Life is apparently a bowl of cherries. Just that, according to the song from the musical, George White’s Scandals.
Good for your heart, undoubtedly. A route to better sleep.
Also good for you is a bowl of Matcha. A green tea renowned for calm energy with a buzz synonymous with caffeine yet without those jitters and a potential crash.
Of course, there are bowls, and there are bowls. Whisky is shared among Cameron clan members in a loving cup. Then there are vessels made with love. Such as those by Robert Winter drawing on 30 years as an artist specialising in ceramics, glass, and fine art.
Bowls crafted by Robert, based today in the north of England, where he lectures at Sunderland University, are now offered by Tea2you, primarily for making Matcha from leaves grown specially in the shade, then hand-picked and stone-ground into a distinctive fine powder.
Robert actually first met Ratan Mondal, Tea2You’s founding father, on a pottery course 30 years ago now. Who knew that the latter was once in the ceramics business before his true calling, ultimately concentrating instead on what they serve.
The lives of Ratan and Robert are now entwined after years in parallel. Or as economists might say, vertically integrated.
There is usually no ceremony on visiting the Tea2You mother kiosk at Borough Market. The exception is the Matcha, after all for sale as a ceremonial grade. The preparation of a bowl can be absorbed in half an hour to 45 minutes with Ratan, who explains why the culturally-distinct Matcha is no ordinary green tea. He can also help you with whisking to ensure optimal frothiness.
The ritual of filling one of Robert’s bowls with Matcha follows the similarly precise process of making them. Each stoneware pot from the potter’s wheel is finished with an iron bearing, Tenmoku glaze fired to approaching 1,300 degrees.
A small matter; your Tea2you writer in residence has a longstanding, ongoing debate with the founder about the merits of milk with tea. We have ultimately agreed a semi-skimmed compromise. With respect to Matcha even the daltonic among us know that the green stuff must be undiluted.
— Colin Cameron
Writer in Residence