At Comins we love to build partnerships with individuals and businesses who share our passion for great tea but who also focus on great quality & service in their own fields of expertise. It was an October day when Michelle met Anthony at a British design show in London - not the most obvious place for a BagelMan & a TeaLady to meet. We got chatting and tasted some teas and talk turned to what Anthony did for a living. Turned out he ran a small chain of fantastic Bagel shops in Brighton.
Having worked around Brick Lane and the famous Bagel shops Michelle loves a good bagel - & they are hard to come by. She was intrigued so they chatted more. The story & the passion for bagels was amazing - Anthony took over the business from Julian who started the business in 1996 as a one-man bagel delivery service to help fund his way through a degree at Brighton University. The business has gone from strength to strength but much like Comins has one core element at its heart - with us it is fine single estate teas for Anthony it is to make and serve the very best bagels he possibly can. & trust us these bagels - baked in their own bakery in the heart of Brighton - are seriously good.
It was obvious that Anthony cared about quality and we talked about pairing the wonderful bagels he makes with our fine teas. They already served great coffee from the small batch coffee company and were looking to upgrade tea. So a couple of months later Michelle headed off to their flagship store in Brighton with her box of Comins teas - ready to taste and find some brilliant pairings.
The newly renovated store is fresh and inviting & it was immediately obvious that the team shared the same passion for quality & service as Anthony. We sat outside the station tasting teas and chatting bagels. Looking at the menu it was clear that there were great pairings to be made and after tasting the full range of Comins teas Anthony decided on his tea menu. Michelle then had the pleasure of tasting some of the delicious bagels [it's a hard life!]
The new Comins & BagelMan collaboration is born & their tea collection is now launched and currently available in their Brighton station store and the store in Hove & includes :-
Bagelman Breakfast Blend // A strong black tea which can be taken with or without milk
Comins First Flush Darjeeling // A light black tea that should be taken without milk | Makaibari Tea Estate Kurseong Darjeeling
Comins Sencha // A Japanese green tea that should be taken without milk | Nr Uji Japan
Comins Houjicha // A roasted Japanese green tea that should be taken without milk | Nr Uji Japan Comins Dong Ding // A roasted Taiwanese Amber Oolong that should be taken without milk | ShanZhiChi Garden DonYangShan Taiwan
We have also suggested some bagel pairings for you to give a try. If you would like to know more about the teas on offer then please visit our website where you will find details on all of our teas, their provenance, tasting notes etc. What's our favourite? For us Comins Amber Oolong Dong Ding with the LOX Deluxe [Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese & Lemon] is divine but why not pay them a visit and find out for yourself. One thing is for sure we think that Bagelman are offering the best tea in Brighton!
