Saturday August 4, 2012

Tête-à-tête over tea

By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ
jaya@thestar.com.my Photos by NORAFIFI EHSAN

TEA lovers will surely swoon over TWG Tea’s first ever tea salon and boutique in Malaysia launched recently.

Located on the second floor of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, the posh 214sq m salon marks the brand’s fourth international opening in two years after Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and Dubai.

Delicate operation: Tea is served in hand-blown glass French teapots.

During the event, Valiram group executive director Ashvin Valiram assured everyone that stepping into the outlet would offer an unparalled luxurious tea drinking experience with an exquisite tea range from all over the world.

“We are excited to bring TWG Tea to Malaysia, where we are confident the luxury brand would be greatly appreciated by tea lovers, aficionados and gastronomes alike,” he said during the event.

Also present were TWG Tea co-founder and president Taha Bouqdib and chairman and chief executive officer Manoj M Murjani.

The salon, which can accommodate 56 customers, features a tea-infused sweet and savoury menu.

Gastronomes will be delighted by an exceptional dining experience with dishes developed with select TWG teas.

The TWG tea-infused desserts are made every day and includes delicacies like Chocolate Fondant served with a light custard cream and a scoop of homemade Vanilla Bourbon Tea Ice Cream and eight types of tea-infused macaroons.

Exclusive: The salon offers renowned tea blends prepared according to TWG Tea’s specifications.

Tea offerings include unique harvests from renowned tea blends, prepared behind the bar according to TWG Tea’s specifications and served in 18 carat gold plated teapots, hand-blown glass French teapots or iced in tall crystal stemware.

Meanwhile, the boutique boasts more than 450 of fine harvest and exclusive tea brands in the world, all of which may be purchased by weight from 50g in sachets or accessorised in TWG Tea’s 45 bespoke tea tins.

Additionally, the boutique also offers 12 chocolate bonbons consisting of dark, milk and white chocolate infused with the brand’s iconic tea blends, including Earl Grey Fortune, 1837 Black and White Night Jasmine Tea alongside an assortment of six gourmet bars encased in jewel toned packaging.