Match your cup of tea to your neighbourhood

You can experience Changi while you’re in Jurong. With a cup of tea, that is. A newly launched Singaporean tea company, Pin Tea, has introduced an assortment of premium teas inspired by specific Singaporean neighbourhoods.

Savour a jasmine green tea called Tekka Minute, concocted with the floral garlands of Little India in mind; or the Cha Cha Changi, dreamt up from a carefree Singaporean childhood filled with bandung drinks, which is why the blend combines French rosebuds with the richness of Tie Guan Yin tea.

“This is a fun, quirky way to get people to start thinking about teas in terms of their locality,” explained Yong Pei Wen, who co-founded Pin Tea with a friend who declined to be named. “It’s part of our bigger goal to get people to identify their teas by their leaf variety, taste profile, country of origin and degree of roasting. Teas have as much range and complexity as coffee. (But since) we don’t grow teas in Singapore, our collection is put together based on different impressions we get from each of the neighbourhoods, then we find corresponding flavour profiles and turn it into a tea.”

Pin Tea currently has seven flavours — Amoy Ahoy, Kampong Glamour, Tekka Minute, Sentosa Sunrise, Marina Magic, Cha Cha Changi and Ooh La Orchard. Another, called Katong Convert, is in the works. They’re inspired by the major races in Singapore, as well as ideas of cosmopolitan Singapore. Yong revealed that the pair took four months to come up with these flavours, starting with a walk through each neighbourhood to observe what went on in the course of a day before discussing their findings with their tea master to source for the teas that best fit what was required.

For example, cubicle workers and the marathon runners in the Marina Bay area inspired the caffeine-free Marina Magic blend, which has ginger added for an extra zest.

Pin Tea also took pains to “go local” with their choice of herbs and avoided using chemicals to flavour their teas. It’s currently working with homegrown farmers ComCrop for the peppermint leaves and lemongrass used in Kampong Glamour. “We’re also experimenting with a few other crops from ComCrop, such as Thai basil leaves and, perhaps, other types of mint such as chocolate mint.

“We’re looking for a good source of local pandan to replace the organic Thai pandan leaves in our upcoming Katong flavour,” Yong added.

Also finding new inspiration in Singaporean neighbourhoods is homegrown tea company The 1872 Clipper Tea Co. The 27-year-old brand, which started its retail arm in 2011, is set to launch its City Of Flavours collection. It consists of three blends named after iconic locations: High Street, Lau Pat Sat and Orchard Road.

“We wanted places with personalities that could be transformed into distinct flavours, which would be meaningful to our customers,” said Rehan Amarasuriya, the company’s director, adding that neighbourhoods such as Chinatown and Little India were considered as well.

The team deliberated for a long time before choosing the these locations, based on their histories. For instance, the hibiscus flowers and raspberry in the Orchard Road blend are a throwback to its origins as a fruit orchard and garden; while the Ceylon black tea base in the High Street blend is a nod to BP de Silva’s Sri Lankan roots since its first jewellery store was first located on High Street. (BP de Silva is the parent company behind 1872 Clipper Tea Co.)

City Of Flavours comes after 1872 Clipper Tea Co’s A Sip Of Singapore collection, launched last year. Amarasuriya said these unique blends are becoming more popular and trendy.

“Singaporeans are becoming bolder and more experimental. As customers, they seek novel experiences more frequently than before,” he said.

Still, Pin Tea said that there’s a balance to be struck between unique flavours and staying true to the essence of tea.

“The challenge is to choose ingredients that will express themselves well without artificial enhancements because of our commitment to keeping our teas natural and chemical-free,” Yong explained. “We can’t have outlandish flavours like chocolate or whisky, for example, so we work within these natural boundaries.”

Pin Tea already has more flavours planned and is working with local chefs such as Labyrinth’s Han Liguang and Candlenut’s Malcolm Lee to use its teas. It is also in talks with an upcoming boutique hotel about customising a blend based on its location. (They can also customise a blend for you; if you can commit to a minimum volume of 3kg.)

“Coming up with different flavours is the most fun part of doing this. The range of teas is infinite — as are the possibilities,” said Yong.