SALAAM!
Abdulla and Aaliyah, the founders of Mzansi Tea House, welcome you to our tea community. We are based in Johannesburg but connected to tea communities around the world.
Aaliyah grew up in Johannesburg, drinking masala chai daily. Abdulla grew up in Sharjah, on the Palestinian brew of shay ma marimiyeh and the Gulf staple, chai karak, earning him the title of Karak Mufti (he even has an academic paper published on it!)
We have spent many years together discovering the vast world of loose- leaf teas. We have immense admiration and respect for tea masters who have passed on knowledge over generations to create complex flavours of tea and we watch, with a keen interest, people who continue to nurture this craft and imagine new ways of enjoying these very versatile leaves.
We are mesmerised by how the leaves of the single plant, Camellia Sinensis, can be processed into teas that look and taste so different, without any additives or additional herbs, botanicals and spices blended with them (even though there are some combinations we enjoy!)
Our first visit together to a tea plantation was in the South of India. We walked through the misty tea gardens and excitedly prepared to visit a tea factory. Though it was fascinating to see the machinery that processes the tea and buy tea gifts to take home, we were horrified by the colonial history of the plantations that evidently destroyed swathes of land previously rich in biodiversity.
Although the colonisers have gone, the land remains in the hands of big corporations and not the farmers, who are still paid a pittance.
This led us to seek out teas that were less exploitative of labourers. When we returned home to Exeter, we were thrilled to see these values embedded in our local tea shop that Aaliyah wrote about when she joined a community writing project in the city that spotlighted local independent shops. In her hours spent with the founders, she increased her knowledge about tea and sustainable farming and business practices.
Though we had occasionally done Gong Fu Brewing before, we continued to get better at it. We no longer saw it as complex and inaccessible and made it part of our daily routine. As we practiced the skill (that is what Gong Fu means) and read more about Taoist philosophy, we started to appreciate the sensory and meditative experience that this brewing delivers. We love that it forces one to slow down and savour every layer of flavour within the tea. Though we are still interested in other brewing methods, this is how we enjoy tea the most and have made it our mission to get others to experience tea as we do. Book a tasting with us to find out!
During our tea journey, we visited a tea farm in Dartmoor National Park. We learned from the farmers that what makes their tea so delicious is the soil and biodiversity in which the tea is grown. We were inspired by their efforts to conserve the natural environment as much as possible.
Great tea does not just come from places that respect people but from places that respect the land too. Since we have started tending to our own plants in Johannesburg, we are so viscerally aware of every fatigued hand it takes to bring the best brew to our tables. Once you fall in love with good, honest tea, there is no going back.
