Elizabeth and Barry Chantler have travelled the world visiting tea plantations in India, Sri Lanka, China, and South-East Asia and attending tea ceremonies in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
The reason for this is because they are passionate about tea so in 2011 they began Chantler Teas.
Chantler Teas are a Pembrokeshire based family business who offer a wide range of high quality ethically sourced loose leaf teas from around the world.
These include well known and occasional rare varieties, including bio Green Tea, White tea, Yellow Tea, Matcha, China Pu-erh and Oolong teas for the discerning loose leaf tea drinker.
All of the teas at Chantler teas have been bought from small privately-owned plantations who are either signatories to Fair-trade and/or the Ethical Tea Partnership ensuring the highest possible standards for estate owners and workers alike.
Their aim is to make fine loose leaf tea locally available and to convert as many people as they can to drinking tea.
Interview with Chantler Teas
We recently got the chance to sit down with Chantler Teas and chat with them about their speciality teas and their booming business.
This is always a fun way to get to know our tea suppliers! We hope you learn something new about them as well.
How did you get started in the tea business?
We began the tea business in Abergavenny and started in the local market. Then we grew doing food festivals and having an online shop. We have since moved to Pembrokeshire and the business has grown.
We now have over 15 of our own unique blends, have gone plastic-free and make sure all our teas are of top quality.
What sparked your interest in selling speciality teas?
We were in Hong Kong and there were all these fabulous tea shops. We had several tea tasting sessions and went on a few courses and just loved the variety and flavours of all the different teas.
We couldn’t get anything like it back in Britain and had the idea of setting up our own tea business.
What is the very first cup of loose leaf tea you ever remember drinking?
We were travelling around the world and went to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. We were walking down the mountain and stopped off at the Boh tea plantation for a cup of tea.
They had so many different varieties I didn’t know which one to choose. I opted for a straight forward Ceylon Black tea. It was amazing sitting in the cafe surrounded by tea gardens and having the best cup of tea I had ever tasted.
What is your favourite steeping method and do you drink a lot of tea at home?
We have a large red teapot with a filter inside and we must drink at least 7 or 8 large cups a day. It is so easy and simple to empty out the infuser into the compost and refill the teapot.
Which tea flavour is your favourite and why?
I love Nepalese, Jun Chiyabari. It is really flavoursome and almost tastes like chocolate. I no longer have milk in my tea and I love teas that have a lot of character.
What distinguishes your teas apart from other speciality teas out there?
We have over 15 of our own unique tea blends and we blend our teas for flavour.
We have gone plastic-free this year with our packs being completely compostable. The inside bag is made from plants and can also be composted.
All our teas have been bought from small privately-owned plantations who are either signatories to Fairtrade and/or the Ethical Tea Partnership ensuring the highest possible standards for estate owners and workers alike.
All our teas are vegan and we have teamed up with a number of local producers and come up with come exciting tea blends including a range of vegan chocolate teas.
Have you read any great books about speciality teas?
I have read a number of tea books but one of my favourites is ‘The Tea Lovers Companion’ by Jane Pettigrew.
Do you have a cafe?
Not yet
What does the future look like for you? Where do you see your company in the future?
We are hoping to expand this year (2020) and move into larger premises. We have some exciting new ideas so watch this space
What is your favourite thing to do when you are not working with your special origin teas?
I enjoy walking and researching my family history.
When traveling, do you visit other stores or cafes that sell tea? Do you ask them about their methods or do you relax and take it all in?
We just relax and enjoy the tea.
Finally
To learn more about Chantler Teas, be sure and visit their website. You can also follow along with them on Facebook to keep up with all the new blends they will be creating over the year.
To see which teas we are featuring this month from Jenier World of Teas, be sure and visit this post.
