The Big Tea Party

The Tea Council, a marketing organisation funded by tea-growing countries, has built this site as part of its remit to promote tea consumption in Britain. As the text admits, school children are its key target market, and the council aims to push research supporting the health benefits of tea. The problem with industry-wide marketing organisations is that they are not able to make specific recommendations about brands and products, and the site suffers from a lack of genuinely independent opinion. It's a stylish site with top-notch graphics that come up reasonably quickly, although the general speed can be slow, which is unsurprising given the sheer quantity of material.

There are many subsections, and you may inadvertently head into the children's space-themed Tea Trail, or the Tea and Health area, which is primarily for health-industry professionals. Most of the sections we found interesting were towards the centre of the menu panel at the left.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Tea Pairings includes a very interesting interview by professional journalist Paul Levy with the restaurant manager of the Conservatory at London's Lanesborough Hotel, one of the best places in the city to take high tea. There follows an easy-to-read grid suggesting good food and tea matches, such as Kenya tea with chocolate cake and Earl Grey with créme brûlée. It's the highlight of the site.

Teas from Around the World helps visitors match tea names to places of origin, for example Oolong from China, Nilgiri from India and Uva from Sri Lanka.

Tea Varieties is not so good, and only includes general blends such as English Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Earl Grey, and a catch-all category called flavoured teas.

Guild of Tea Shops Guide gives the reviews and results of an annual competition to name the best tea shops in Britain.

OTHER FEATURES

The history of tea, how to brew the perfect cup, tea manufacturing from plantation to cup, healthy facts about tea, a comprehensive glossary taking in professional terms, plus the sections for children and the health industry.