Jing Tea and its founder, Edward Eisler, are inextricably linked. Why? Because tea is in his blood. It was a three month trip to China when Edward was 19 years old that sealed his fate. He was, 'blown away by the culture and the experience of drinking tea and how it's picked'. That, combined with studying Chinese at university and a childhood fascination with tea, it was clear his career was set. He started researching tea, visited the grand tea houses of Paris and in 2002, still only in his twenties, he set up Jing Tea to sell select teas.

It was Edward's destiny to become the tea expert he is today. He is to tea what the greatest sommeliers are to wine. He talks passionately about his teas, all of which are personally chosen. But this isn't a case of just going to China or Assam and buying the package tea. For him it starts on the mountain side. Tea is serious business in China. And Edward, like the Chinese, will be taking into account a whole range of factors when considering purchasing his tea. And that's what makes Jing Tea special.

This particular tea was 80 years old and cost £25,000 a kilo. The result? "Truly amazing," says Edward Eisler founder of Jing Tea.

Pursuing the wine analogy, Edward talks about 'the need to buy from a good terroir'. To the wine expert terroir means the lie of the land, the soil, the weather and growing conditions, everything that will affect the grape. And the same applies to tea. Therefore Jing Teas, all produced under that type of scrutiny, are a million miles away from the tea in teabags sitting on supermarket shelves. They feature the names of great teas in China which are synonymous with where they're grown and processed. Names like West Lake Dragon Well, Yi Wu and Wuyi Da Hong Pao all relate to their origination. And tea is produced in 17 principal regions in China.

Appreciating good tea can take time but is worth the effort. Just as anyone used to really good coffee won't return to instant, so it is with tea. Once the tea bug hits there's no return. The teas sold by Jing are 'completely different and new from bog standard tea'. As Edward explains, "Builders' tea is an experience like drinking orange squash. You wouldn't know there's other fruit out there. Tea can be flowery, sweet, smoky. There's an enormously huge range of flowers, textures and aromas." And all of Jing's teas have been hand-picked.

Edward travels regularly to be 'in the right place at the right time'. By this he means 'being there at the time of production'. For instance Tiequanyin tea, which is the most expensive, sells out straight away and he needs to be on the spot to purchase it. And whilst the tea can be costly it's directly related to the quality. Just as good wine and coffee are worth paying that bit extra for, so is tea.

Working directly with the tea growers means Edward can check things such as 'good storage, good circulation of air and high humidity'. He likens the smell of stored tea to 'the inside of a cigar case'. And ideally he aims to have the tea vacuum packed as close to picking as possible to maintain freshness.

With an estimated 196 million cups of tea being drunk in Britain every day there's plenty of people who might want to expand their tea repertoire.

Jing's tea generally sells from around £1.50 to £20 for 50 grams. For the connoisseur the sky's the limit. Edward talks with passion about a Red Seal Puerh tea he tasted. It's the only tea that improves with age. This particular tea was 80 years old and cost £25,000 a kilo. The result? "Truly amazing," he says. "It had an interesting physiological effect, very relaxing, very calming." And of course, aside from the pleasure of tasting such unusual teas, there are many positive health benefits as well.

Tea has been drunk in China for almost 5,000 years and its health giving properties have always been widely known. From weight loss to helping prevent cancer, protecting the heart, lowering cholesterol and much more, the benefits of tea go way beyond the actual pleasure of drinking of it.

With an estimated 196 million cups of tea being drunk in Britain every day there's plenty of people who might want to expand their tea repertoire. Initially Edward targeted the restaurant trade and very quickly the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsey, Coutts Bank and top hotels such as the Lanesborough became converts.

Coutts were particularly pleased. One of the grand dining rooms on the Strand has silk covered walls depicting scenes from China featuring tea pickers in the Wuyi mountains, famous for its tea. Jing Tea is providing them with two teas tea picked from the region, Bohea Lapsang and Big Red Robe. Edward says, "Tea has been picked here since 1794 and is being made in the same kind of way. The Lapsang which is completely different to any other, is being produced by the same family, 32 generations on." Jing

Tea offers a complete tea service to companies to fit their environment. That means creating the concept, writing the menus and generally elevating tea to its true status. Since the introduction of the website Jing Tea has been available on a retail basis. And now stores like Harrods stock Jing's Chinese and Japanese teas.

Anyone wanting to dip their toe into the exciting world of individual teas with their own distinctive flavour could do no better than visit Jing Tea's website. Here they will be overwhelmed with instructions on how to boil water to the ideal temperature – in case you didn't know you're looking for water bubbles referred to as shrimp eyes, crab eyes and fish eyes. And there's any number of tea pots and cups to help enjoy the experience. Because in Edward Eisler's world, tea is not just about the drinking of it, it's the whole satisfying, enriching experience.

Jing's tea originates from China, Japan, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka. It can be white, black, yellow, green Oolong and Puerh. It can come in small hand-tied bundles that open out when brewed to reveal wonderful flame coloured flowers that add a subtle flavour. Exotic names like Silver Needle White Tea, Monkey Picked or Big Red Robe all give a clue to the tea tasting experience ahead. And when Edward's friend Andrew Jefford, the wine critic, says if he had to give up drinking fine wines or tea, if would have to be wine, you know there's much more to tea than just a few withered leaves. As Edward says, "It's everything coming together. It makes the whole thing worthwhile."

For further information visit www.jingtea.com

By Michele Nevard