Tea card menu. Tea card cafe-bar Cherry Odintsovo

The choice of tea for the restaurant is an important part in the formation of the overall menu. The main criteria for tea in a restaurant are the quality of the product, the right assortment, the effectively designed tea card, the necessary conditions for preparation and compliance with the rules of brewing. To properly compose a tea menu, you need to know the rules for compiling.

Assortment of tea for restaurant menu.

It is important to understand that for the image of the restaurant, the offer on the menu of retail products is not the best approach. Tea products for restaurants are not sold in stores, and are only available from restaurant suppliers. Differences - the best quality and delivery conditions, accompanied by additional professional services (consultations of specialists, provision of necessary accessories and staff training).

The assortment of tea should correspond to the level, format of the restaurant and the preferences of the guests. Tea products for the restaurant business can be divided into two groups:

Classic tea
Special tea

In addition to the usual serving of tea, you can create an assortment of seasonal tea cocktails. To work with tea cocktails, you can use all the tools already available in any restaurant: latte glasses, syrups, various juices and fruits. Restaurant suppliers - professionals, will gladly share their developments in the field of cocktail recipe development.

The classic selection of teas on the restaurant's menu consists of the essential selection of teas, with a small variety of fruit, herbal and flavored teas.

An example of a Classic Tea Menu:

Black Tea Assam Ceylon Darjeeling Earl Gray Strawberry Cream
Green Tea Sencha Gunpowder Jasmine Milky Oolong
herbal and fruity

Most of all, black teas are consumed in restaurants, so the tea list begins with Assam tea, the most popular tea in restaurants of any format and level. Ceylon and Darjeeling are also black teas without additives, and differ in saturation: Assam is strong, tart and malty, Ceylon is rich but not strong, it has little theine and caffeine, Darjeeling is refined and light. Earl gray is a mandatory item in the black tea section, many restaurant goers consume it constantly.

Strawberry cream (or strawberry cream) flavored black tea with a pleasant berry aroma, a good addition to classic teas.

Green teas are less in demand among restaurant visitors, but the demand for them is increasing. In the green tea section, you definitely need ordinary and very strong green tea - in our menu, this corresponds to sencha. Sencha is light and at the same time rich in taste, with a pleasant aroma, contains milo theine. Gunpowder tea leaves always look like small twisted balls, taste stronger and have a characteristic tartness. Green tea with jasmine is the most sought-after position among green teas and is a must in any restaurant.

Recently, green teas with the addition of fragrant plants and flowers have been popular. Morning - green tea with the addition of tea rose buds, with sunflower petals, with cornflower petals. Varied floral aroma and pleasant taste. Milk oolong is an order of magnitude more expensive and more related to special teas. It causes great interest among consumers with unusual properties - when consuming tea of ordinary green tea, one feels the aroma and taste of milk.

Green teas are very easy to spoil when brewing, so you must carefully follow the rules for brewing tea.

For a more varied tea menu, based on the growing interest, natural fruit and herbal blends are being added to the assortment. Wild berries and Hawaiian - fruit blends from natural dry fruits and berries, rich in vitamins, without flavorings are very pleasant on the palate. Fitness tea collection of useful herbs for the body, has a beneficial effect on digestion. Antistress - fruit tea with the addition of fennel, licorice and dill seeds. The actual position these days attracts attention and actually has relaxing properties.

This menu option is an exemplary classic tea set for an average restaurant. The tea menu can be expanded and also reduced depending on the direction and cuisine in the restaurant.

For example: for a restaurant with Chinese, Mongolian or Indian dishes, it makes sense to complement the tea menu with traditional tea options for each cuisine.

Special Teas.

Special teas are distinguished by a huge variety; they are often confused with elite ones. Special teas are more expensive than classic ones, but cheaper than elite ones. Special teas include special Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese teas, which are made in the form of various figures woven from whole tea leaves. Special ones are much more expensive, mainly due to the laborious hand weaving. They are of great interest for restaurants, but require additional staff training and special utensils (kettles and other accessories). Braided teas require glassware, which is often used in Chinese or Taiwanese tea ceremonies. Transparent teapots allow you to watch how tea figures bloom into beautiful compositions when brewing - a fascinating element of the show is obtained, which attracts the attention of restaurant guests.

To work with special teas, additional training of staff in the preparation and serving of tea is required.

Menu design (tea card).

When compiling a menu, important criteria are visibility, readability, informativeness and attractiveness of your tea card. When choosing tea, guests are usually interested in three things about the drink: the origin of the tea, its taste, and what effect the tea infusion can have on the body.

