What once originated as a medicinal drink in Southeast Asia soon happened to take the world by storm for centuries.
Tea spread across continents and he brought a sense of culture and conversations soon became one of the most popular drinks ever.
Tea culture in the world (TCW) is a brand of tea trying meets the whole leaf teas and exotic blends of India and around the world. TCW produces several varieties of tea and Rupali Ambegaonkar-Ceo in TCW talks about his passion for tea, the objectives of your company and what a perfect conversation starter.
What prompted you to start TCW?
I started TCW because of my personal desire to bring tea cultures from across the globe under one brand.
What does tea mean to you?
Tea means good health, general well-being and happiness. When I drink tea, I can be sure to feel at ease and relaxed.
What are your favorite flavors?
My personal favorite is tieguayin tea, matcha and aged puerh. However, from time to time I like a little peppermint flavor in my tea.
What are the health benefits of tea?
Tea is one of the healthy drinks packed with numerous benefits, including increased metabolism anti-aging anti cholesterol, etc.
What are some of the most exotic varieties you can eat? Why are they called exotic?
We have teas from rare tea estates around the world. We call them exotic because these teas originate from remote areas not accessible to all.
Where do you get your leaves?
Source our teas and ingredients from around the world. Our teas come from China Japan, India, Vietnam, South Africa, South America, Egypt, Taiwan, etc. Our herbal fruit berries come from India Europe Europe belt from China and America.
What are your views on the tea auction now? Has it changed, evolved?
We are a boutique tea company and do not buy tea from auctions.
Public tea auctions have always played a key role as the main vehicle for the primary tea marketing in India for more than a century since it was installed in Calcutta in 1861. Public tea auctions handle more than 500 million kilograms annually. Time has been evolving and newly designed e-Auction system is being used by the six Centers Auction (Kolkata, Siliguri, Guwahati, Cochin, Coimbatore and Coonoor). The e-Auction system integrates the process from the creation of invoices to the delivery of tea from the warehouses, allowing a better control and avoiding the duplication of work thus reducing the time.
What would you say are the perfect accompaniments for tea?
Tea can be had with any food, mixed in any food. The key is to match according to the flavor profile of the tea.
Do you think tea is a perfect start to a conversation?
Completely can break awkward silences can create conversations. I have had some interesting experiences when people know that I am a tea sommelier who want to know different cultures of tea around the world.
Any special memories associated with tea?
Tea is the purpose of most of my trip. Every time I travel, I bring something to live again. My best memory is my first sip of tea. Teiguayin – a Chinese oolong was the first tea I tasted and it had hurt me. Before this, I was never an avid tea drinker. Teiguayin inspired me to start TCW
Where do you see TCW in the next five years?
We plan to grow and expand in India and around the world. We would see ourselves growing stronger in online and retail sales.
