Founded in 2013, SUCRE (pronounced “suk”) is known not just for their fine teas, but also for their artisanal foods. Curious to find out more about their brand, we caught up with Edmund from SUCRE for a chat about their brand, and how you can develop your taste palate.
I read that SUCRE started in 2013 with baked treats. What led you guys to go into teas as well?
Edmund: As a firm believer in melding design packaging with artisanal foods, turning to tea was a natural progression for the brand. We found tea to be a good medium for us to blend tradition with modernity.
SUCRE has been around for about 5 years. What were some of the more interesting learning points in your journey with the brand?
We’ve had plenty! The Singapore market is very unique – it may be small, but affluent. It also changes very quickly and what happens this year may no longer be relevant the next. This is not just applicable to taste, but other things such as logistics and market channels. We’ve learned that because things come and go very quickly, the only way to stay relevant is to constantly engage with customers – talking to them and understanding their needs.
What is one thing SUCRE would like to explore next?
Going forward, we are planning to deepen our product range, while expanding into relevant areas. For example, we just launched our new chocolates. They’re organic, vegan, and have been blended with our teas. One of my favourites is Hanami – which means “flower viewing” in Japanese, and it’s been blended with our Kyoto Cherry Rose tea. It’s got a light floral taste, and it’s delicious.
We’re also working on expanding our tea offering – perhaps going into tea accessories or other tea-related products.
Speaking of your blends, what has been the inspiration behind them? We especially love the concept behind the Story Teas!
[Story Teas is a collection of various blends, including Tinkerbell’s Kiss, Bedtime Stories, and more. All the blends in this collection were, as its name suggests, crafted to convey a story.]
As you know, one of the elements to teas is smell. And it doesn’t stop there – there’s also something called an olfactory memory, where various characteristics of common scents will come together and remind you of a specific time or incident.
With that in mind, our story teas don’t just tell you a story – they bring you on a personal journey as well. We want them to help evoke memories that you may have forgotten, to help you reconnect with your past. For example, Bedtime Stories was created with the hope of evoking beautiful memories with people close to you, and Butterfly Lovers was intended to evoke memories of a love that connects you – like the milky way lovers!
I never knew about olfactory memory! Are there any other interesting things that you’ve learnt about tea?
One thing I’ve noticed is that people love to smell teas without buying them. It’s a quick and easy way to see if you’d enjoy the tea, but tea lovers should also be aware that smell doesn’t always translate exactly to taste.
Another thing is that teas can be a very interesting discovery of your palate. We tend to think of teas as drinks by themselves, but they actually interact with foods. Pairing them with different dishes can help to enhance the taste of both the tea and the food!
What is one pairing you would recommend? I recently discovered this pairing – Ivory Wedding with toffee pudding. Ivory Wedding has citrus and hibiscus, and these sour notes pair well with the sweetness from toffee pudding. Ivory Wedding also gains a slightly sweet afternote from the toffee pudding!
That sounds delicious! Do you have any advice for those who are starting their tea journey?
I would encourage people to remain open-minded. For example, we have a Yum Cha tea, which has durian in it. Many people hear the word ‘durian’ and don’t want to try it, but what they don’t realise is that the durian is freeze-dried, which helps to maintain the aroma of the durian, while allowing it to blend with the other ingredients. It’s a delicious tea with creamy notes, and most people who try it, like it!
There is a lot of nuance for you to explore, and so many discoveries that you can make about your taste preferences and palate. I’d like to share that while all this experimentation will be unpredictable, it’s also going to be very exciting and interesting.
#teapasar recommends:
Tinkerbell’s Kiss has been our favourite since we first had it! This non-caffeinated tisane is perfect for any time of day, and has zesty, floral notes.
We’re also super excited for SUCRE’s new line of chocolates, newly available on teapasar.com. These are handcrafted, organic, farm-to-bar chocolates, and 100% vegan to boot!
As part of this brand spotlight, , enjoy 10% off all SUCRE products at teapasar.com, with the code “SUPERSUCRE10”. Valid until 23:59, 25th November, 2018
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