Many of us believe that quality, loose leaf tea is on the rise. In specialist tea shop/cafes and as an essential part of more general food businesses. Sometimes, that belief is shaken.
When Lady Devotea and I returned to Adelaide, we stayed for a few weeks in the heart of a city, and were delighted to find nearby a perky little place that did great food, excellent coffee and a selection of fine teas. Once or twice a day, we headed there for refreshment. Ok, so it’s a bit too hipster, but the tea was great.
A week or two afterwards, I visited there with a friend and we were a little unimpressed, I put that down to just a trainee at the counter.
Yesterday was Saturday, a very busy day, plenty of staff on.
I popped in for a cup.
Here, with no embellishment, is a chunk of the conversation. No embellishment, no commentary, just raw. It immediately preceded my consumption of a flat-tasting, uninspiring, under-steeped tea.
Lord Devotea: “I’d like the Dan Cong, please.”
Server: “The what?”
LD: (points at menu) “The Dan Cong.”
Server: “Sorry, we have run out of that. We only have a few of the teas on the menu.”
LD: “Ok, what do you have?”
Server: “Those.” (points at 5 seemingly unmarked silver tins at the back of the store).
Server whispers something to other Server. Second Server takes charge!
Second Server: “I’m sorry, we don’t have the Sencha, but we have Assam.”
LD: “What?”
Second Server: (impatiently, as if to a naughty child) “We don’t have Sencha, but we have Assam. They are nearly the same.”
LD: “In what way are they nearly the same? Geograpically?”.
Second Server: (as if talking to an idiot) “The taste.”
LD: “I never asked for a Sencha..In what way is… no never mind. What else have you got”
Second Server: (retrieves tin) This is new and special and not even on the menu (Tin has ‘GABA oolong’ written on the lid in marker pen)
LD: “I’ll have that”
Oh dear Oh dear. Knowing penchant for tea education, I just might have ordered both the Assam and the Sencha and had both servers taste them. So sad when a good place goes bad due to lack of training. First rule know your product.
So tell me Robert have you solicited the proprietor for a tea training seminar for the employees?
Sadly, these people advertise themselves as experts and actually run tea education nights.
Sure. I can see how an Indian black tea and a Japanese green are almost the same….Maybe they do taste the same if you boil the water within an inch of its life and steep both for 20 minutes or so? We may not have come a long way, baby.
Sitting here with dropped jaw. Is it possible for two teas to be more opposite than a Sencha and Assam. Obviously, this is a rhetorical question. Please accept my condolences to you and your wife.
Wow, clearly they are in need of a schooling by you. I think I would have left and made myself a cup of tea at home. I’m sorry you had such a horrid time!
Tea education at its best.
So sad.