent nature and

character.

I was totally involved, disciplined and

dedicated about learning about the tea

industry. I also believe that God’s grace was

with me. When I was 16 an Irish tea buyer approached me about setting up my own company in India and

buying tea for his company. I returned to India to start this small operation of buying tea in the auctions in

Calcutta. My business expanded and many other Irish importers, through word of mouth

recommendations, gave me their buying orders.

I worked honestly and developed strong relationships with these business associates. I built up a small

team for export business and bought a small tea plantation in Assam. I used to shuttle between the tea

garden and my office in Calcutta. I lived in that tea garden for 11 months to learn about the planting and

processing. I still own that garden. Meanwhile my tea production has increased tenfold in the last 50

years.”

Why did you set up Newby teas?

I lost my father when I was 24. As a result I inherited part of his vast

empire and had to manage some of these family business matters.

I closed down my tea exporting company in Calcutta and hired

professionals to manage my tea plantation. However, in 2000, I

decided to form Newby Teas with the mission to reintroduce the

dying art and culture of tea. In my opinion, the decline in tea began in 1908, when Mr Thomas Sullivan

invented the teabag. Some tea packers began filling the teabags with low quality tea. Today, there are many

poor quality tea products being pushed into the market with decorative packaging, fancy prices, and semi

false marketing.

It was my intention for Newby to create awareness about what good quality tea is all about. At first, I hired

professionals to manage the show but, unfortunately, they messed up. This was discouraging, but my late

wife, who was truly an epitome of knowledge, wisdom, kindness, and love, encouraged me to invest more

time and effort in producing fine quality tea. She believed that I could create a positive legacy for the tea

industry.

Fine tea is never judged by its appearance but by its character of the brew. As tea has admirers, it also has

its enemies such as heat, humidity, and pollution. Bearing this in mind, I designed a unique packaging

facility, which would preserve the freshness of the leaves.

What is the greatest challenge for you as founder of Newby Teas?

Getting people to understand what “real” tea is about. For one, I don’t believe that flavoured blends are

“real” teas. More often than not, they are more like infusions because these different ingredients and

fragrances are added to poor quality tea to make it drinkable.

I feel that we are the only international tea brand in the world that embraces the concept of “preservation of

character.” While we are proud to be the most decorated international brand in the world for teas, I do not

wish for this company to take too much credit for the flavoured blends we sell. Our working philosophy is

based on honesty, dedication and a desire to share what we have learned and what we know.

Quite frankly, Newby Teas does not make much money but I have a very personal stake in the business

because tea is inextricably connected with the beautiful relationship I had with my late wife whom I lost in

2010. Right now, a substantial shareholder of Newby Teas is N. Sethia Foundation, a Britishregistered

charity that has donated millions of dollars towards education, medical research, and disaster relief. The

other shareholder of Newby Teas is the N. Sethia Group Limited in London, a conglomerate involved in

banking, security printing, sugar refining, tea plantation and real estate. To me, the fate of Newby Teas lies

in God’s hands.

What is your favourite tea?

My favourite tea is KanJunga, a Himalayan black tea.

(Writer’s note: It truly is an exquisite tea. Read my review of Newby Teas here.)

Could you tell us about your teaware collection?

In 2011, the N. Sethia Group decided to create a private collection of tea accessories called “The Chitra

Collection”, which is named after my late wife. Today, it is the biggest single private tea accessories

collection in the world and includes some of the rarest tearelated objects that date all the way back to 300

BC. The value of this collection is worth tens of millions of Euros. My favourites are the SilverGilt Monkey

Teapot from Germany (circa 1600), and the Moon Teapot, which is a modern enamelled pot studded with

diamonds and pearls that I designed and had made in Milan.

What fascinates you about tea’s history?

Tea has had a powerful, vast history, which started with its great glory and then its decline over time. History

is a teacher for the present, and I believe the 21 Century will restore the true value of tea. I’m proud that

Newby Teas is playing a role in reinstating tea back to its glory.

Mr Sethia is truly a fascinating person! If you’d like to see what he’s like in person, you can click here and

here for his recent TV interviews.

