Making a tour of Southeast Asia to share his passion for the beverage, Stephen Twining, tenth generation member of the famous tea family, was in town recently to host a workshop titled ‘How to Make the Perfect Cuppa’.

“Tea doesn’t impose anything on you. You take it as you wish,” says Stephen Twining, the Director of Corporate Relations for the world-renowned tea company that bears his name, “Naturally local customs tend to dictate the manner of taking tea.”

But he does admit that his only grievance is sugar. “I personally feel that adding sugar to your tea is barbaric. Because what you taste first is all that sweetness from the sugar and it hides the natural, lovely flavour underneath.”

Another gripe is the tendency to jiggle teabags.

“If you need a work out, go to the gym. Treat them (the teabags) with respect and they’ll reward you with a good cup of tea.” And if you’re about to make yourself a cuppa, there are two simple rules to follow. For black tea, add water just as it comes to boil and allow the leaves to steep for at least three minutes. For green, oolong and white teas, allow the water to cool for five minutes before pouring in.

With nearly 250 different blends available throughout the world there’s certainly no lack of choice for varying palates, be it the standard black or selection of herbal and fruit infusions.“I usually advocate that people change their tea to a blend they can enjoy without adding sugar. I want to show people that there are teas you can take without sugar.”

Growing up with the famous Twining name, Stephen was not always aware of its significance and legacy, until the age of eight when he was asked to do a tea-tasting session for his class. “I did the whole nine yards and they were amazed at the green tea and Darjeeling tea which were really light in colour. They were all like ‘Wow, this is all tea!’ Surprised by their lack of awareness, Stephen was determined to go out and teach the world something that was almost second nature to him.

Founded by Thomas Twining in 1706, the company—one of the first to introduce tea drinking to English society—is credited with setting the standard in tea-blending and developing new blends and flavours, that they soon became a symbol of quality tea. In 1837, Queen Victoria appointed Twinings as the official tea supplier for her household; an honour that stands to this day.

Their close association with dignitaries also resulted in the world-famous Earl Grey blend, created especially for Charles Grey the 2nd Prime Minister of England.

“In those days we made bespoke teas for our important customers. So to do it for the Prime Minister was nothing out of the ordinary. What we did was we’d write down your preferred blend next to your name so the next time you came in, we’d look it up and prepare it accordingly,” explains Stephen.

The bergamot infused tea was such a novelty to his guests, who loved the taste, that Grey gave Twinings the right to sell it to anyone who asked for it by name. This tea blend is still the only one to be approved by the current Grey whose signature is printed on each box. So if you fancy a cup of refreshing Earl Grey, make sure it’s a Twining.