There is so much more to a drink than just the drink. That moment you are in, the people you share it with, the glass you’re drinking it from and the food you are eating is all as important as the taste of that actual drink.

Husband and wife Charlie and Natalie Winkworth-Smith are the Founders of Saicho sparkling teas. Natalie is unable to drink, turning bright red with one sip, however the couple’s love of food and wine pairings has meant Natalie has had to forfeit a key part of some of their dining experiences with little alternative.

One night, Charlie and Natalie went to a fine dining restaurant where Natalie enviously listened to the stories of the wines, their backgrounds and what dishes were enhanced by which wine. Meanwhile, Natalie was offered a glass of water.

Following this experience, they begun thinking about the alternatives available and the possibility of there being an alcohol-free drink with similar complexity and heritage as wine.

With a Hong Kong heritage, drinking tea with food was part of Natalie’s upbringing and life so knew it could create the perfect match.

Things that matter with tea:
- The time of year it’s harvested
- The region
- Level of oxidation
- The specific weather conditions of that season.

These factors create a variety of flavours varying from candied, to nutty and smoky, to floral and fruity.

Excited by their inspiration, Saicho sparkling teas set out to transform a good meal into an amazing experience.

Charlie and Natalie began a two year sampling and experimenting process, trying varieties from around the world until they settled on their first three flavours:

1. Darjeeling

2. Hojicha

3. Jasmine

Creating complex flavours:

Saicho Drinks are cold brewed. This creates an extremely different flavour to hot brewing resulting in a delicate drink with an enhanced aroma, better balance and complexity, pairing perfectly with food.

Each individual tea is cold brewed for 24 hours to extract the most delicate and complex flavours. The teas are then finely balanced by a hint of sweetness and a dash of acidity. To finish, sparkling the tea enhances flavour.

The story of Saicho and the tea seed

Following a Buddhist retreat in Tang China, Saicho returned to his Japanese homeland in 805. When he came back, he brought a strange and exotic drink that the Chinese monks would use to enhance their long meditation practice. The source of this drink - tea seeds. Five years after planting the teas seeds in Japanese soil, the tea trees were ready to pluck. The Emperor Saga, on a visit to Saicho’s Sofukufi temple had one sip and and immediately ordered his own trees to be planted all over Japan. Tea is now considered a core part of Japanese culture.

Saicho are on a mission to bring sparkling tea to receptions and dining tables of the world - whether that be a fine dining restaurant, a wine bar or at home with the ones you love.

We were lucky to have Saicho Drinks in JOMO Club’s September 2021 Box - just delightful. If you missed the September Box and would like to have your own glass of Saicho, you can head over to their website here and claim 10% off at checkout on all orders over £30 - just use ‘JOMOCLUB10’

Happy Saicho Sipping!