An Interview with The London Tea Company's Brand Marketing Manager Paul Maxwell

As part of our Wellbeing at Work campaign at WaterCoolersDirect we spoke to Paul Maxwell, Brand Marketing Manager at The London Tea Company about his thoughts on the importance of the humble cup of tea is in our daily lives. How long has The London Tea Company been providing tea to the world and how has the tea range evolved over the years? We’ve been going since 2003 and in 2013 we looked at how we could improve our range. So after much tea tasting we have re-blended all our products to ensure they taste fantastic while also being certified as Fairtrade, meaning that we are helping to secure the futures of some of the most marginalised growers and their communities around the world.  So far it has been a huge success and we’ve even managed to pick up four Great Taste Awards for our Fairtrade London Breakfast, Fairtrade Vanilla Chai, Fairtrade Chunmee (a Chinese green tea) and Fairtrade Jasmine Green Tea. Does The London Tea Company have plans to launch any new flavours soon and is your research and development team working on any new changes on tea bag shapes? We are always working on new things but sadly we can’t let you know what we are doing just yet! Don’t worry you’ll be one of the first people we will tell about our new blends …  Which teas are The London Tea Company’s best sellers? Our best sellers include our award winning London Breakfast and Vanilla Chai, Earl Grey, White Tea Pear Tatin and Lemongrass, Ginger & Citrus Fruit blends. They can be purchased on our website www.londontea.co.uk/shop and if you use the voucher code londontea you will get 20% off your first order .   What is your favourite tea and why? It has to be the London Breakfast blend! It’s the perfect pick-me-up for that Monday morning start (or any other day of the week!) How important do you think tea breaks are for the wellbeing of staff in the workplace? They are essential to help maintain the smooth running of the workplace and if you add in a few bourbon biscuits or a hob-nob or two, the office will be harmonious (until you get down to the last biscuit!). Do you believe tea can be healing and help keep us in good health? Yes and No – if you’re adding seven sugars to your morning brew it won’t help to keep you in good health (but it might keep your dentist in new cars!) If you’re looking for healthy beverages at work try green or white teas as these are packed with beneficial anti-oxidants. Looking to avoid too much caffeine? Try Rooibos or Camomile (both of which are caffeine free).     Recent studies have shown that drinking tea can be just as good as drinking water when it comes to keeping us hydrated. What are your thoughts on the importance of hydration?  It ensures you’re at your peak while you work. What are your thoughts on instant boiling water taps for helping with tea rounds in businesses?  The perfect money saving method for having tea on tap (or any hot beverage) no office should be without one.