THE ART OF TEA WITH LADY BONIN

Tea is an art that really should go beyond the standard run-of-the-mill teabag steeped in boiled tap water and then beefed up with milk and sugar. I have recently learned that this is not the way to celebrate the age-old tradition of tea at all, with the knowledge and help of Jessica Bonin, owner of proudly local tea parlour Lady Bonin’s Tea Parlour.

We had the privilege of attending a tea pairing event recently with Lady Bonin’s Tea Parlour at the Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay. One of the newest additions to the market, Lady Bonin’s stall is laden with a large variety of teas and blends that will tickle the fancy of any seasoned tea drinker or sway a hardcore coffee drinker.

Grown in Niewoudtville, the leaves used for Lady Bonin’s offerings are organic and grown in a fynbos-rich area with minimal impact on the local environment. The vision of Lady Bonin is to revolutionise the tea-drinking culture by modernising the way traditional tea is drunk. At the pairing we got to savour home-made, baked items such as chilli chocolate banana bread paired with rooibos spiced chai – the combination of these flavours blew my mind.

After our tea-pairing, I can safely say that I’m sold on everything tea has to offer. From local and internationally sourced tea varieties such as Moroccan mint and rooibos spiced chai to a genuine Earl Grey, the ancient art of tea drinking, with all of its benefits, is making a comeback thanks to the expertise and knowledge of Jessica Bonin – and it’s here to stay.

Photography Claire Gunn