Meet the team! - Kim Paardekooper, Tea Cultures

Meet the team! With Kim Paardekooper

A fun interview with Kim Paardekooper, the Co-owner of Tea Cultures. You don't just get to know Kim better, but also her vision on the tea and the tea market!

Do you prefer tea or coffee?

At the moment I prefer to drink tea. There are so many flavor nuances that you can make with tea, many different flavors and types, so you always have a variety of choicd. I am also more often in the mood for tea. When I get up in the morning there are more choices for a Sencha for example or a Chai tea and then a tea without caffeine such as an herbal tea in the evening.

What's in your cup right now?

Right now I'm drinking a 'milky Oolong' from Taiwan. This is a nice full and in this case creamy tea with beautiful floral flavor nuances in it. This is a delicious tea to start the day. It gives me a bit of a kick to start the day well.

Are you tea-stubborn?

Am I tea-stubborn? I consciously choose not to drink teas that contains any added sugars. I have no further problems with fruit sugars, but I prefer not to drink tea with added sugars or with things that do not belong in tea such as; artificial flavors and things like that. I don't drink anything that nature can't make. :)

Loose tea or tea bags?

Since I am from Tea Cultures, I am a little spoiled for this. We at Tea Cultures make the highest quality tea in our own bags. For us this difference is therefore not really there. Because our loose leaf tea is the same tea that you find in our hand-packed pouches. Am I cheating in a proverbial sense, I do make sure to drink loose tea, because I just like it better. Loose tea is usually a lot better in quality. And because I have been in the coffee and tea trade for over 10 years, I have become a bit spoiled and I go for the better quality.

What is your best tea experience?

I have had an incredible number of beautiful tea experiences. Together with my family, we are of course a large family business, had the opportunity to see beautiful places in the world. For example, we have been to Sri Lanka. We arrived at our hotel in the evening and woke up in the morning with a view of a beautiful river with the monkeys still in the trees. We walked over the tea fields, talked to the indigenous people there, had a nice dinner in the evening and of course visited the beautiful tea plantations. Another fun moment was at the World Tea Convention in Las Vegas. We have also done that as a family.
Tea has brought so many beautiful experiences for me. I have been able to experience so many beautiful things through this profession. As a result, I no longer know which experience stands out the most for me, all memories have become very dear to me. I therefore hope to make many more in the coming years!

What is a country you would still like to visit?

I am very fascinated with Japanese tea culture. In Japan, tea grows south of Tokyo and that's where you, as a tea connoisseur, start your tea journey. Furthermore, the area around Mount Fuji really appeals to me, because many of our own teas come from there. Of course I want to see where our own tea plants are picked. That really seems like a fantastic journey to make. That is certainly planned for the coming years to go there.

Who would you like to drink a cup of tea with?

I think it would be nice to have a cup of tea with Michelle Obama. In my eyes she is such a fascinating woman, a powerchick! She appears incredibly smart and she has been through and seen a lot in her life. I am really inspired by her willpower and her way of thinking. I would like to meet her sometime!

Do you take tea or rather an infusion?

I am lucky that we can taste everything we want. Of course we have so many different teas, so it depends a bit on what I feel like. You can really make me happy with a crazy tea with chocolate, caramel or coconut in it, but those are not teas that I would drink all day long. And a pure tea is, I can't get enough of it. You have that with those crazy types, in my experience, I have had enough of that at a certain point. I like it for a cup, but I can't drink 2 liters of it, so I can with regular pure tea.

Which tea trend is emerging for you?

Yes, everything we drink, buy and what we do is subject to trends. So also, our product tea. The trends that you have seen a little bit over the years are the standard things like iced tea, tea without sugar, Chai latte without sugar. Tea regardless of whether it is an infusion, a regular tea without sugar is a trend, I think. In addition, pure iced tea in the hospitality industry is something I have seen as a trend. Although I also experience a lot, where we try to help, that people struggle with how they can make it efficient. We have thought about that, but you will notice that this is a struggle. Iced tea is of course a product that has a short shelf life and that makes it difficult.
Ginger is also super hip. Everything that contains ginger flies over the counter. We have our 'Ginger Spice' and 'Ginger-Lemongrass' for both pure ginger, but also the fresh ginger tea.

Do you have an interesting tea tip for catering entrepreneurs?

Ginger tea is, of course, an interesting trend for tea. But what you often see is that large chunks of ginger are thrown into your tea without actually tasting it. Actually, it is best to cut the (fresh) ginger as fine as possible. Then the tea gives much more flavor. This is the same with a tea leaf. If you have a giant tea leaf, it takes longer for it to release its flavor properly. That's why the tea is cut so small in all those “normal” tea bags. The finer the tea, the faster the tea releases its flavor. This also applies to ginger. It is difficult to deliver its juices for a large piece of ginger, but if the bartender or bartender chops such a piece of ginger, much more flavor is released. This gives the ginger much more room to release its flavor.

Is there anything you would like to let the reader know?

I think it is a lot of fun when people let themselves be more challenged. So if you have had a favorite for years, try out some new. If you always love the 'Japan Green Sencha' try the 'Green Lemon Sencha.' Have you been drinking our 'jasmine tea' for years, try the 'jasmine pearls'. Try to broaden your taste a bit and discover new teas in this way. I would say go on a little bit of discovery!

What I would also like to give, especially in this time, is; take a stroll in the afternoon, go to those restaurants around the corner and get a nice cup of tea or coffee. Especially in these times when the catering industry is having a hard time. Support each other a little, every little bit is included in this!

Verhaal

Meet the team! - Kim Paardekooper