• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

sweetest kitchen

... making your day a little sweeter ...

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Lipton High Tea at MasterChef Dining & Bar

17/09/2013 by jamieanne 6 Comments

Share on Facebook
Facebook
0Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
0Email this to someone
email

Sponsored By Nuffnang

In 1890 in the United Kingdom, Sir Thomas Lipton became the first person to bring tea, which used to be an expensive luxury, to the general public.  He bought tea directly from the plantations in Ceylon, in turn making high quality tea a popular and reasonably priced drink that anyone could enjoy.

Sir Thomas Lipton, if he were alive today, should be proud of how far Lipton has come over the years, with 1,649 cups of Lipton tea consumed every second!  To add to that number, last month, Lipton released an exciting new range of pyramid-shaped loose leaf tea bags in 16 different flavors – and, I got to sample some of this delicious tea last Sunday at MasterChef Dining & Bar at Circular Quay!

liptonhightea1 I have been a huge fan of MasterChef since I returned to Australia in 2006 (I was able to first tune in for the second season), so you can imagine my excitement when Lipton Tea invited me to their High Tea at MasterChef Dining & Bar pop-up restaurant – hosted by their Master Tea Blender Kurush Bharucha.

Lipton_Event 1 picture supplied, taken by Dominic Loneragan 8 September 2013

It was an incredibly exciting afternoon, I don’t even know where to begin!  I met Kristy from Southern In-Law, whom I invited to come with me, outside the restaurant.  Inside, we were escorted upstairs to the private dining lounge where we could look out at the restaurant below below us.  Our tables were expertly arranged with five samples from the Lipton Pyramid Teas range.

Lipton_Tea Tasting 1 picture supplied, taken by Dominic Loneragan 8 September 2013

As Master Tea Blender, Kurush Bharucha, talked to us about the teas at our tables, boiling water was poured into our empty cups and we dipped our tea bags inside.  Kurush explained, as we tasted our teas, that the new pyramid shape of the bags allowed the tea more space to release a great full taste and aroma to the brew. Long tea leaves and real fruit pieces now have room in the bags to swish about so that every bit of the tea can be extracted. The flavors of many of the teas in the range are rich enough that adding milk or sugar is not even needed, which I find is one of the most important factors for me.

Lipton_Tea Tasting 2 picture supplied, taken by Dominic Loneragan 8 September 2013

We sampled English Breakfast, which was the only one recommended to be drank with milk & my second favorite, Russian Earl Grey, which was very citrusy, Forest Fruit, which smelled like sweet candy, Refreshing Mint, which was probably my least favorite, and Green Gunpowder, which was my favorite.

liptonhightea4

When the tea tasting had finished, ex-MasterChef contestant from season 4, Julia Taylor, talked to us about the sweet treats we would be tasting.

liptonhightea3

On the menu were Waldorf finger sandwiches, friands with tea-infused raisins, Adriano Zumbo’s passionfruit tarts and three different flavors of Zumbarons – bread and butter pudding, cherry coconut (my favorite of the Zumbarons) and finger bun, and Julia Taylor’s Vegemite caramel chocolate cups (which were no doubt my overall favorite!).  Of course, you couldn’t detect the Vegemite (thank goodness!) but it lent a delicious saltiness that made it taste simply out-of-this world.

Lipton_Tea treats 1 picture supplied, taken by Dominic Loneragan 8 September 2013

It was very exciting to be sampling treats from Adriano Zumbo for the very first time.  I have longed to visit one of his cafes for years, but they are just a bit too far away.  The Zumbarons I tasted were spectacular and were of the best quality and consistency I have ever experienced in a macaron.

We also were able to choose any of the teas in the new range to try with our treats.  I chose Green Tea Jasmine Petals, which was absolutely lovely and delicate.  Kurush Bharucha came to each table to talk to us individually, and it was during his time at Kristy’s and my table that I learned how my Green Tea Jasmine Petals got its jasmine flavoring.  While there are dried jasmine petals mixed in with the green tea, these petals are not what gives the flavor of jasmine.  Instead, the tea is blended with jasmine flowers, which open, bloom and release their fragrance into the tea.

liptonhightea5

Kristy and I also learned about the oxidation process of black teas versus green teas from Kurush, which was quite interesting.  Oxidation is the chemical process that turns such fruits like apples brown after you bite into them; it is also the same process that turns black tea black.  The leaves are picked and then left to wither and turn brown; the amount of time the leaves are left depends on the type of tea it will be used for (black tea requires the longest oxidation period; oolong requires about half the time of black tea).  Green tea is green because it does not go through the oxidation process.  The leaves are picked and then steamed (correct me if I’m wrong, I can’t quite remember exactly what method Kurush mentioned!), hence maintaining its striking green color.

