Rocco Forte's Brown's Hotel introduces the first Prestige Seasonal Tea Library

London, 9th July 2012 sees Brown’s Hotel launch its Prestige Seasonal Tea Library, curated by Lalani & Company, consisting of a collection of exceptional tea productions from the world’s leading, independent, family-owned tea gardens.  Each of the unique teas is chosen by season, producer, varietal and even day of picking. 

Tea traders Lalani & Company, who select leading tea gardens and productions across the world’s growing regions, have selected seasonal tea lots for Brown’s Hotel guests to enjoy.  The July 2012 Library will feature a collection from three boutique producers including teas of which just 10kg or less were produced this year.  These include Summer Reserve from The LaKyrsiew Tea Garden in Meghalaya, Himalayan Jade from The Jun Chiyabari Garden in Nepal and First Flush ‘Wonder’ from The Gopaldhara Garden in Darjeeling.

Capturing the essence of modern British luxury, Brown’s is the first hotel to commission handmade tea ware pieces designed by British ceramic artist Billy Lloyd and Lalani & Company. The new tea library will be served in glassware by renowned glassmaker Riedel for perfect appreciation of the character and profile of each tea. 

“We are pleased to be the first London hotel to hold a Prestige Tea Library of this calibre.  The quality of these teas is exceptional and we feel that our discerning guests will greatly appreciate this experience.  Brown’s Hotel has a rich heritage and a passion for service so it is most fitting to be working with these talented families who take such pride in producing stunning teas on individual boutique tea gardens” Stuart Johnson, General Manager, Brown’s Hotel

“It is little known in Britain that the most exquisite teas need to be selected seasonally, drinking at their best. The teas we have selected teas for the hotel’s Prestige Tea Library stood out on every level from the hundreds of lots tasted this season. When a tea leaf is picked it captures the moment in time and place where it is produced - terroir, climate, soil, artisan methods and philosophy. It is only when stewarded and selected correctly that you will experience this captured moment from the infusion. ” Nadeem Lalani, Lalani & Company

Brown’s Hotel, famed worldwide for its award-winning afternoon tea and approach to modern British luxury, is delighted to be taking a landmark step for British tea drinking.  We look forward to welcoming you to The English Tea Room to taste the teas from our Prestige Seasonal Tea Library.  





Notes to Editors

Lalani & Company

Lalani & Co is a London based tea trading company, founded and run by the three partners, trading teas from producers around the world. The company is guided by the philosophy of quality, provenance, seasonality and sustainability. As a trading company, Lalani & Co selects the leading tea gardens and seasonal teas in a complex and often opaque market. Every leaf is shipped at the right time, when the tea is in season, with full provenance and traceability. Almost all are natural or organic teas. Unlike a brand, the teas are the creations of the estate, which Lalani & Co tastes, selects and trades. Lalani & Co’s merchant mark is an assessment of a tea’s quality, which is judged and monitored continuously, ensuring quality, provenance and seasonality in tea.

Lalani & Co is certified organic by the Organic Food Federation; Fairtrade; the only tea company to be certified by the Sustainable Restaurant Association and is a supporting member of Slow Food UK.

124 New Bond Street
London
W1s 1DX
+44(0)20 3355 1640

Riedel

Riedel, 250 year-old global leader in varietal-specific crystal glassware, is the first in history to recognize that the taste of wine is affected by the shape of the glass from which it is consumed.  Riedel has been recognized as the original wine specific glassware brand to complement wines and spirits. Famous for its ground-breaking introduction of the world’s first varietal specific glass, the Burgundy Grand Cru in 1958 and mouth-blown Sommeliers collection unveiled in 1973, Riedel has become the preferred choice of wine connoisseurs, hospitality professionals, and educated consumers worldwide. Recognized for transforming wine culture over the past 50 years, Riedel’s design-focused decanters, various stemware lines, and stemless “O” collections have been selected for display at the Museum of Modern Art, Corning Museum of Glass, San Francisco MOMA and more. Riedel is distributed widely throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia, and can be found at the most exclusive fine dining establishments throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.riedel.co.uk

Billy Lloyd

Billy Lloyd is an award-winning designer based at Cockpit Arts Deptford, London.  Graduating from Camberwell College of Arts in 2006 he immediately went onto assist Lisa Hammond at Maze-Hill Pottery for one year.  Subsequently, Billy completed a successful four-year apprenticeship with leading London-based potter, writer and academic, Julian Stair.  Having won the Cockpit Arts Award, he established his own studio in June 2011.

Since 2008, Billy has been supplying leading retailers and galleries with his understated thrown porcelain tableware and from 2009 he has regularly exhibited during the London Design Festival.  His work has received much critical acclaim and has been championed by Terrance Conran’s sister, Priscilla Carluccio.  In 2010 he was invited by Priscilla to take part in and curate an exhibition at her Kensington based shop Few and Far entitled Billy Lloyd and Friends.  More recently, he has been commissioned by Studio Ilse Crawford and SE5 Architects to produce Lidded Jars and Pendant Lights for private residential buildings in London, respectively.  From September 2012, he will be the first British designer to stock iconic Japanese department store Beams Tokyo with tableware.  Leading Art-Dealer Adrian Sassoon, Design journalist Barbara Chandler, Retailer and Restaurateur Priscilla Carluccio and Terence Conran all collect his work. 

“I make thrown porcelain tableware intended for everyday use. My aim is to combine a clarity of design with the nuances of making by hand.  I use porcelain because of its density and strength when fired, the purity of its colour and ability to enhance form.”

Billy believes that the ceramics he produces should be used and appreciated as functional objects that encourage us to re-examine our associations with the belongings we surround ourselves by.  What is its purpose?  What is it made of?  How is it made?  What does that mean to me?  These are some key questions that shape his understanding of the material world we live in.  He is committed to making objects that serve a purpose, are ethical and can be passed on.


Rocco Forte Hotels

Rocco Forte Hotels is a family of 13 individual hotels and resorts. Each property has a unique style, reflecting its nationality and location, but all share Rocco Forte Hotels’ trademark attention to detail, high quality and immaculate service.

Established by Sir Rocco Forte in 1996, Rocco Forte Hotels comprises: Hotel de Russie, Rome; Hotel Savoy, Florence; The Balmoral, Edinburgh; The Lowry Hotel, Manchester; Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg; Hotel Amigo, Brussels; Brown’s Hotel, London; Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt; Hotel de Rome, Berlin; The Charles Hotel, Munich; Augustine Hotel, Prague; Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily; Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi. Future openings: Jeddah 2013; Marrakech 2014; Cairo 2014; Luxor 2014.

www.roccofortehotels.com

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