They say that no one understands a good cup of tea quite like the British.
Well I can certainly vouch for that as I love a good cuppa. I never start my day without one, I dunk a biscuit into one as the perfect antidote when I'm feeling down, I warm my hands on one on a cold Winter's day, and when I wake up with a hangover on a Sunday morning, my only cure is to make one.
A cup of tea might not solve all of our problems but it can give us a bit of rest bite from thinking about them for at least 10 minutes.
And the British certainly do it best don't they? Upon my first trip to America I scoffed at people's advice to pack a bag of Tetley in my suitcase but within a week of being there I was calling home to request an emergency supply.
That's why I've been a fan of British tea company We are Tea for some time, because they not only make tea but they also bloody love the stuff and that comes across in their well thought out flavours, clever packaging design and unique marketing techniques.
No ordinary tea company, We are Tea was set up by the tea loving couple Suzy and Spence in 2007 with the launch of a trendy tea shop in the heart of London's St Pauls. All of their ingredients are sourced ethically, their products packaged in the UK and despite their success they have remained an independent operation since their start up. Now with 31 Great Taste awards under their belt and stockists such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols showing their support, as far as tea goes this company can definitely be classed as pretty cool. I'm a fan of the good old fashioned English breakfast and Darjeeling but their extremely relaxing Serendipitea is also definitely worth a try.
Now if there is one thing that's absolutely necessary when it comes to the making of a good cup of tea, besides the tea itself of course, then it's the choice of mug to drink it out of. Which is why the latest venture set to up We are Tea's cool-o-meter even more, is such a great one. They have collaborated with the extremely talented illustrator and artist (not to mention DJ, Art Director and fashion designer) Sunil Pawar.
Sunil, aka Slingshot London, made a name for himself when at the age of 15 he walked into the offices of Soul II Soul and sold every piece of art he had created. Ever since then he has put his name to a string of successful projects including collaborating with Junya Watanabe and Comme Des Garçons on a range of T-shirts, designing artwork for the BBC and creating a six window display for Harvey Nichol's flagship store in Knightsbridge, all the while gathering celebrity fans such as Kanye West.
The Sunil Pawar x We are Tea collection features a series of different designs which will be released every six months. Each mug will be one of only 350 made and forms part of a limited edition range, all individually numbered and signed by the man himself. The mugs are the perfect drinking and dunking size, totally unique and make a great gift for any tea lover. Plus your great great grandchildren will be thanking you when they make a killing at Antiques Road Show in 100 years time.
You can buy your limited edition mug from the We are Tea shop and on their website and you can see more of Sunil's work here
Time for a cuppa? Thought so...