THE love affair Britain enjoys with tea continues to show no signs of abating.

And with the popularity for enjoying a wide variety of black, white and fruit teas continuing tea enthusiast and business woman Ann Latchford is cornering the market for fans of a good brew.

She owns and runs Colne Valley Tea Company from her Coggeshall home, providing tea drinkers with a choice of around 70 blends from across the globe.

Ann also supplies hotels in the area and travels to local farmer markets, packaging up her branded teas herself.

She explains her life moved in a different direction thanks to a visit to the one of the markets where she met someone who would offer her an interesting business opportunity.

“Until recently the tea was more a hobby than a business.

“I was was working as an insurance broker four days a week and then running Colne Valley Tea at the same time when I could.

“I got into it five years ago when I went to a farmers market with a friend who goes regularly.

“And I got chatting to the man on the stall next to my friends’ and he had started up the Colne Valley Tea Company.

“He wanted to take time away and, as they say, ‘I liked the tea so much I bought the company,’” she laughs.

Having taken on the venture Ann travelled to Germany to learn more about the process of choosing the best blends.

“Germany is where I import a lot of my fruit blends from but we also get from across the world.

“They are very strict about what goes in to them and I visited the supplier and researched the teas and learned more about the health benefits.”

Until last summer Ann was going to around three or four markets a month but in June she left her job in order to concentrate on tea full-time.

“I have got about 70 blends across white, oolong, rooibos which is also known as red bush, herbal, black, green and fruit teas.

“We also have seasonal specials like Christmas fruits during winter and blends ideal for icing in the summer.

“I decide what I want to be blended and then they are put together under factory conditions.

“Because some might have allergens in them, to make sure they are separate from each other, I have then blended in factory conditions and then I package them together here.”

She says the rise of popularity in white and green teas might be down to how natural they are.

“They are believed to have pure, anti-cancerous properties.

“Tea is also seen as a healthier option so if you are drinking this then you are not drinking other things that might not be so good for you like alcohol or fizzy drinks.

“If you can find a tea you enjoy to drink that is fruit or herbal then you will stick to that.

“Sometimes people say they like the smell of those types of tea but they don’t taste of anything to them but the blends I sell use real pieces of the fruit in them and the trick is to make sure you are steeping it for long enough. You should be leaving it for a good eight minutes,” explains Ann.

She says her favourite of the fruit blends she offers is the Amaretto Cherry.

“It has dried cherries in there and you get the real flavour through.”

She can also settle a few arguments about how you can get the best out of your blend.

She says: “Loose leaf is the best way really. You get a larger leaf and you can brew it in a pot or in a mug with an individual infuser.

“You do get a nicer taste from the actual full leaf and it is a nice way of making it.

“Just the act of brewing it I find is quite relaxing rather than just throwing in a teabag, pouring water on it and squishing it out.

“But while using an infuser is considered quite therapeutic, it is often quite quick as well.

“Loose leaf tea is also environmentally friendly as it saves the packaging needed for teas bags and the higher quality allows a good second brew.”

The process of brewing also differs depending on what blend you are using.

Ann says for green and white teas the water does not need to be at boiling point, but for black teas it should be.

“Green and white teas are more delicate and you can scorch them if you put boiling water on them, which will affect the taste.

“So you can either allow the water to cool a bit, around 70 to 80 degrees celsius is about right, and then pour it on or some people do put a bit of cold water on first.

“In the case of black teas, they are already scorched, that is why they are darker or black, so the water needs to be 100 per cent hot when you pour it on.

“My favourite green tea is pure green fog tea, which gets its name because it is grown in a foggy area.

“It makes a nice, mild, sweet green tea.”

n Ann will be at Lavenham Farmer Market, Suffolk on Sunday Feb 26 and the fourth Sunday of every month, Coggeshall Farmers Market on the first Sunday of every other month from March 5 and at Woodbridge Market on Saturday February 11 and the Second Saturday of every month.

Visit the website colnevalleyteacompany.com for more information

  • ‘You won't find any tea bags in here’ tea is a serious business at Izabela Serwin’s Colchester premises.

Since launching the Cardamon Tea Lounge and Shop in St John’s Street in March of last year Izabela, a tea master, has made it her mission to educate customers about the world of tea.

“A lot people do not realise about tea and I want to try and get them trying new flavours and giving new things a try.

“When we opened I think everyone was thinking, ‘Oh not another cafe or coffee shop’, but this is not a cafe.

“We do serve very simple coffees but it is all about the tea really,” says Izabela, who is originally from Poland.

She has travelled across the world training to be a tea expert including in Barcelona, at the famous Tea Shop in Barcelona and with tea specialist and historian Jane Pettigrew in London.

“She does classes on on-line which I completed but I am learning all the time and want to pass on what I am learning here in the tea rooms,” says Izabela.

As well as stocking around 30 different blends, she also puts on monthly workshops on a different theme.

February’s class will focus on Valentine’s Day, looking at the best teas to enjoy with chocolate.

“One of the best to have with dark chocolate is green tea,” she says.

Having studied the history of tea, and afternoon tea, with tea historian Jane Pettigrew Izabela said on her arrival in England 12 years ago she was surprised everything did not stop for tea at 5pm.

And she adds: “A lot of customers come in and only want breakfast tea but I try and persuade them to try new things.

“It is really important to me to share what I know,” she says.

But if you go in and ask for a tea-bag, you will be disappointed.

“We only serve loose leaf tea. You won’t find any tea bags in here.

“Loose leaf tea only uses the leaves of the tea plant, nothing else.

“But a bag has everything, the root the stalk, all mashed up together so the taste is not nearly as refined.

 The February workshop is on February 8. To find out about this and future events contact Izabela on 01206 504180.