Definition: Exceptional tea

Exceptional tea is irresistible! 

Denis Braunschweig, a former engineer, left his job to seek out the finest leaves.

"A good tea is like a wine: it's different every time you taste it and has an equally complex bouquet of aromas." Based in his shop in Gland, Denis Braunschweig is truly passionate about these delicate leaves. Such was his passion that he left his job as a computer engineer to launch T Fine Tea Trading Company SA some fifteen years ago. Today, he supplies his precious teas to some of the finest restaurants in French-speaking Switzerland, supplies selected shops and sells his products online.
But you have to go to Gland to hear him talk about it or to smell the little jars in which he keeps samples of the 150 teas and infusions he offers. He uses jars because he has always refused to sell his teas in large tin boxes.
"It's folklore: when you open them repeatedly, the leaves lose their fragrance. And you never know how long they've been in the tin."
Denis Braunschweig therefore only sells in packets that he seals himself as soon as the leaves arrive.

A question of style
When a visitor arrives, he first asks what style of tea they like. There is a wide range to choose from, including plain and flavoured teas. "Many people like the latter. I hardly ever drink them because I find that the flavours mask the aromas of the high-quality teas I sell. But I've never wanted to be sectarian: there are 4 billion people who drink this beverage, some with milk or sugar or lemon. Everyone does what they like."
He is more particular about the exact preparation of the tea. First, he filters the water to remove limescale, which is the enemy of flavour. Next, the water temperature will be different for each type of tea, as green and white teas do not tolerate heat well, which can "burn" them, making them bitter and harsh. Each package therefore indicates the ideal temperature for its contents. "Heat is green tea's greatest enemy, apart from the teabag." Denis Braunschweig explains: "Tea needs space to open up in the water. It is essential to avoid eggs or balls where it is compressed."
He is a fan of small teapots, where the infusion is easier to control. Yes, the infusion time is also different for each type of tea. As is the number of times the leaves can be used in the teapot: from once for black tea to eight for Oolong.

The influence of the weather
As Denis Braunschweig embarks on a kung fu cha, the Chinese tea ceremony, which is less spectacular than the Japanese ceremony but more focused on taste, he explains how he sources his tea:
"The image of the guy visiting the gardens to choose is folklore. Almost everything goes through exporters who centralise the harvests. It's important to know that tea is picked every day and that, on the same plantation, the tea will be different throughout the season – the first flush,the in between or the second flush, for example – and even different every day depending on whether it was dry the day before or whether there was torrential rain. The merchant therefore regularly orders samples from exporters in each country, which he then infuses in his shop before selecting the batches he likes.
"That's why I never have exactly the same products, just like a winemaker with his vintages."

Glossary – Four types
Tea can come from two varieties of camellia, the Chinese tea plant and the Assam tea plant. Then, like grape varieties, the variations are immense.
The preparation process yields four families of teas:
unfermented
(green or white) which are simply dried and produce the most delicate flavours;
semi-fermented Chineseteas (Oolong), which combine the floral aromas of green teas with the deep aromas of black teas;
fermented (black)teas with more pronounced flavours;
and rare fermented teas without oxidation (P'uh-êhr) with earthy scents, which are the only ones that can be stored for a long time, up to 20 years. "Ageing gives them a roundness, a sweetness..."