# Left my hometown of Huntly # headin' out in the cold... From the sunny north to the wild south, New Zealand is overflowing with breathtaking backdrops, heavenly harvests and a whole lot of fabulous foodies. So jump on board with us as we hang out with the locals, wrangle some wildlife and feast our way around this magnificent country. Come on, Toppy. We got people to meet and food to eat. Yee-hah! # Nga iwi e. # This week we meet the family whose love of Brazil changed the way Kiwis drink their coffee. Then we celebrate Mum's birthday on New Zealand's only tea plantation, in the mighty Waikato. But first up, if ever there was a storm in a teacup brewing, it's brewing here today with Storm and India, the Tea Sisters. (PEACEFUL MUSIC) Howdy-doody. Hi. Hi. You're the Tea Sisters, eh? We are. OK. What have you got for us? We have a iced mango passion tea. Mmm. It's very refreshing. How come you know so much about tea? We've kind of always drunk tea. Like, Mum used to put chamomile in our bottles, so I remember drinking it as a toddler. Drinking straight out of the bottle. Yeah, addicted to it, they were, at a young age. What's your favourite tea? I love the coconut chai. This is how I make it. So, I love maple syrup. Yep. So, what's a chai tea? So, it's a black tea. And we've added, like, a real coconut rusk. Look at that ` there's rusks in there and everything. Just incredible. Then I've got coconut milk. Wow. It's sort of a real modern take on the old tea, isn't it? It is, yeah. Cheers. Cheers. What do you think? Like it? Mmm. Wow, that is really incredible. Mm. Are we gonna have something with that? Are we gonna have one of our cupcakes? These little cupcakes don't have any sugar, gluten, dairy in them. It's actually got the real tea infused in it. That tea that you've made with that is actually in that? Yes. It smells like a cupcake. Mmm. It's got a real taste to it. It's like a nice spice to it, eh? Yeah. It's kinda cool. You've got three more to eat. (LAUGHS) Oh my God. What do you have to do to get a cup of tea around here? Apparently quite a bit. (LAUGHS) You look very Egyptian, or sort of Indian, like a snake charmer. It's quite exciting. Oh, thanks. You look like an idiot. (LAUGHS) Hey, no harm there. I am an idiot. I'm Camp Leader. So, this is the berry cassis cupcake. That's my favourite. I love that one. And it's even got, like, a bit of the icing` It's got the icing in the middle. Yeah. So it's like a little surprise. The other one was good, but this is better. Yeah, I think so too. I'll give you a little bite too. How's that? Yum! You and your sister seem pretty young to have a big business like this, that you have to hook up the wagon and head out and make tea for people. Yeah. How did you get all this knowledge? From Mum. Like, she's really always been passionate about organics and health and wellness. What kind of mum is she? She's our best friend. So Storm and I do, like, everything with her, so she's really cool, but also, like, quite tough. Have you got all those qualities, do you think? Yeah, I think we both do. I think that's really important for us, to be independent and have our own lives. Good. (CHUCKLES) Cheers. Cheers. (BOTH LAUGH) I think we got the wrong end of the stick here. Oh, I think so too. Is there a bed in that caravan? There's a small couch. She'll be lying down, and she'll be getting your sister to bloody make her a cup of tea. That's her favourite thing ` have a cup of tea in bed. How many of these have we gotta take down? We've got 12. They're quite heavy, aren't they? 12?! This is our almond macaroon, so it's a really high-grade Japanese sencha tea. It's like a type of green tea, so it's really quite a smooth-tasting tea. Then you've got your almond essential oil, which really brings out the flavour and goes perfectly with coconut. There's the big coconut. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Yeah, huge piece. What's the properties of this one? So, it's full of antioxidants, and it also increases energy, which is a must. It also releases free radicals in the body. Free radicals in the body? (LAUGHS) Yeah! Which you want. Unreal. Unreal. I used to be an old radical. This tea's gonna stop me dead in my tracks. Did you grow up at the beach, buddy? No, I grew up on a farm, actually. On a farm? Yeah. Whereabouts? In Tasmania. Tasmania? You're Australian? Yeah. Oh, stuff this. I'm going home. Hey, but I've lived here for a while now, so pretty much a Kiwi, yeah. Whoo-hoo! I'm gonna have a go at pouring. Yeah, go for it. Yeah, you can even see, as you're pouring it, the leaves are quite big. Yeah. And the bigger the leaf, the higher quality of the tea. Look at that. You almost need a paddock. (LAUGHS) Yeah. Whoo-hoo! Mm. Yes, I'm about to take a 10-mile jog now and get rid of all those free radicals. (CHUCKLES) This is gonna look amazing. This is like my ultimate, hey? Tea, beach, nice weather. I love all this old stuff. It's amazing! We've started a collection. It's growing slowly. But we've actually hired this from a lady that has spend her whole life collecting pieces. OK. What's the philosophy behind the whole business? I think the fact that it's, like, a really high-quality product. Yeah. And the fact that it's certified organic as well. I suppose it's really good that you grew up on an organic farm, cos it made you really aware of what is important. Yeah, well, we've been ` India, myself and my mum ` you know, we've designed everything ourself, and, you know, we've poured, like, our passion into it. It's been our life for the last four or five years, so it encompasses, you know, everything that we love. That's what we're doing today ` we're pouring passion, aren't we? So that'll be quite exciting. What sort of storm is it gonna be? Hopefully quite calm and drama-free. Drama-free? Yeah. Don't count on it, babe. (BOTH LAUGH) What's it like working with your sister? We actually get along pretty well. We're quite different, though, but I think it ends up being a good thing. Mm. Yeah. Cos I've worked with my sister now for, you know, over 50 years. Yeah. So, you know, there's still quite a long way for you girls to go yet. LAUGHS: Oh my God. (LAUGHS) That's, like, scary to think of being stuck with her for that long. Do you like working with your sister, Storm? It has its moments. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) I think when you're working with family, you don't hold anything back ` you just say what's on your mind. OK. And who's the boss? Definitely me. You're the boss. (CHUCKLES) She likes to think she is. Yeah. She kind of is. But just cos she's older and she's, like, really bossy. (BOTH LAUGH) Who's the boss out of you guys? Me. Yeah? Does your sister know that? No, I just let her think she's the boss. It's much easier that way. Well, I'm actually the boss. OK. But I always kinda let Jools think she's the boss. So like me ` what I do. Yeah. I think the oldest is always the boss, right? Who is the oldest out of you two? I am. I'm two years older, to the very day. The very day? You've got the same birthday? Yeah. So you're like twins. One of you just stayed in for another year. Two years, yeah. No, after the other one was born. That'd be three years. You'd be all wrinkled and prune-like, then. You wouldn't wanna have that sort of carry-on. (BOTH LAUGH) I've got another cupcake. Yeah, you've got one last one to go. One last cupcake. OK, here we go. This looks like chocolate. So, that cupcake's actually got our elixir chocolate tea in it. So, it's a black tea, um, with cacao, um, peel in it. OK, it's not just chocolate. (CHUCKLES) Don't bite it! (LAUGHS) I can't talk right now. (LAUGHS) Right, let's get ready for this tea party, shall we? OK. Let's go. Hey. What have you got for us? Well, there you go. There's the berry. Berry? And that's the coconut chai. We've been working like Trojans, Lynda. What have you been doing up here, having a lovely time just drinking tea, I suppose, is it? Yes, we have. (LAUGHS) Ta-ta. See ya later. See ya. Wouldn't wanna be ya. Bossy old tart. (CHEERFUL UKULELE MUSIC) Hey, here come the surfies. Come on, have a tea party! - Surfers are always in for something free. - (LAUGHTER) Well, we really deserve this. We put this spread on, didn't we? - Here's to