COMMENTS

Twitter: T Ching

Melanie Lee:My latest T Ching post on a very

interesting #tea guy:

http://t.co/EivN6xUbvg

@NewbyTeas @NewbyAsia

about 9 hours ago

Quinnan Stone:A tea visionary T Ching

http://t.co/cbDMA8fgy8

about 11 hours ago

Tea Fan:A tea visionary: Mr. Nirmal Sethia is

the founder of Newby Teas, an

international tea label that has won

some ... http://t.co/W0i9zCyy4O

about 13 hours ago

Tea Fan:Artisan tea: a closer look at tea

production in Taiwan: In our previous

post, What Is ‘Artisan’ About Artisan

... http://t.co/vYaQNBZgsR

about 13 hours ago

Kally Tea :The demise of Tongmu Lapsang

Souchong @TChing

http://t.co/blsgaunaiV

about 13 hours ago

T Ching:A tea visionary

http://t.co/2ubhUfEUcA

http://t.co/XDVjXn37fD

about 13 hours ago

Follow Follow @TChing@TChing 1,171 followers

Harry found the [tea]…

seemed to burn away a little of

the fear fluttering in his chest.

— J.K. ROWLING

© 20062014 T Ching. All Rights Reserved. / Privacy Policy

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Michelle Rabin on January 8, 2014 at 7:50 AM pacific

said:

What a fascinating man Mr. Nirmal Sethia is. He grew up in a

unique time and place. His father was most impressive to allow,

especially in those days, his son such freedom to evolve. I used to

share a similar attitude about tea blends, where low quality tea

was used, allowing the additions to disguise the taste of the poor

quality of tea. That certainly has changed in recent years as

reputable tea companies in the U.S. are now using a much higher

grade of tea for their blends. I can’t speak to the International

market however.

Reply ↓

Melanie on January 8, 2014 at 8:35 AM pacific said:

Hi Michelle, thanks for your feedback, as always! I think another

way to look at why some are against flavored blends is because

they mask the true flavor of the tea. But I also see premium

blended teas as a lovely bridge for people to get interested in fine

quality unblended teas with a full spectrum of (natural) flavors!

Reply ↓

Michelle Rabin on January 8, 2014 at 8:57 AM pacific

said:

I have to agree with you Melanie. That is the #1 complaint I have

about blends – that they don’t help people to get accustomed to

the more subtle tastes of green and white teas. Our palettes have

been inundated with sweet flavors which we’ve come to expect.

Given time however, people can learn to really appreciate the

sweet and subtle flavors of true tea. But you’re right again when

you speak of a “bridge” for non tea drinkers. I’ve often marveled at

their first introduction to tea and were pleasantly surprised that

they actually “like tea”. I have to resist the impulse to tell them

about orthodox tea for a month or two.

Reply ↓

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Review: Newby Teas (and their ChristmasReview: Newby Teas (and their Christmaspopup shop)popup shop)by mel in Tea Spot, Tea Tasting Tags: christmas, darjeeling, kanjunga, newby, popup, sethia, singapore

Courtesy of Newby of London (Featured tea:Oriental Sencha)

I’m really happy to hear that another premium tea brand has made its way to this

small, caffeinated island. We could always do with more good tea – and Newby

of London has the track record of serving up many delightful cuppas. It was

established in 2000 and has loyal customers that include the three Royal Castles

in Stockholm, 7star Burj Al Arab in Dubai and the offices for the President and

Prime Minister in Poland. It has also won around 85 awards from the North

America Tea Championship and the British Great Taste Awards.

But that aside, Newby’s founder, Mr. Nirmal Sethia has a genuine love of tea (he

even has an extensive collection of tea antiques and is a tea history buff). You can

get a sense of his passion for tea in these interviews here:

Mr. Sethia sharing his tea journey with a TV channel in Kazakhstan

Mr. Sethia showing his antiques at Channel New Asia’s AM LIVE! show

(I love how he says, “Good tea is like a beautiful woman who is not to bejudged by her appearance.”)

The new Singapore team from Newby of London kindly sent over some samples

for me to try. I tried their Hunan Green Tea and the KanJunga Tea with the

ladies from Pekoe & Imp, so there’s a bit of input from them as well (including

ripping the pyramid bags to drink the tea loose leaf heh).

Hunan Green, KanJunga

Hunan Green Tea (Ling Luo Chun): According to Jacq, this type of tea is all the

rage in London now. We all agreed that this was a decent Chinese green tea with

strong grassy notes. However, the amount was on the scarce side (to brew it

Chinese tea ceremony style at least) so we only got a few sips of it between the

three of us.

