Notorious Beam Team

I recently read about Blends for Friends in the BBC's excellent cooking magazine, "Olive". Alex Probyn is a master tea blender who has cut loose from the corporate world and has set up his own Global Microbrand called "Blends for Friends".

Visitors to the site are encouraged to submit a brief pen portrait of their friend they want their tea blended for and Alex will set about creating the perfect of tea for them, which will arrive beautifully packaged, customised and very swiftly. It's an idea that has really caught my imagination.



You can imagine a similar concept working for a small batch whisky... or as a prize for a competition.

Alex writes...

"After years as a master tea taster, blending for one of the world’s leading tea brands, I started to get frustrated with the restricted styles and flavours of tea I could use for large-scale commercial packs of tea. In an attempt to exploit my knowledge and to test my creative skills, I began to blend individual teas and herbal infusions for my friends and family based on their personalities. My creations became world famous (well, family famous at least!) and they asked me to blend for their friends so they could give a personalised gift that really meant something to the recipient."

To visit his site and possibly make an order click here.

For more about Global Microbrands you simply have to visit Gaping Void.