Storm and India, the Tea Sisters! - (ALL CHEER) Sun, surf and tea ` perfect. (LAUGHTER) 2 Hello, darlings. Welcome back to Topp Country. Today we're raising money for the Southland Romney stud luncheon. And for dessert, we'll be serving a lovely tiramisu with ladyfinger sponge ` haw-haw-haw ` and a certified-organic single-origin coffee with a little dusting of Dutch cocoa. And with that, a Long Island tea. Look at that ` so Oriental. You know, I love it when they put the rams out for the year. Mm. Tupping, it's called. I'd rather have a good mountain oyster, myself. Oh, that's very nice. (SOUTH AMERICAN MUSIC) The McGregor family have a long love affair with coffee and were instrumental in turning Auckland into the coffee-drinking Mecca it is today. Here at their highly acclaimed coffee lab in Wairau Valley, Auckland, they buy their green beans direct from ethical coffee plantations around the world. They roast and serve over 20 different varieties, and Anna is an award-winning roaster. Gidday, folks. Is that a coffee tree? It is. And so those berries that are up there on that tree, they end up in there. Yeah, there's 43 pairs of hands and five senses that have gone into making the coffee before you drink it. What number are you guys in the chain? I'm probably 41. I bring in the green beans from overseas. OK. I'm the roaster ` 42. And 43, I'm the barista. So today we're gonna make the perfect coffee. Yeah, we are. No pressure (!) (ALL LAUGH) Sounds good to me. I'll leave you in the hands of 42 and 43. What does that make us? 44? Yep. You don't look a day over 50, either. (LAUGHS) Here we have, from the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopian Suke Quto. They discovered coffee and were the first to make it, were they? They did. There's an interesting story in the 1400s. There was a goat farmer out with his goats. And there was a tree with these red cherries, and the goats ate the berries and started dancing around merrily, and he thought, 'Ooh, I want some of that.' (LAUGHS) Mum and Dad have informed me that Krisse is the number one taster of coffee in New Zealand, and she has trophies to prove it. And she's going to now put me through the taste test. You're number one in New Zealand. Yes. So, back in 2010 I won for the first time, and I got to go to London to compete. I didn't really get anywhere, but last year I came fourth. So there's three other people in the world that are just slightly better than you. Yes. That's pretty amazing, isn't it? Yes. Whoo-hoo! Oh, there we go. Straight out of the oven. Yeah, it's been in the roasting chamber. This is the cooling tray. OK. And we wanna cool it down as quickly as possible. What a beautiful machine it is too. Now, this roaster's probably older than we are. It's made from cast iron from submarines left over from the war. You're kidding me. Yeah. It's the Rolls-Royce of bloody roasters, eh? Yep. Everybody wants one of these. All right. Got your spoon, got your spit cup, and so you have to taste the odd one out. (SLURPS) (SLURPS, COUGHS) (BOTH SLURP) Is there a time limit in the competition? Eight minutes. How many cups have you gotta drink? 24. (SOUTH AMERICAN MUSIC) We're gonna blend together Brazil nuts and almonds, cocoa nibs, coconut and coconut oil. And then we're gonna put in a double shot of espresso. Yes. And then the magic ingredient. What is it? Organic Guatemala Geisha coffee. Oh, wow, that smells amazing. She's goin' in. (BOTH SLURP) Blech! (LAUGHS) I'm saying that one there's different. Yeah, that's what I thought too. Oh, no, we got it wrong. (BOTH LAUGH) (FOOD PROCESSOR WHIRRS) And we're gonna put some goji berries. Beautiful! Look at that. Oh, looks pretty good. The more you taste it, the more you're second-guessing yourself and coating your tongue. That's why you've gotta go on first instincts. (SPITS) I've got coffee coming out my nose now. I think it's that one. I'm going for a different one. LAUGHS: All right. OK. Here we go. No, you were wrong. That's why she's number one and I'm number 44. Now, I tell you what. Your family is so into coffee; how did it all start? When Rob and I were young, we went