Blog

Im just back from China, where, due to internet problems I could not get online to write my blog.  On reflection this is actually quite a good thing - offering me the opportunity to switch off, immerse myself completely in a culture and most importantly in tea.   It has been a wonderful trip & over the next few days Ill be sharing more details about what I got up to. Lots of time spent travelling has given a lot of time for reflection so I wanted to start with a few thoughts on why we, at Comins, put a strong emphasis on...

We have spoken a bit about our partners in some of our previous blogs.  Here at Comins collaboration & partnership is very much at the heart of what we do and we partner with all types of people from tea farmers through to British designers and makers and of course selected cafes, restaurants, hotels and food stores. When we started Comins Tea House we had a clear vision - to make it simple for people to find & enjoy great tea.  We wanted then, and still do now, to enjoy great tea in the types of places that we enjoy visiting....

Just recently, after a long search [& a lot of tasting] we were very pleased to receive two new Pu’erh teas at the Tea House. These are currently just being served in the Tea House, but will be available to buy online and in the Tea House soon.  We get a lot of questions about this type of tea so thought it was time for a blog.... So why Pu’erh? This unique type of tea is often deemed an acquired taste and until the end of last year our experiences of Pu'erh had not been too positive.  After some further research,...

Of all the teas that we serve at the Tea House our carefully selected Oolong teas have captured peoples imagination the most. This seems to both be down to the Gong Fu style of brewing [small teapots, sipping cups and multiple infusions] and also the wide variation in flavours between and within each particular type. At this point I should rewind slightly and just define what an Oolong tea is. Simply put an Oolong is a partially oxidised tea, black tea being totally oxidised and green and white teas not oxidised at all. Oxidation is what gives a black tea its...

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...