Time for tea

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According to a recent report by Dubai-based IMES Consulting, tea is the second most popular drink in the GCC region after water, and, in the case of Oman, its residents drink twice as much tea as water.

Darren Watson, CEO of Newby Teas' Middle East distributor Geralt Middle East explains that hotels are not doing enough to take advantage of the drink's popularity because they lack knowledge of the product and therefore continue to sell their customers lower quality teas.

"Because Dubai's hotel occupancy rates are very high, something seems to have been lost. They are using tea bags instead of loose leaf teas because they don't have time," he says.

But with a consumer paying between AED 20 (US $5.50) and 30 ($8) for a cup of tea, Watson feels they deserve better.

"Newby purchases tea only from the first and second flush, so it's of the highest quality and a Newby teabag is still from the first or second flush, but it's of a fanning grade, because it's a not a full leaf," he explains.

"A fanning leaf [used in a tea bag] starts as a full leaf and is then shredded, which ends up degrading the tea. Our tea is still top quality, but some hotels are charging the same price for Lipton and these are renowned five-star establishments.

Watson says that it's the packaging of the tea that's getting the attention of cafes, restaurants and hotels, with quality at the bottom of the list.

"If you look at a lot of teas they have fancy packaging, but if you look inside it you have stalk - you've got fibre - which means it's not premium tea. You can tell by pressing on the tea bag. You'll hear that snapping sound. Tea may crumble, but it doesn't make that sound," he explains.

"The people catering to the mass market, and this is the one thing that's letting down Dubai at the moment, are more concerned about saving money than maintaining the loyalty of their customers.

Watson says he's sure the market will mature and stresses that Newby Teas is working hard to ensure that caterers realise the importance of a quality product sooner rather than later.

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