It is important to place information about tea correctly in the tea list: The description of tea in the menu should contain the specified information, but the text should be short and meaningful (the average description is 3-5 lines).

A detailed description of tea for the menu can be obtained from product suppliers.

An even more attractive menu option with illustrations of each tea is the photo menu. The menu option with photos of teas is effective, but for high-quality execution it requires additional costs.

An example of a tea card design:

Professionalism in the preparation of tea. The quality of preparation Tea in a restaurant is a significant product in terms of profit and it is very important that the quality of tea is always consistently at a high level. According to the prepared tea menu, bartenders and waiters must be trained by the supplier company. Criteria for assessing the quality of work with hot drinks: knowing by heart the assortment of teas on the menu (composition, properties), the rules for brewing, serving and serving tea.

Subject to all the rules, the result will be stable quality and positive reviews.

We would like to complete our reflections on what teas should be included in a tea list with an example of a tea list. An invented example, of course - in real life we did not have to meet such a card. However, it lists only those teas that can be easily found in Russia.

Before listing the teas that make up the tea list, we note that the name of each tea must be accompanied by a short description. But when describing drinks, one should, if possible, avoid general formulations (“tasty, fragrant”), but offer visitors blanks for impressions - because very rarely people, tasting a drink, can immediately formalize their own experiences - and they should be helped in this. The description of tea should be built according to the scheme "name - distinctive feature - properties". By specifying the distinctive feature of tea, you will give the visitor the opportunity to talk about what he drank in your restaurant, not limited to the name.

It is important, by the way, to indicate the Russian name of tea - even if the translation turns out to be a little clumsy. Such tea will simply be easier for the visitor to order - he will not have to read in English often completely non-English words. In the example of a tea list, we will indicate in parentheses the exact names of teas of specific brands - in a real tea list, this is not necessary at all. So.

Tea for breakfast

Tea for breakfast in English (Ahmad English Breakfast Tea). The most popular homemade tea in England. Strong, invigorates well, goes well with sugar, lemon, pastries, sandwiches.
Assam, strong Indian tea (Ahmad Assam F.T.G.F.O.P). Gathered in the tropics, in the valley of the Brahmaputra River. Strong and fragrant, with a slight malt tint.
Kenyan tea (Ronnefeldt Milima Tea). One of the richest and strongest teas. Leaves a "rough" aftertaste, goes well with cream or milk.
Pu-erh, aged Chinese tea (pressed or loose Pu-erh from Miracles of the Middle Kingdom). One of the healthiest teas. Strong, with an unusual "dusty" taste and aroma.

afternoon tea

Classic tea with bergamot (Twinings Earl Gray Tea). Aristocratic English tea. Has a fresh citrus aroma.
Vanilla tea (Newby Vanilla Classic Tea). Popular winter tea. With a warm sweet aroma and a warming taste.
Lemon tea (Twinings Lemon Scented Tea). English variation on the Russian theme of tea with lemon. Mild lemon aroma, very light lemon taste - not as persistent as tea with a slice of fresh lemon.
Darjeeling, light Indian tea (Twinings Darjeeling Vintage Tea). Tea harvested in the foothills of the Himalayas. It has floral aromas and a very, very light taste - it is best to drink it without sugar and other additives.
Yunnan, light Chinese black tea (Ahmad Yunnan Limited Edition). One of the northernmost black teas. It has a gentle and long aftertaste - this tea is best drunk without snacks, without sugar and without lemon.
Jasmine pearls, green Chinese tea (for example, from "Wonders of the Middle Kingdom"). A classic tea popular in northern China. Unusual shape, with a delicate aroma and fresh, slightly sweet taste.
Golden Dragon, green Chinese tea (Xihu Longjing from "Wonders of the Middle Kingdom"). One of the ten famous Chinese teas. Flat tea leaves with crystals of tea leaf juice, very sweet, slightly cigar aroma, light sweet-tart taste.

