Decanter Magazine recently took a sommelier (Mathieu Gaignon, the Connaught Hotel), a perfumier (Linda Pilkington, owner of boutique perfume house Ormonde Jayne) and a tea buyer (JING's Edward Eisler) and analysed their sense of smell, asking them to nose aromatherapy oils, teas, wines and perfumes. Edward Eisler came out ahead of the field, scoring 11.5 points, in comparison to Mathieu Gaignon's 9 points and Linda Pilkington's 7 points.

This is particularly interesting given Edward's unique approach to aromas: "Eisler admits he makes no effort to train himself to pick out different aromas or analyse the various layers of flavour in the teas he tastes. ‘It’s not what my job is all about,’ he says. ‘Instead I look to define what the tea is and where it comes from, then I look at what’s happened in the processing, which is where faults often occur. What you are looking for is a real clarity of flavour – which isn’t to say all the flavours need to be strong, they just have to present themselves clearly and in a distinctive way.’ Although Eisler was an inexperienced wine taster (hampered by the fact that he’s allergic to the stuff), he found the nosing exercise to be an interesting one. ‘Wine has an enormous amount to offer from an aromatic perspective,’ he says, ‘and I found I was looking for descriptors of the aromas far more than I do with tea. As for the perfume, I’m just not that into it."

JING Tea is proud to announce that we have successfully sponsored our key producers and packer in China to become fair trade certified by IMO, ensuring equitable working conditions for tea garden workers.

In spite of the Chinese cold weather earlier this year, it has been a stunning year for green teas. We look back at the Spring season and list the teas we're most proud to have in our collection.

As host of the Olympics in 2008, China is promoting many aspects of its long history and culture. Part of this is the promotion of tea culture, linking back to the millenia of heritage and expertise that can be found within this great tea nation.

This year's freshly picked crops of green and yellow teas will be premiered at our JING Tea Bar (stand 65) at the Real Food Festival in Earl's Court, London, from Thursday April 24th to Sunday April 27th. Please come and see us!

On the 24th of January, over 50 of Britain's leading wine and food writers, including the BBC's Oz Clarke and The Guardian's Tim Atkin, gave up wine for the afternoon in order to learn about the world of tea.

The Tate Galleries, of which Jing Tea is the proud tea supplier, asked us if we could train one of their top brass into becoming their first ever Tea Sommelier. We said we could.

The BBC's 'Working Lunch' recently invited Jing Tea's founder, Edward Eisler, onto the programme to discuss the revolutionary development of nylon tea bags.

Written specially for Jing Tea - James Norwood Pratt on his love for the great, yet ephemeral, green teas

Lu Yu Soul Man by James Norwood Pratt - Part 3

Tip 2 - Perfect Water Temperature

If you are a green or white tea drinker, using the correct water temperature can make the difference between a bitter, acrid infusion and one filled with sweet scents of meadow flowers.

Lu Yu Soul Man by James Norwood Pratt - Part 2

James Norwood Pratt, outstanding author of The New Tea Lovers' Treasury and The Tea Dictionary has kindly invited Jing Tea to serialise his most recent work on the Great Tea Saint, Lu Yu.

Tip 1 - Use a tea pitcher

The tea pitcher is one of the things I hate to be without when I make tea. When I travel I take three tea-things with me: a small teapot no more than 250ml; a tea pitcher; and a bag of tea (usually Big Red Robe or Yi Wu Puerh).

In this blog, I explore the crucial significance of terroir (placeness) in relation to teas in China.