Paris, Aug. 11 (CNA) Cora Hsieh (???) comes from a central Taiwan family that has more than four decades of teamaking experience, with their brews winning some of the highest accolades in the country.
Wanting to continue her parents’ legacy, she and her younger brother founded Kalon Tea in 2019 and the pair now hopes to expand their business to Europe and introduce the continent to their way of making a cuppa.
It all started when Hsieh was invited to take part in a Taiwanese cultural exhibition at the Espace Commines in 2019 during Paris Fashion Week.
She discovered that lots of people in the city were willing to sit down and have a cup of tea with her, which sparked the decision to make France the springboard for her European business venture.
“I wanted to know how open the French market would be to Taiwanese tea, and what we could achieve by bringing both cultures together,” Hsieh said in an interview with CNA on July 29.
But her goals went way beyond introducing new ways of brewing tea to a nation.
In July this year she met up with master perfumer Olivier Cresp, who she hoped would assist her in fulfilling her other dream of producing “tea infused perfume,” at the Paris office of one of the world’s largest perfume companies, Firmenich.
Through him, she also got the opportunity to visit the company’s research site in Grasse — the world capital of perfume — to discuss the potential of producing the concoction.
While in Grasse, Hsieh also managed to get in touch with mayor J?r?me Viaud through social media. Later the two met up, and she introduced Taiwanese tea and her tea making tips to him, with Hsieh expressing that she would love to collaborate with him — and others in his commune — in the future.
Viaud introduced her to Philippe Mass?, the president of the National Association of the Manufacturers of Aromatic Products (PRODAROM). The pair later spoke about the “potential of combining tea with essential oils, soaps and skincare products.”
The Grasse Institute of Perfumery also invited her to hold lectures to help train students on how to identify the scents of different tea leaves.
In addition to the progress made on the perfume front, during her trip Hsieh also visited ?mile Aut?, owner of a pioneering tea plantation in France: “Maison ?mile Aut?.”
The two picked tea and brewed it using a Taiwanese techique, with Aut? expressing to Hsieh that he would like to import Kalon Tea products to France.
Hsieh told CNA that “I suppose both being tea manufacturers means we are sort of competitors, but Aut? wants to supply French restauarants with higher quality tea, so hopefully we can join forces and make that happen.”
Hsieh said she really hopes Kalon Tea can enter the French market, adding “I hope that our tea can maintain its unique characteristics when it is sold here.”
Mayor of Morlaix Jean-Paul Vermot, who also visited the tea plantation while Hsieh was there, expressed hope that the product would soon be available to the French public. He also asked her to train staff members who are set to start working in a soon to open tea museum in the city.
Regarding the outcome of her tea promoting trips to France, Hsieh said “The French people may have first heard about Taiwanese oolong tea years ago, but some don’t know much about it and can’t really tell the difference between the scents of different tea leaves.”
“But they are eager to know more, so that’s why they have invited me to conduct training sessions and to talk about Taiwanese tea and tea making techniques. Maybe this could be another way to enter the European market.”
According to Hsieh, tea leaves have the second highest fragrance level of any known plant in the world, with more than 400 different elements.
“We control the chemical reactions in order to create unique scents,” Hsieh said as she talked about tea making techniques, adding “What’s most important is to control the speed and amount of water evaporating (while brewing tea) through different methods.”
Having a passion for and expertise in tea, Kalon Tea products have already won numerous accolades, including a gourmet diploma at the 5th Teas of the World International Contest AVPA Paris 2022, the Grand Gold Prize at the 2020 Kyoto International Tea Competition, and the highest score in the 2019 International Oolong Tea Competition at Tea Epicure, Michigan.
“I will continue promoting the uniqueness of Taiwanese teamaking to help people understand and appreciate tea in a brand new way,” she said.
