Tom Surgey is an energetic, confident wine expert and presenter with an extensive body of work. He is one of the Three Wine Men, Ambassador for the Pingza wine app, Ridgeview Wine EstateDirector, BBC Sussex wine expert and presenter of British Airways’ wine events. The Journey to Ridgeview Wine Estate Director After starting his career at  The Club at The Ivy, where his passion for wine burgeoned, he took his WSET Diploma before leaving the restaurant side of the industry to follow his passion for wine full-time. He joined Ridgeview, renowned pioneers of quality English wine-making, based in Sussex and is now their Sales...

Matteo Montone is Wine Director at Berners Tavern at The London Edition Hotel.Moving to London in 2013, Matteo started his UK career at Aqua Shard. He then joined The Ritz London as Junior Sommelier, before moving up to Deputy Head Sommelier. After that, he became Assistant Head Sommelier at Locanda Locatelli and completed the WSET Level 4 Diploma.Matteo became Head Sommelier at Berners Tavern in 2017 and has subsequently been promoted to Director of Wine.Matteo has won several accolades over the years but most recently, in 2019, he was awarded Chaine Des Rotisseurs Best Young Sommelier in the World, Chaine Des Rotisseurs...

Honey Spencer’s experience in the wine industry spans continents, having managed Sager + Wilde in London, Den Vandrette in Copenhagen and as guest Sommelier for NOMA in Mexico before returning to the UK as Head Sommelier of London restaurant NUALA. Honey now heads up Bastarda, a unique concept that brings together innovators and tastemakers across food, booze and art. She also continues to be a wine consultant for Abelandcole. ‍ Honey likes Hojicha “My favourite. This [the Hojicha tea] was really interesting; I loved the savoury elements.” Notes: pungent, umami, savoury (with lifted sweetness) wet autumn leaf Food matches: pork, mushrooms, parmesan,...

Coming from The River Café, Katie Exton is a highly respected sommelier, both within and outside the trade. Before joining The River Café, Katie worked as Head Sommelier at Chez Bruce and The Square, where she met chef Peter Hall. The pair later went on to found the highly successful restaurant, Lorne in 2017. Lorne Restaurant was born out of the desire by its dynamic and experienced co-founders to share their love of restaurants and create a fun, convivial space where food and wine sit as equals. Jasmine Sparkling Tea Pale lemon-lime colour- its smells extremely aromatic, lots of floral notes from...

Offering a complex and refreshing alternative to alcoholic drinks, sparkling teas are a new and versatile addition to the non-alcoholic drinks market, emerging this year as a major trend. Cold-brewed sparkling tea is now gaining the recognition it deserves for its delicacy and complexity. It’s also gaining huge ground in the non-alcoholic drinks sector. Sparkling tea flavours vary from floral to fruity or nutty to smoky. It’s why they have excellent potential to create perfect pairings with food. ‍ Sparkling tea is the perfect non-alcoholic party drink Designed to be served chilled in a champagne flute or coupe, Saicho sparkling...

If buying lovely things for your mother at this time of year (or indeed any other) is of interest, may we suggest our Saicho Collection as a rather excellent idea... The trio of beautiful bottles makes for a perfect birthday or mother's day gift, or even just a 'thank you' for her continued love and affection. It's ideal for tea lovers, champagne fans, those who choose not to drink and those who indulge alike. Head on over to our online shop to treat your loved one(s), or yourself, to a bottle or two, or 3!

We're very excited to announce that Dalloway Terrace, one of London's - and indeed the world's - most Instagrammable restaurants, has created a special Saicho cocktail for their Spring season. It is an alcoholic cocktail (FYI for those of you who choose not to drink alcohol), but we're sure they would be happy to customise their drinks to suit any requirement.The Daffodil is described as 'a refreshing spritz with fresh jasmine blossoms and delicate floral aroma with notes of vanilla and spice'. It contains Belsazar Rosé Vermouth, Crème De Peche, Muyu Jasmine Verde and Jasmine Saicho Cold Brew Tea. It's long, fruity...

We've had some truly brilliant press since our last newsletter. Most recently (last weekend!), we were in the Financial Times (in print as well as online), but you can also read about Saicho in: ‍Country Life ‍The Telegraph ‍The Sunday Times Food Newsletter ‍Style Birmingham Make sure you follow us on Instagram as we share our latest press via our Stories!

We'd like to wish you all a very Happy Chinese New Year from all of us at Saicho. This is the year of the Rat, which is a symbol of wealth and surplus - we hope that this is true for both ourselves, as well as our friends, family and customers!新年快乐 and may this year bring all your dreams to life.

Hello to all our subscribers, old and new! To those who have been with us since the start, we're glad you're here for this hugely exciting time for us. And if you’ve just joined us, you’ve picked the perfect moment!Since we launched last year, we've been busy spreading the word about Saicho but the most important thing has always been to ensure that those who taste, and inevitably love us, are able to more easily get hold of us. So we're very pleased to announce that our online shop is now up and running.

We're absolutely delighted to be on the menu at one of the World's 50 Best Bars, Coupette. Their Dry January menu has the Tea Light Spritz: Roasted Barley Cordial, Winter Leaves and Saicho Hojicha. A long and refreshing drink with 'hints of bread and chocolate.'Find Coupette in Bethnal Green, London.