Dorset Tea's master brewers have shared the secrets of creating the best tea in the area on National Tea Day. 

Hidden away in Ferndown, Dorset Tea master brewers Jimmy Medhora, 59 and Tony Warr, 57, are the master brewers behind Dorset Tea's variety of blends.

Creating a wide range of classic black teas and the increasingly more lucrative herbal blends, both Jimmy and Tony style their teas in theme of the Dorset county, proud to make tea in the area.

Tony said:  "All our teas are inspired by Dorset. We like to add a ‘twist’ to each flavour, for example our Foraged Fruits include flavours you may find in hedgerows across the county!

"Our loose leaf tea is a premium blend from world class tea estates – we like to think of it being as luxurious as a lazy day on one of Dorset’s sandy beaches."

Sourcing tea from Kenya, Rwanda, and Assam in India, Jimmy and Tony then work to turn it into a product that can be enjoyed and often themed around Dorset. 

First established in 2009, Dorset Tea was created in memory of Keith Spicer who started blending teas in 1934 in Bournemouth, and the natural beauty and sunshine of Dorset.

Tony said: "We taste everything before we buy it and make sure the quality is good and the colour is what it needs to be in its brightness, briskness, all those sorts of things.

"One tea bush over the course of a year will only produce enough tea leaves to make one box."

While black tea continues to be an essential shelf stacker, both agreed the herbal tea market has massively grown in recent years.

Dorset Tea in reaction now produce a variety of herbal teas with Jimmy and Tony's personal favourite 'cool chamomile'.

Tony said: "Developing a new herbal tea is a process that is driven by a number of factors. We take inspiration from the flavour houses with which we work.

"But the most important thing is that we create flavour profiles and products that we know our audience will love. There’s always lots of tasting involved, that’s the fun part."