A Recognition of Stillness: 2 Stars at Great Taste 2026

We are deeply honoured to share that our single origin Tartary Buckwheat Tea has been awarded 2 Stars at the Great Taste Awards 2026.

Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, Great Taste is widely regarded as the benchmark for fine food and beverage. Each submission is blind tasted by panels of chefs, buyers, and food critics who evaluate products solely on flavour, texture, aroma, and craft. To be recognised with two stars denotes a product that is, in their own words, above and beyond delicious.

What the Judges Said

For a single botanical infusion, simplicity is often the hardest thing to achieve. There is nowhere to hide. Seeing the judging panel highlight our tea as a soothing, exciting discovery with an unexpected depth of malt and roasted cacao reflects every step of care behind this harvest:

1. Flavor Born from Refined Craft
The nutty richness and warm malty finish noted by the judges are shaped through our precise multi stage slow roasting method. By patiently guiding the temperature rather than quick baking, we coax out the natural sugars trapped deep within the core of the grain, creating a clean, chocolate like warmth without any scorched bitterness.

2. Golden Clarity Born from Pure Grain
The glowing amber liquor in the glass comes entirely from genuine highland Tartary buckwheat. Untreated and unpolished by artificial means, the grain retains its vibrant inner nutrients, dissolving into water with luminous transparency rather than cloudy sediment.

3. A Restorative Pause Born from High Standards
That soothing, rounded mouthfeel is the reward of uncompromising terroir. Sourced from high elevation soil fed by clean mountain air, every lot undergoes rigorous botanical screening and meticulous sorting under our Still Storm standards. We discard irregular seeds until only the most uniform, aromatic grains remain.

A Belated Note from the Highlands

Many of our close community have asked why this announcement arrives a little later than the official award release.

When the results were announced across London, I was travelling far beyond cellular reach. My summer was spent moving across the high altitude terrains of the Western Sichuan Plateau, the windswept grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the quiet peaks of the Tibetan Plateau, and the heritage ginger fields of Shandong.

I was inspecting fields, sitting with growers, and tasting newly gathered crops under open mountain skies. When the news finally reached me on a remote hillside, with only the wind and shifting clouds around me, I cheered aloud to the valleys.

In that complete silence, my mind was an absolute storm of joy. Yet being surrounded by ancient earth and stone, there was no reflex to rush to an app, no urgency to manage an inbox, and no checklist waiting to be satisfied. Just presence, mountain wind, and immense gratitude. We wanted to honour that moment in stillness before returning to London to share it with you properly.

New Harvests are Arriving

This journey was not merely a sourcing trip, it was the quiet preparation for our next chapter. As autumn approaches, we are preparing to introduce our upcoming single origin creations alongside our newly formulated heritage Ginger infusion. Drawing on clean high altitude botanicals and centuries of artisan craft, each upcoming release carries the same purity and restorative depth that earned our Buckwheat its two stars.

Our award winning Tartary Buckwheat Tea is currently available on our boutique shelves. We invite you to brew a warm glass, watch the golden amber liquor unfurl, and enjoy a quiet pause with us today.

Thank you for sharing this quiet path with us.

Fan
Co-founder of Still Storm