KanJunga: A sweet, muscatel black tea from Himalaya that we unanimously

took a strong liking to. In fact, HY loved it so much she ordered Jacq to brew her

a huge mug of it after the tasting. Jacq said it was “comparable to a Margaret’s

Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling” (I think that’s a good thing). I dig it too so I’m

including a closeup shot of it here – please try it someday!

Courtesy of Newby of London

Here are the other teas I tried from Newby on my own:

Darjeeling: I also really liked this! It had the typical muscatel notes, but also had

this subtle woodiness that gave it a bit of a kick. There was this faint clovelike

fragrance emanating from the steeped leaved which I found fascinating.

Jasmine Blossom: I think I’ve kind of “gotten over” Jasmine teas in general, so

for me, I felt I would rather want to taste the actual tea as opposed to the strong

floral aftertaste. However, for Jasmine tea fans, this would really make a lovely

brew (it had these beautiful whole white Jasmine blossoms sprinkled in it too, so

very pretty).

Peppermint: I’ve tried a lot of peppermint teas, and this has become one of my

favourites. I’m seeing how I can arrange to buy a large supply of this! There was

this natural sweetness to it, and had a stronger minty aroma compared to other

mint teas I’ve tried, which absolutely goes down in my books!

Rooibos Tiramisu: Yep, I think I’m definitely off flavoured blends (and also am

not a Tiramisu person). Generally, I prefer rooibos just with good ol’ honey and a

squeeze of lemon. But I appreciate the creativity of this blend with bits of barley

malt, cocoa beans, roasted chicory root and white chocolate – the Tiramisu

flavour was nailed down perfectly and also had all these textured bits to make it a

fun drink. I’d say this would go really well with Christmas pudding or fruitcake.

Courtesy of Newby of London

Speaking of Christmas, if you’d like a chance to sample Newby Teas, do drop by

their Christmas popup store at the British Club this coming Tuesday and

Wednesday. Here are the details:

Dates: 26 and 27 November 2013 (Tues & Wed)

Time: 10am – 5pm

Venue: The Elizabeth Suite at the British Club, 73 Bukit Tinggi Road,

Singapore 289761

Contact [email protected] if you would like more information.

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[Interviews] TeawarePOSTED IN: INTERVIEWS

We meet the man behind the largest collection of tea antiques in the world as we find out more about the history

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Fans of Malaysian hawkerfare can expect more goodiesat Resorts World Sentosa'spopular Malaysian FoodStreet. In a response to guests'feedback on their Facebookpage, the food alley has addedfive new stalls to its line-up:Penang Curry Mee, Oh Chien,Char KoayKak, Penang FruitRojak and Fish Head Curry.8 Sentosa Gateway,Sentosa Island

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The popularity of tea in Singapore continues to spread and one can revelin the choices available. Coffee specialist Boncafe expands their rangeof tea products by bringing Revolution Tea to our shores. The loose tealeaves are housed in single-serving, individually boxed pyramid infuserbags. It comes in an assortment of 19 flavours including new blends likeBlackberry Jasmine Oolong Tea, Peach Mango Green Tea and RaspberryBlack Tea. The Blackberry Jasmine Oolong tea combines the aroma ofjasmine flowerswith the lush taste of blackberries, while the RaspberryBlack Tea unites the natural sweetness of raspberries with hints of rosepetals. $12for a box of 20. Available at Boncaje International, 208 PandanLoop. Tel: 67762216

Newby Teas, which supplies teas to top luxury hotels like the sevenstar Bmj Al Arab in Dubai and five-star Nobis in Stockholm, finally makesits way to two restaurants in Singapore. Nara Thai at ION Orchard and

Truffle Gourmet at Club Street serve up anarray of the brands' award-winning pyramidteas. Established by business tycoon NirmalSethia, NewbyTeas comes up a notch aboveits competitors: it boasts a state-of-the-artpreservation and packing facility in Kolkata,India, where temperature, humidity andlight are controlled to ensure a satisfyingquality and freshness in the teas. Thetea bags, packed in alufoil to retain theirfreshness, come in a plethora of flavourslikeJasmine Princess-hand rolled green

tea from China, with a light honey yellowhue and floral finishes-as wellas Kan-:Junga, a black tea originating from the Himalayas, with traces ofmuscatel. From $6 a pot. Individual order requests at [email protected]

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British Club Christmas Bazaar: Newby Teas ofLondon

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Teas by awardwinning British artisanal tea brand Newby will be on offer at this popup. Sampleblack tea, green tea, white tea and tisanes priced from $10.

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