Cuppa Tea from India

Wed, Feb 17th 2021 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Rotaract past president and tea expert, Keertna Sapra demonstrated from Delhi in India

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Keertna Sapra delivered a delightful talk, by Zoom from New Delhi, entitled ‘My Tea Journey’. She was a familiar face to many of her audience, having been a student at St Andrews and President of Rotaract. That was when the St Andrews Rotary Club began its continuing support for the school for abandoned girls in India founded by Keertna’s grandfather, himself a lifelong Rotarian. Keertna’s tea journey began by chance when she graduated from St Andrews, took an internship in London and happened to be given Twinings tea as a client. Back home in India she came across an interesting tea in a café, looked up the producer, saw that they were recruiting, applied and got the job. ‘No.3 Clive Road’ is a small company, with just seven staff, all female. It sources high grade tea from single estates, to create a brand that can compete with the finest teas in the world, and cuts costs by supplying hotels and restaurants directly, without a middleman. Keertna aims to change mindsets, by showing that quality tea is best drunk without milk or sugar and can be paired with food in the same way as fine wine. She was pleased to report that successful trading has enabled this young enterprise to donate 20% of its profits to a Covid relief fund in India. Keertna’s talk prompted many questions, about tea picking and brewing, all expertly answered. Kim Keble-White thanked her for embracing Rotary and for her enlightening talk, which had already persuaded him to try out new kinds of tea. Keertna herself had the last word, asserting that good tea should be slurped, in order fully to appreciate the flavour!

Keertna's grandfather recently received an honour from the Rotary Club of Meerut for 50 years service to the Club. He also was instrumental in the running of the Gurukula School for abandoned girls where St Andrews Rotaract Club send 2 intern students each year.