evening tea

English evening tea (Ahmad Royal English Afternoon Tea Limited Edition). A popular fife-o-clock tea. Very, very light aroma of bergamot, slightly tart taste, fresh aftertaste. It goes well with light and not very sweet snacks.
Orange tea (Lipton Orange Jaipur Tea). Royal English blend. Light aroma of orange, creating the illusion of orange taste. Tea perfectly warms and goes well with muffins.
Lady Gray (Twinings Lady Gray Tea). Classic women's tea. Citrus aroma, sweet taste and cornflower petals in tea leaves - almost everyone likes this tea. Pairs well with sweets.
Russian caravan (Twinings Russian Caravan Tea). A classic blend of Chinese teas that used to be delivered to Europe via Russia. It has a slightly dry taste (slightly reminiscent of dry wine). It goes well with savory snacks - sandwiches and sandwiches.
Plantation Assam, tropical Indian tea (Ronnefeldt Mangalam). Tea from the Mangalam plantation located in the Brahmaputra valley. It has a pronounced malty taste and very aroma with very light menthol notes.
Plantation Darjeeling, selected highland Indian tea (Ronnefeldt Castelton). Gathered in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the tea gardens of Castelton. A tea with a very rich floral aroma and a very subtle taste lost in aroma.
White Peony, Chinese white tea (Bai Mudan from Miracles of the Middle Kingdom). The famous Chinese tea, prepared from raw tea leaves. Light, almost transparent infusion, strong aroma and very soft, slightly noticeable taste. It is better to drink a few cups - you need to tune in to this tea.
Silver needles, Chinese yellow tea (Juan Shan Yin Zhen from Miracles of the Middle Kingdom). One of the rarest Chinese teas, it was not sold in the 19th century, but was only exchanged for furs - therefore it was drunk only in Russia. Strong aroma with light smoky notes, delicate, slightly tart taste.
Emerald spirals, Chinese green tea (Dongting Biluochun from Miracles of the Middle Kingdom). Tea and the youngest tea leaves, covered with light villi. It brews very beautifully, has a strong, fresh aroma, velvety taste and a floral aftertaste.

health tea

Pu-erh, aged Chinese tea (pressed or loose Pu-erh from Miracles of the Middle Kingdom). Favorably affects the digestive organs. Strong, with an unusual "dusty" taste and aroma.
Green tea with mint. Classic Moroccan refreshing tea. Helps with headaches and mild nausea.
Black tea with raspberries. Excellent anti-cold tea. The best prevention and very pleasant taste.
Black tea with blueberries. Good for eyes. A tea with a pleasant forest aroma that helps to relax the eyes.
Black tea with chamomile (or green tea with chamomile or pure chamomile tea). The best tea for the night. Chamomile is very soothing and a little warm.

exotic tea

Lapsang Souchong, smoked Chinese tea (Twinings Lapsang Souchong Tea). Winston Churchill's favorite tea. This tea is smoked a little over pine coals, which gives it a warm, smoky flavor.
Genmaicha, Japanese green tea with fried rice (Ronnefeldt Genmaicha). Traditional Japanese evening tea. Unpolished fried rice and popcorn are added to green tea to soften its astringency and give the tea a light "seed" taste.
Pu-erh, aged Chinese tea (pressed or loose Pu-erh from Miracles of the Middle Kingdom). One of the healthiest teas. Strong, with an unusual "dusty" taste and aroma. This tea is often aged for several years, due to which it only becomes more aromatic and its taste softens.
Rooibos, South African tea drink (Ronnefeldt Roibosh Cape Orange). Very light and refreshing drink with a slightly sweet taste. Caffeine-free, high in vitamin C and full of beneficial minerals.
Mate, a traditional South American drink (Ronnefeldt Tea Mate Tea Green). An invigorating and healthy drink common in Peru, Argentina and some other countries. It is brewed in a calabash - a special vessel, from which it is drunk through a special straw - a bombilla.
Associated green Chinese teas (for example, Brocade embroidered with flowers, from "Wonders of the Middle Kingdom"). You can choose tea with flowers or tea tied in the form of a ball or a spindle, we will brew it for you in a special transparent bowl - and you will be able to admire how this tea "blooms" in hot water.

Signature tea

Before giving examples of branded teas, we allow ourselves one obvious caveat. Branded teas in each institution will (should be!) Own. And, accordingly, their descriptions will also be their own. The examples below are very conditional and, of course, it is not at all necessary to take them as a direct guide to action. So.

"Tea by the fire". A strong, smoky tea (a blend of Ceylon loose leaf tea and Lapsang Souchong tea - this mixture does not need to be opened to visitors) reminiscent of picnics, camping trips and romantic evenings by the fire. And the best camping snack for tea is shortbread cookies with boiled condensed milk.
"Cornflower Waltz". At your request, dried cornflower petals will be served with any tea you order. Being added to tea, they will not change the taste or aroma of the drink - and will become almost transparent. But while they are dry, they are incomparably beautiful and will decorate any tea party.

tea ceremonies

Chinese tea ceremony Gongfu Cha. The tea master will prepare oolong tea for you - turquoise Chinese tea. You will get to know this amazing drink, enjoy its aroma, appreciate its taste and be surprised by its variability. The ceremony will take at least half an hour - such a tea party is not conducive to fuss.
Puerh cooking. Pu-erh, an aged Chinese tea, can be brewed in the usual way, or it can be boiled in a transparent vessel over an open fire. They say that this is how tea was prepared in ancient China. Pu-erh, prepared for you by a tea master, will retain spicy dusty notes in the aroma and acquire noticeable softness and light sweetness.

