Stuart GouldenA local tea producer is celebrating major Great Taste success with 4 award winning teas including a prestigious 3 Star award won by only 123 out of the 8,807 products judged this year – and it’s not Taylors of Harrogate for a change!
Four of the Single Estate whole leaf teas produced by York-based LuLin Teas will be proudly displaying a coveted Great Taste 2012 logo after being judged by a panel of 350 of the nation’s most discerning food experts over 45 days.
Winning the coveted 3 Stars, LuLin Teas Single Estate Lapsang Souchong which has been naturally pine smoked for 3 days giving it the caramel and smoky flavours described by the judges, has always been a best seller and has now been recognised for its complex flavours. On top of this, a 2 Star award has been given to the company’s Fujian Oolong and two 1 Star awards to their Ginseng Oolong and Yellow Tips teas. LuLin Teas are over the moon to have won a total of 7 stars across the 4 products!
LuLin Teas is a small Yorkshire company who hand select speciality tea from tea gardens in China. They focus on taste, quality and ethical sourcing when selecting their teas. The company is owned by couple Hans Verhoosel and Amy Gallagher who ran speciality Belgian Coffee House, La Place Verte in York for a number of years before focusing on their tea business and working to expand that.
To achieve Gold in Great Taste is a significant achievement for any food or drink producer and results are eagerly awaited. The scheme, run by the Guild of Fine Food, has been described as the epicurean equivalent of the Booker Prize and in 2012 a total of 8,807 different food and drink products were entered.
Mr Verhoosel said he couldn’t express his joy as, “this is the first time we have entered the Great Taste Awards so we are very happy at how successful we have been! It is a real confidence booster for the whole company knowing that all our hard work in sourcing the best teas we can find has paid off.”
“We all feel proud that we can now call our teas award winning and can already see sales increasing thanks to this important recognition that the teas have received.”
Judges this year included Masterchef winner and restaurateur Mat Follas, restaurant critic and Masterchef judge Charles Campion, food writers Lucas Hollweg and Xanthe Clay and over 300 food buyers from leading food halls, delicatessens and farm shops, including Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason.