to work as missionaries in the slums of Brazil. Wow. And everybody in Brazil drinks coffee, from the little babies, in their little bottles, to the elderly. And when we came back to New Zealand, we started an espresso bar down in the Viaduct. And Kristiane started making coffee when she was 12. Wow. (UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC) Have you ever done this before? No. This is the art. This is the art part that hopefully I can do right. Cos it is a hard thing to do. There we go. Perfect. So what's that one? This is a tulip. I'm gonna try and do a duck. OK. (BOTH LAUGH) Now... (CHUCKLES) for my art. Now for the duck. You did a little swirly thing, like that. Yeah. Jeez, it's not that ducky. (CHUCKLES) It looks like nothing. (CHUCKLES) What a disaster! So you're a flat-out coffee maker now. I suppose you don't have time to be a missionary any more, eh? That's why we have our business, because we support an orphanage in the Philippines. Wow. I mean, we like to do all sorts of things. We did some feeding projects in Brazil and microenterprise things. I just like helping people. That's very noble of you, very noble. Cos a lot of people, their email should be allaboutme.com but obviously that's not happening with you fullas. I mean, I think it's an honour, actually, and a privilege. You're saving the world one coffee at a time. Hopefully, yes. There you go, team. Who's got the beans to have our balls? (LAUGHTER) Here we go ` to the best little coffee family in New Zealand. Yeah, the next generation. - (GLASSES CLINK) - ALL: Cheers. Everything in my mouth right now is coffee ` coffee balls, coffee liqueur. Geisha balls. Geisha balls? (LAUGHS) 3 Six years ago New Zealand became the first country out of Asia to grow tea. And here at the Zealong Tea Estate, we'll learn how it's done. It seems that it takes the united nations of the world to bring the first New Zealand-grown tea to our Kiwi cups. From Cambodia to Germany, there are 20 different nationalities working here, and they all share two big loves ` yep, they all love tea and they all love New Zealand. But first up, it's Mum's birthday, and we're popping in for a nice hot cuppa. Righty-oh, Dad, how long have you been making tea for Mum? 60-odd years. And is there a special way that you make tea, Dad? I think the secret of making tea is give it enough time to draw. OK. You don't have to use so many teabags. Yeah? You're saving money, are ya? (LAUGHS) Well, you know. Put the hat on the teapot. Put the hat on. Put its beanie on. I'll try it on myself here. Did Mum make that? It's a lovely beanie, that one, isn't it? (CHUCKLES) It goes on the teapot, not on your head. That won't keep the teapot... What about Mum's present? Have you bought Mum a birthday present this year? With all this going on, we hope it'll take it away, because I forgot to buy Mum a birthday present. (LAUGHS) I'm dying for a cup of tea. All ready to go now, Mum. Oh, that's good. How old are you, Mum? 85 today. And, Dad, I don't know if you remember this, but you asked me to get Mum a present from you. Oh. (CHUCKLES) Yeah, that's from me, via the twins. Thank you. (LAUGHTER) Open it up, Mum. Just rip it. Get in there. Oh! That is beautiful! Thank you, Dad. Thank you. A tractor teapot. That's lovely. OK, Mum, and this is from Jools and me and brother Bruce. (TWINS LAUGH) Hold it up and show Dad. (ALL LAUGH) Isn't it brilliant? Here you go. This is our Ma and Pa in their finest. I tell you what we're gonna do, Mum, is we're gonna take you to have a tea ceremony at a fancy place just down the road. Oh, that's lovely. I'll enjoy that. And I'm not gonna be there. Why? What are you doing? I've gotta go. I'm picking the tea. Righty-oh. I'll see you later. Hey, here I am hanging out with a Frenchman in a tea plantation just down the road from Mum and Dad's. Whoo-hoo! It's like we just got teleported to China. Today I'm gonna introduce you to Kunthea, our farm supervisor and expert tea picker. Pleased you meet you. Nice you meet you. Are you gonna make me a champion tea picker? Yes, I am. Guys, I'll leave you to it. Thanks, buddy. See you later. See