Lipton_Kurush Bharucha 2 Kurush Bharucha; picture supplied, taken by Dominic Loneragan 8 September 2013

In brewing tea, it also very important to use the correct temperature according to the type of tea you are preparing.  For example, black teas, like Lipton’s Pyramid Teas English Breakfast or Russian Earl Grey, require boiling water, or 100C.  However, if you choose a tea from the green tea range, you’ll need to use water at a lower temperature, around 80C, otherwise the tea will taste too bitter.  On the other hand, if the water isn’t hot enough for the type of tea you are preparing, the full flavor of the tea will not be able to be extracted.

Julia Taylor was also visiting each table and answering questions about baking, as well as discussing what she’s been up to since leaving MasterChef.  She’s enjoying being apprentice chef at Zumbo Patisserie and Le Cordon Bleu; I totally envy her!

Lipton_Julia Taylor Julia Taylor; picture supplied, taken by Dominic Loneragan 8 September 2013

I was absolutely thrilled to be a part of this and Kristy and I (as well as everyone else in attendance) received a gift bag with Pyramid Tea samples.

Have you tried any of the teas from Lipton’s new Pyramid Teas range?  Which is your favorite?

— This giveaway is now over!! —

If you’ve yet to try any of the new teas, here is your chance – 5 lucky winners will receive a sample pack of teas from the Pyramid Teas range! Please read the guidelines below for how to enter.

Info to know:

  • Competition closes 5pm Friday, 27 Sept 2013
  • Open to Australian residents, aged 14+
  • 5 winners will each receive 1x Lipton Pyramid sample pack containing 8 different flavours from the Pyramid range
  • You must leave a comment on this post, answering this question, in order to be eligible (the most creative answers will win!);
    “Which Lipton tea flavor would YOU serve for high tea, and why?”

Full terms and conditions.

Good luck!

Related Posts

  • Chocolate Chip Chai CupcakesChocolate Chip Chai Cupcakes
  • Aaron’s Chilli, Mushroom & Chorizo PastaAaron’s Chilli, Mushroom & Chorizo Pasta
  • Rishi Tea: Earl Gray LavenderRishi Tea: Earl Gray Lavender
  • Flourless Chocolate & Salted Almond CupcakesFlourless Chocolate & Salted Almond Cupcakes
Share on Facebook
Facebook
0Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
0Email this to someone
email

Filed Under: Fun Stuff Tagged With: hightea, lipton, masterchef, tea

Did you like this recipe?

camera icon If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment, hit up one of those stars to rate it, and be sure to tag any photos with #sweetestkitchen on Instagram if you made this recipe! I'd love to see what you've created!

 

Previous Post: « Squidgy Chocolate Brownies & Le Creuset Ramekins
Next Post: Salted Caramel Popcorn Mud Cupcakes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Narelle Rock

    18/09/2013 at 12:16 AM

    I would serve the English Breakfast with warm fresh scones, jam and cream, a very traditional morning tea delight.

    Reply
  2. Zoe

    18/09/2013 at 12:43 AM

    I would have a citrus theme – serve Orange Jaipur along with an Angel food cake and an orange blossom infused whipped cream. Delicious!

    Reply
  3. Julia

    20/09/2013 at 2:49 AM

    I would serve Forest Fruit for high tea as I love fruity flavours and it would go perfectly with strawberry macarons and vanilla cupcakes mmm.

    Reply
  4. Jennifer B.

    21/09/2013 at 3:23 PM

    I would have a selection of THEM ALL since I’d also have a selection of edible delights. Guests could then choose their best combination!

    Reply
  5. Kristy @ Southern In-Law

    22/09/2013 at 9:16 AM

    Jamie, I am so so glad you invited me because it was so good to spend an afternoon with you! The tea bags have all disappeared from around here and Jesse is now just as obsessed with peppermint tea as me!

    Reply
  6. katherine

    25/09/2013 at 5:20 AM

    Green tea as it has antioxidants

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

logo
Food Advertising by

Meet Jamieanne

Jamieanne is a Pisces and mum of 4 young children. She is originally from a small town in Indiana but currently resides in Sydney, Australia. She enjoys thinking about food, reading about food, writing about food, and photographing food! She is the writer, publisher and photographer of Sweetest Kitchen, a blog which features her most favorite recipes she's tried and tested in her very own kitchen. Read More…

Featured Posts

Blueberry Muffin French Toast

Blueberry Muffin French Toast

Blappleberry Hand Pies

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Valentine’s Strawberry Jell-O Shots

Valentine's Strawberry Jell-O Shots

Matcha Strawberry Layered Smoothie

Matcha Strawberry Layered Smoothie

Creative Commons

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

logo
Food Advertising by

Footer

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

About Jamieanne

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jamieanne is the blogger behind Sweetest Kitchen. She's a stay-at-home mum but spends all her free time in the kitchen. Read More…

From the Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in · Privacy Policy