We trainees were once again able to expand our knowledge at an internal training course at the Hotel Kaiserhof. The topic was: “The great world of tea”. This seminar was led by Andreas Volkery, the tea specialist from Ronnefeldt.
The beginnings of tea
Tea has been drunk for more than 5000 years, and much more than coffee. Tea has its origins in China, when Emperor Shen Nung dropped a tea leaf into boiling water and it began to smell wonderful.
Other tea-growing regions now include India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and parts of South and East Africa.
Each tea has its own character and develops its own aroma – and just like wine growing, the tea plant needs certain conditions such as climate, soil, a growing area and an individual harvest time.
The House of Ronnefeldt
Ronnefeldt was founded in 1823 by Johann Tobias Ronnefeldt.
The catering trade is the main customer for the products, accounting for 95% of sales. Many four- and five-star restaurants – such as the Kaiserhof – also purchase tea from Ronnefeldt. The Ronnefeldt range offers over 365 types and varieties of tea, so you can theoretically drink a different tea every day for a whole year.
Different methods are used to produce tea. Ronnefeldt differs from many other tea manufacturers in that each tea is produced or purchased using only the Orthodoxe method, more on this later. This method guarantees a finer aroma and the best quality. The results are convincing, as Ronnefeldt was named Best Brand in 2017, 2018 and 2019. And the Forbes Travel Guide has also named Ronnefeldt the best tea brand of 2018.
Ronnefeldt even offers interested parties from the catering industry the opportunity to attend the in-house Tea Academy. It is possible to achieve the Teamaster Silver or even Gold.
Ronnefeldt’s cultivation areas include China, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
All Ronnefeldt teas are also certified for halal and kosher production.
The path to the finished black tea
The orthodox tea goes through several stages before it arrives at our hotel.
During the harvesting of the tea leaves, only the top two leaves and the bud are harvested, this process is called two leaves and one bud. These leaves are all harvested by hand. The pickers receive a fixed wage and each kilo is entered in a pay book and paid extra. After harvesting, the leaves are left to wither for 12-18 hours, during which time the leaves lose 60% of their moisture. Next, the tea leaves are rolled, i.e. ground on two rotating disks. During fermentation, the cell sap released from the leaves oxidizes with the oxygen in the air. After two to three hours of fermentation, the leaves turn copper-red and form the typical tea aroma. In order to achieve a residual moisture content of 3%, which is optimal for transportation, the leaves are dried in a tray dryer at 90 degrees for approx. 20 minutes.
Finally, the tea is sorted into four different leaf grades. Ronnefeldt only processes the first three grades: leaf tea, broken tea and fannings. The smallest grade – Dust – is not used as it does not meet the high quality standards.
The path to green tea
Green tea is also obtained from the tea plant, but differs from black tea in its coloring during the fermentation process. The green tea remains green because it does not ferment. As green tea is very popular in China and Japan, each country has developed a way of producing the tea without fermenting it. In the Chinese method, the tea leaves are heated in a large wok for about 30 seconds. The enzymes contained in the leaves are thus inactivated and no fermentation takes place. In Japan, the leaves are exposed to steam of around 100 degrees in large drums. Here too, the enzymes become more inactive and no fermentation takes place.
The effect of tea
Tea has a number of positive properties. As manufacturers and sellers, we are not allowed to make any healing promises, but it is generally accepted that tea promotes well-being, stimulates concentration, stimulates blood flow to the brain, accelerates the breakdown of alcohol, drugs and fats, strengthens teeth and improves metabolism. In order to achieve certain properties in a targeted manner, there are certain times that should be adhered to. For black tea to have a stimulating effect, it should steep for one to three minutes. Three to five minutes brewing time, on the other hand, has a relaxing effect. With green tea, one to two minutes has a stimulating effect and two to three minutes has a relaxing effect.
Fruit and herbal teas
Last but not least, fruit and herbal teas.
In the food definition, this type of hot drink is considered a tea-like product, as it is not made from the tea plant but from other natural ingredients. Herbal teas should be steeped for at least five to eight minutes and fruit teas for eight to ten minutes. Regardless of which tea is prepared, it should never be forgotten that tea is an infusion drink and it is important to infuse the tea with water to achieve the optimum aroma and effect.
A special treat for tea lovers is to pay close attention to the infusion time and mention this when serving.
Finally, on behalf of all the trainees, I would like to thank Mr. Volkery, who introduced us to the colorful world of tea and made us more confident in handling tea with guests.
Best wishes from the Kaiserhof
Esther Mönninghoff
2nd year hotel management trainee