The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) is such a household name, one that we all grew up knowing, and one that we can find at any parts of Singapore. It is an affectionate brand that we are all familiar with, and many of us spent a good part of our teenage years studying at our favourite CBTL outlets.
We can all recite the must-order drinks – Authentic Tea Lattes and The Ultimate Ice Blended, anyone? Everyone loves them for these, but it is puzzling how their teas are not the top-of-mind items because they are The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and that means they do their tea pretty damn well!
They sure do, and lately, we had a chance to attend a tea workshop conducted by CBTL’s master tea buyer-blender, David De Candia. It was an insightful session, and we are now converts – because CBTL has teas that are so fine, the world needs to know of them.
Also, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has specially launched an exclusive Singapore Blend Tea to celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday. It has hits all CBTL stores in Singapore, and will be available only throughout 2015.
ROAD TO TEA PERFECTION
“The perfect tea starts with nurturing partnership half a world away.”
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf takes pride in their tea, and you drink only the finest from all parts of the world. David tours the world to scout for lush tea plantations, forges relationships with tea growers, learns about their distinctive harvests, and brings them back to his U.S. facility to blend and package.
You see, the whole process is personalised, raw and real. There is no middlemen, no importer-exporter, no wholesaler; just a sincere heart in curating the finest teas from Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Kenya, India and Thailand for your consumption.
We were really impressed with a dedication as such, and more than comforted in knowing that despite being a renowned chain worldwide, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stays true to their belief and strives to deliver only high quality whole-leaf teas with freshness and consistency.
A COMMITMENT TO GIVE BACK
And we do not forget the promise that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf made to the tea growers. It is not simply visiting their tea plantations and buying out their harvest; it is about forging a relationship and strengthening a bond with them, understanding their harvests and lives, and cultivating close ties with the community.
Beneath these monetary transactions lies CBTL’s efforts in supporting local education and health-care programs. In David’s travels, he has also involved CBTL in various charity organizations dedicated to the tea estates and communities where CBTL’s teas are grown.
At the end of the day, the wondrous brew you sip from your cup is the result of delicious bonds that CBTL and David have forged with the world to benefit the world.
TWO LEAVES AND A BUD
That is part of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s logo, in case you haven’t noticed. All teas served in CBTL are painstakingly hand-plucked – which is a very labour-intensive method that is scarcely used these days.
Hand-plucking only the delicate top two leaves and a bud from the tips of each plant means isolating and oxidizing the top quality leaves and buds to produces teas of the most supreme flavours and character.
BLENDED BY THE ARTISTS
Blending tea is a high form of art, and one that is taken very seriously at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. You are not simply drinking “good tea”; you are savouring the exquisiteness of a skilful blend.
It takes more than just engaging the five senses to harmonize a blend, because the process requires profound understanding and study of each tea’s characteristic and flavour, and how they will react to and complement each other to create new flavours.
Intriguing and meticulous, the art of tea ought to be more appreciated, indeed.
MALIBODA TEA
Prized for its full flavour, Maliboda Tea is one of CBTL’s prized blends. Essentially a low grown Ceylon black tea, this premium tea has a sweet and fruity note with a delicate woody finish.
And this tea blend deserves a special mention because it brings about a meaningful impact – a portion of the sales for Maliboda Tea goes back to the community that grows this tea, and it helps build the elementary school that is situated right next to the farm.
The next time you find yourself at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and you want to be part of something meaningful and charitable, why not order the Maliboda Tea?
THE EXCLUSIVE SINGAPORE BLEND TEA
Specially crafted in celebration of Singapore’s 50th birthday, the Singapore Blend is a medium-bodied blend made up of honeybush, green tea, carrots and Indian flowers. This tea is a beautiful blend that boasts an orchid aroma and delicate fruity aftertaste.
We truly enjoyed this brew, and of course, our process of enjoyment also contributes to the community. Part of the proceeds from the sales of Singapore Blend will go into the local growers’ communities to fund an orphanage in Taiwan and a scholarship program in South Africa.
As mentioned earlier, the Singapore Blend has hits all CBTL stores in Singapore, and will be available only throughout 2015. For keepsake, for pure indulgence, for sentimental reasons – the Singapore Blend should earn a space in your tea cupboard.
For more updates, go to www.coffeebean.com.sg, like The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram.
This post is brought to you by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.