G&Tea

Launched in October 2020 as an extension of coffee and tea business Majestic Coffee South West, G&Tea is a relatively new brand based in Cornwall utilising tea as a base flavour for their range of gins produced at the Colwith Farm Distillery in Lostwithiel.

Interestingly the base spirit used to make the gin is made from potatoes grown on the farm, resulting in the team calling this a 'plough-to-bottle' product. The use of potatoes gives a slightly creamier texture to the base spirit before redistilling with botanicals, making it ideal to produce a 'Cream Tea' gin with a silky feel partnering more fruity notes.

There's a comprehensive list of botanticals in this: Sri Lankan black tea, apple pieces, elderberries, Uzbekistan hibiscus, Macedonian juniper, Spanish coriander, Mexican Key Lime, Brazilian mango, Chilean Rosehip, Hungarian Orris root, Turkish apricot kernels and finally fresh Cornish strawberries. It's quite the recipe but it's the last two ingredients that are key - the apricot kernels increase the creamy notes while the strawberries offer a delicate sweet fruit note.

This is a gin, not a liqueur, so the fruity notes aren't overpowering and the creaminess isn't sickly - everything is quite delicate and refined, like a good cream tea should be. Be careful if you're mixing this with tonic as more powerful ones will kill it, but value lemonade and cream soda will work wonders as a long drink. It also makes a very interesting Martini with a bianco Vermouth!