Ironically, one of the oldest German tea traders feels more at home opening up their very first tea lounge in Thailand than they would in their motherland. Still, they wouldn't be the first to do so, as Twinings and Whittard of Chelsea are among other European tea powerhouses that chose Bangkok as their choice of destination.
Jan-Berend Holzapfel in Bangkok.
Recently in town for the grand opening of his brand 1823 Tea Lounge by Ronnefeldt, Jan-Berend Holzapfel reflects on how lucky he is to be in the right industry at the right time.
"Nowadays, people are becoming more interested in the food and drinks they are having. They ask where all the stuff they eat comes from and alcohol consumption is going down in exchange for juice, water and tea," he says.
But unlike other tea brands, if you want a cup of Ronnefeldt, either go fine dining or to a five-star hotel. This German brand does not sell their prized, handpicked leaves in the supermarket and only focuses on the hospitality industry. The seventh-generation leader of the brand explains: "We never sell in supermarkets because it's not the appropriate place for Ronnefeldt to be in. It lacks consultancy from someone [who is knowledgeable about tea] and mostly because there is not that much good tea available.
"Getting fine tea is really challenging. We may get only 100kg of rare tea and that's it. There's not enough of it to sell to even one supermarket!" It's only fitting that they've finally opened their very own outlet and Holzapfel is constantly smiling at how his lounge has turned out, after two years of emails and phone calls with Next Hospitality Group, the contractor that was commissioned to create the lounge.
Exuding a very German standard, the staff are certified with the rigorous Tea Master Silver training programme and all equipment is state-of-the-art, with their own teapots, caddies and strainers designed to ensure error-free ways to serve a cuppa. The German proprietor couldn't be more satisfied with choosing Bangkok.
"Asia as a general region in the world puts great emphasis on good food and beverages," he reflects. "There's a history of over 5,000 years of using tea and it's an area that's very much connected to tea. Thailand itself is the perfect tourist destination and also has a great understanding of hospitality."
There's room for hundreds more lounges around the world in the future, but unexpectedly, his own homeland is not among the top priorities.
"We're more comfortable in Asia where there's a culture for tea and understanding for tea," says the proprietor. "People in Asia know what a good or bad tea is. There's also a culture of going out in the afternoon and enjoying a pot of tea with pastries but we don't have it on that level in Europe yet."
It may still be a slow dawn for tea in his own coffee-drinking nation, where the average German only drinks 25 litres of tea per year. Germany hardly comes to mind when tea is mentioned, especially when it is the British and Dutch who have a longer history of acquiring tea and more colonies on their checklists. There hasn't been much of a tea drinking culture in Germany, to which Holzapfel relates back to the costly price tag.
"The German public did not get in touch with tea on a broader level because it has always been the beverage of the princesses and royal families," he says. "After World War II, people used their new money for coffee because coffee at that time was something exotic — something that they longed for during the world wars. During the 50s and 60s coffee consumption was sky high, but it is interesting because coffee consumption is declining at the moment." Germany joined the tea game 100 years later than the others, yet the country's geography has proven to be a strategic advantage. "In the 19th century, it was coming to us into the harbours from the Dutch and English who brought it on ships, but also from Russia, where it came on camels along with Russian royals who travelled to the Cote d'Azur through Germany," he says. "They were the ones that drank tea like water."
It's a "new thing" for German people to have tea after 6pm — a lifestyle choice that didn't exist five years ago — but Holzapfel is unlike his fellow countrymen.
His father was in charge of advertising and marketing for Ronnefeldt and was asked to take over the company after the last of the Ronnefeldt family passed away in the 80s. Being surrounded by tea from a young age, Holzapfel was raised on tea infusions and is enthusiastic about future tea trends.
"There is a huge rise in herbal infusions. In Europe everyone has their minds on peppermint and chamomile, which is not that attractive," he says. "But now we have surprisingly perfect blends of ginger with peppermint and lemongrass and all these funny flavours. And they don't just taste great, they also do something good for your health and body."