Phew... The given example of a tea card turned out, of course, to be extremely redundant - and there is no point in reproducing this tea card "as is". Shorten and modify it to suit your establishment and your own tea tastes, transfer teas from group to group, decide for yourself which teas will be personalized, and track which teas can be classified as trendy. Be sure to try them yourself before offering teas to visitors - do not rely on the descriptions of tea suppliers, sometimes they write very funny things.

Remember that the ceremony can be made from any tea party - from English, Russian, from “mate-drinking” and tasting green tea. Do not forget that honey is an obligatory addition to health teas, and sherry, Madeira, cognac and some liqueurs (both sweet and not very sweet) will be a very pleasant addition to evening teas.

Is the Russian consumer ripe for interesting good tea?

Of course, two hundred years ago. And it keeps growing. Now there is a growing demand for tea gifts of a very high level. The Russian tea market is one of the leading in the world.
The tea culture in Russia seems to me the most lively and dynamic. It simultaneously contains and interacts with different subcultures - from simple and mass to refined and aristocratic. Over the centuries, tea in Russia has simply become more accessible. It was the transition from elitism to mass character with the preservation of segmentation by price and the nature of consumption that became the basis for the formation of Russian tea culture. In addition, tea is both a family and a public drink, and this also contributes to development.

What types of tea parties do you currently host? Which of them are the most popular?

There is, perhaps, only one view, and it can be conditionally called a “Russian show-tea party”. But it can be implemented in different ways: as part of a buffet table, as the basis of a reception, as an independent chamber event. Of course, in addition to ceremonial tea parties with a host and a well-thought-out program, you can easily design tea parties of any complexity and high level for independent implementation by the restaurant.

The question of popularity is still difficult to answer. As a rule, from our tea parties, visitors fall into an enlightened and relaxed gastronomic shock. They love everything and everything is new.

Classical Russian tea drinking - what is it like? What is its specificity?

The main distinguishing feature is its naturalness. The main task of people gathered at the Russian tea table is to get gastronomic pleasure from tea and snacks (of which there should be a lot) and pleasure from communicating with good people (the number of which is not regulated in any way). Ceremonial, etiquette, philosophical and other motifs in Russian tea drinking not only do not appear, but do not dominate.

As a rule, from our tea parties, visitors fall into an enlightened and relaxed gastronomic shock.

How much will it cost the restaurant?

I would rather do without specific amounts - when it comes to work, they almost count for themselves and come out very different. But, as a rule, with an average number of visitors in a restaurant, staging tea parties pays off in about a month. If the restaurant does not have a tea sommelier, then you need to add monthly expenses to his salary (50 thousand rubles).

For example, the one-time start-up costs of the Moscow restaurant Beefbar Junior - all the necessary utensils and a small supply of tea and treats - amounted to 100 thousand rubles. and fully returned in less than a month, after which work began in a plus. The starting tea card consists of drinks costing from 400 to 700 rubles. for 500 ml. The map of 25 items is divided into two sections: in the first section, light teas and drinks (green teas, light oolongs, flower infusions, non-alcoholic tea mulled wines), in the second, dark teas and tea flambé (rich, black and aged teas, hot non-alcoholic tea cocktails). ). Quote from the tea card: “Green tea mulled wine with spices and citrus. Exotic, with the aroma of distant wanderings. Pleasantly invigorates and disposes to conversation, prepared in a siphon. 700 rub.” By the way, all drinks are accompanied by detailed comments: “convincingly invigorates”, “fragrances and causes thoughtfulness”, “relaxes, improves mood, slightly lowers blood pressure”, “warms excellent, adds optimism”.

What are the criteria for a good tea list?

It contains 7-14 teas, at least two lines of description of each tea (and, of course, without traditional tea noodles on the ears), there is a correlation with the menu, recommendations for use, the presence of pure teas with light and dark infusions in the tea list.

The most common mistake is redundancy. Complex feelings are caused by excessively fantasy descriptions of teas, although, of course, it is not restaurants, but tea suppliers who are most often to blame for this. Well, the lack of a general concept of a tea card is usually annoying too - although this is already too complicated a claim.

