Kokova Magazine

I love a good cup of traditional tea. Nothing fancy, no added perfumes or flavours. No quirky combinations or fruity, floral blends. Just a great tasting cup of strong, well-brewed tea to satisfy my personal and individual taste.

Discover your personal tea taste with some of the great companies we have in the UK, who are dedicated to bringing you your perfect 'cuppa'.

Sometimes I like tea stronger, sometimes less intense, but always the same base taste to the tea that I have grown to love, from many weekends spent staying with my Nan. The tea was always loose-leaf and the pot warmed before adding. Milk went in to the cup first and then the golden liquid tea was added to the teacup (that always came with a saucer).

The last drop was never consumed, as the art of leaving the leaves in the bottom of the teacup was a skill to master (no strainers for us either). Happy memories and ones that always return when I find myself 'taking' tea in this manner today.

The beauty of loose leaf tea is that you control the final brew. It has not been pre-designed in a bag - perhaps one is too weak but two, too strong. The amount you use, added to the length you brew, allows for complete control over your personal taste and makes for the best result to suit your mood.

When a selection of Ringtons Tea turned up on my desk I was excited, to say the least, to see their Classic 1907 Blend in the mix. If, like me, you are looking for an honest, uncomplicated tea then this has to be the pick of the crop. Such intense, slightly bitter edged, dark, strong tea when over-brewed with generous proportions of tea to water. Yet, simple to draw back and use less when something not quite so intense is needed or a more delicate taste is required to accompany afternoon tea. I like to stand my spoon up in the cup some mornings but come 3pm, when a biscuit or two is rolled out to pep up the after-lunch lull, something less shocking to the system is required, especially when there is more time to savour, enjoy and relax.

Ringtons Pure Phulbari Assam, although a strong black tea, came a close second to the Classic, with a much lighter lift and a distinctive malty taste. Perfect for the modern 'strong' tea drinker.

Our Food editor, Sarah, is a complete tea lover too, but likes to experiment and has a taste for adventure. Assams are her 'go to' for everyday tea but presented with a new infusion or sophisticated twist on an original and you will have found her heaven. Sarah has a tea box full of variety and makes, nearly all loose leaf but she is not averse to the odd bag or two either. Present her with a Rare tea and watch her light up in wonder.

You may need a stronger stomach for the aroma that these types of tea can give off but once past and on to taste you will find something quite unusual. In the Ringotns Japanese Green Sencha, an odd little leaf that completely transforms when softened in the pot. From a small clipping, a partial leaf appears. The flavour is subtle, considering the aroma, and very clean. The longer it brews the better - don't rush this one because as it opens it release most of the strong aroma and settles to leave a more welcoming green tea.

For looks alone, Ringtons Jasmine Phoenix Pearls are fascinating. Tightly rolled balls, that have been repeatedly scented with fresh jasmine blossoms create a wealth of fragrance when brewed. For such a high aroma the taste is very light, perhaps too light in comparison, but given time, again the flavour follows through.

These are not your everyday tea but certainly worth dipping your toes into if you are ready for a new level in serious tea drinking.

Andy (our IT guy), on the other hand marvels at the many odd and unlikely combinations that masquerade as 'tea', when few have yet to encounter the actual leaf. Herbal infusions of simply mind-boggling combinations (rhubarb & custard - really? In a tea?). Of course, just because it is not to my taste, doesn't mean it is not to yours and with such an array of flavours available it would be churlish and positively missing out to not try and experiment with some of the teas available from O' My Tea.

O' My Tea are putting some fun into tea and will appeal to a whole new market of tea drinkers that didn't know they were. At the moment they have Sweeteas, Choclateas and Fruiteas available but we see from their plans they are looking to add some Parteas, as well as Puriteas.

What is good about these teas is that they work just as well iced as they do freshly brewed, perhaps more so on some flavour combinations. We discovered Andy, in the recent hot weather, sipping from a cup of iced O' My Tea Pineapple Coconut. This is his ultimate tea collection and one he will thoroughly enjoy bringing out, as and when his mood fancies. Not a big 'regular' tea drinker but definitely in the mix for something a bit more unusual, the O' My Tea suits Andy down to the ground.

With all tea, especially loose tea, it is as much about preparation as it is about choice. Do not rush your tea and do not add an extra spoonful on the first outing. Take your time and make exactly to instruction and allow the tea to be. Once you have decided on the brew of choice you can start to experiment with strength and brew time to find your perfect blend.

And a must for all tea drinkers has to be a biscuit on the side. If we are talking the ultimate in biscuits then you seriously need to consider getting your hands on a packet of Ringtons Triple Chocolate Cookies. Chunky chocolate cookies covered in smooth milk chocolate and packed with chunky chocolate chips. Need we say more? Better still, get a job with the company, because I have it on good authority that they give them to the staff with their tea!