Do many restaurants boast a good tea list? What institutions need it?

Units. And actually a good tea list is not enough - after all, tea still needs to be brewed correctly and served beautifully.

Speaking frankly and considering restaurants as businesses optimized in terms of “strain-profit”, then no one needs a good tea card at all (we are not talking about specialized tea establishments now). In order to establish a good serving of tea at a consistently high level, the restaurant staff will have to work hard. Such a serving will undoubtedly bring income - but if you estimate the profit from serving expensive vodka, which is enough to cool and pour, and compare it with the profit from tea parties with all their fuss, then the comparison will clearly not be in favor of the latter. Similarly, you can compare the organization of cool tea parties and the through flow of tea with catchy names and tea bags. The quality will again be in the span. Waiters and bartenders read this difference instantly - and instantly make a conscious choice in favor of the simplest solutions.

I repeat, there are no rational business reasons for a good serving of tea in the vast majority of modern restaurants. There are irrational ones, on which, however, sometimes it also turns out to make a business. Cool tea parties can be part of the restaurant’s concept or a matter of honor for a restaurateur who understands that even if such a simple thing as serving good tea is too tough for his restaurant, then everything else they serve is even worse. Signature tea parties can be the "chip" of a boutique hotel. Well, and so on.

Who are among your clients?

For the first time, we demonstrated a conceptual tea party in the well-known Nostalgie cafe. We organize tea parties at state receptions of the highest level, we work with wine schools and boutiques, Restaurant Syndicate establishments, the Chefs des Chefs international club of chefs and many other companies. For sanatoriums and spa salons, the concept of tea accompaniment Teauty (Tea + Beauty) was developed - we create a set of different varieties to correct the well-being and mood of guests, fitting it into the health improvement system being implemented. Another development of Yachting Tea is a high-quality implementation of the idea of take-away tea. Excellent portioned tea, which is stored in nitrogen, retains all its healing substances. Yachting Tea sets (a brewing glass and a few “tablets” of tea) are popular with organizations that care about the health of employees and customers, such as aviation enterprises.

Tell us about your know-how - using a siphon to prepare and serve tea.

Oh, it's a very simple story. The siphon was invented a long time ago, in its modern form (adjusted for the quality of glass and burners) it has existed for about a hundred years. But until 2005, he was only a coffee maker, and very prestigious. In one of the scenes of the film How to Steal a Million, for example, the characters sitting in the Ritz are served coffee in the siphon. In 2005, Sergey Khorolsky, CEO of our company, tried to make tea in a siphon. First shu pu-erh, then other aged teas, then other teas in general, and so on. Today, the siphon is one of the foundations of our tea service. Most of all, we like to cook live tea cocktails in it - mix different components in front of the guests. For example, Four Seasons Spring Oolong, dried apples (mantet is best), and fresh mint. It turns out very beautiful and tasty.

We consider the siphon to be a development of the idea of the samovar, and have made it a part of modern Russian tea drinking. Of course, his principle of action is not at all samovar. But it burns with fire, boils with water, prepares tea and dominates the tea table - that is, it solves all the classic samovar tasks.

Is there a fashion for tea, and is it reflected in restaurant purchases?

Fashion, of course, exists, and it is quite stable and lasts for years. Milk oolong, te guan yin, da hong pao, pu-erh, bound green teas are the modern tea fashion. Given the quality of these teas most often, when meeting them in a restaurant (especially in a full set), you need to grunt ironically. With our submission, tea siphons come into fashion (and here you need to grunt, of course, enthusiastically), but it is too early to talk about them as a trend.

You need to choose tea for yourself, here no advice can replace your own experience and consistent development of taste. My personal favorites are penfeng and darjeeling, well done of course.

I do not know of any single source of high-quality and reliable knowledge about tea, an integrated approach helps out: literature, the Internet, communication with colleagues. There are quite a few ways to become a tea specialist, especially since profiles can vary greatly. You can be a tea tester, popularizer, connoisseur, trader, and even a tea clown, and reach a very high level in each of these areas thanks to completely different knowledge and skills. But if we model an average approach, then the basis of professional training is constant work with tea (at least at the level of its thoughtful and information-rich tastings). Courses are not enough, although they can be a good start. The specialty itself is in demand exactly as much as the tea sommelier wants it to be. For example, there are practically no competitors in the segment of show-tea parties, especially those who know how to make spectacular tea parties. And ours are truly spectacular, like a blockbuster.