you. Jools, I have a basket for you. And I also have got a scarf. So this is gonna protect you from the sun. Yeah, that's good. (CHUCKLES) So, I'm gonna put some blades. Are these specially made for tea pickers? Yes. And they're very sharp. They're very sharp. Does it take a long time to be a tea picker, to learn how to do it? To be an expert tea picker will take at least four years' experience. Wow. Hello, it's Jools Scissorhands here. And because I'm a newbie at this, I've got protection on my thumbs so I don't cut myself. It's kind of a dangerous job. But anyway, I'm keen to have a go. What do I do? Using your thumb to bend the tea ` the top three leaves only ` Yes. ...and then clicking it off with the blades, so just like that. OK. Is that the right amount ` one, two, three? One, two, three, so you've got more leaves than you should have. OK. I've failed miserably on my first go. (LAUGHS) Sen, this is my mum, Jean. And this is Sen. He's the tea master. And I hear it's your birthday today. Oh wow! We have a bit of a surprise. What do you think those are, Mum? I think they're noodles in a trough. Noodles in a trough? (LAUGHS) The most amazing thing about those, Mum, is they've all got some sort of tea in them. I'm gonna try those noodles in a trough. (ORIENTAL MUSIC) Oh, it's delicious. Is it OK for you to have a competition with me? Sure, why not? Throw me in the deep end. (LAUGHS) All right, then. I'm ready to go. Get set, go. (CHUCKLES) Where did you grow up? I grew up here in Hamilton. I came to New Zealand in 1987, so when I was 4 years old. Yeah. I came as a refugee. A lot people helped my family when we arrived. We went to, like, a school that introduced us how life in New Zealand was, and they taught my mum and dad how to speak English and communicate with New Zealand people as well, so, yeah. I bet the food was different. The food was very different. (LAUGHS) So, what I'm gonna do today is have a bit of a tea ceremony. Have you had one before? No. And what I'm gonna do first is I'm gonna preheat all the teaware that we see in front of us. Dad'd like that, eh, cos he likes everything hot. This is based off the wet tea ceremony, so there's going to be a bit of overflow. OK, Dad wouldn't like that. (LAUGHS) The competition is over now. Here's the great reveal. Uh-oh! Cambodia 1, Scotland nil. Righty-oh. I'm gonna go and see Fabien and dry my beautiful tea that I've picked. Yes. How do I say goodbye in Cambodian? Leah houwy. Leah houwy. Thank you so much. I won't shake your hand; I might cut you. (BOTH LAUGH) That land out there, where the tea all is, what was that? It was actually an old dairy farm. It got converted to a tea farm about 20 years ago. Did you know the people who had it? I think it was Holt Haines that had this place before that. It's lovely land; there's no doubt about that. It's perfect. Perfect for tea ` the right sort of temperature, the soil conditions, high levels of fog. Fog is good for tea? Fog is extremely good. Now, I see you've got a lot of camellias growing. Yes. Is there a purpose for that? Well, tea is actually a Camellia sinensis bush, a variety. So we have a cultivar here specifically for tea. Oh right. Whoo-hoo! It's a sea of tea. How exciting! What's happening here? This is our sun-drying room. The first step will be for us to get a bit of moisture out. Whoo-hoo! Make sure you get an even layer. I'm not only a tea drinker; I'm a tea tosser. (LAUGHS) The next step will be indoor oxidation, and we'll go through different stages of rolling oxidation again, and final drying. Now comes the fun part. Yes. Now we're gonna put the drinking cup on top of the aroma cup. Yes. And then we're going to give it a bit of a tumble, like so. Perfect. Yeah, look at that. Lift up the aroma cup, and make sure that we're gonna capture all the aromas. Now, it's gonna be a bit hot, so we're gonna quickly cool it down between our hands and roll it. It's like rubbing your nail polish, isn't it, to get it to work on your nails? Amazing. From the paddock to the plate ` or the cup, should I say? There's our beautiful black tea. All that's needed now ` boiling water. Mmm. Beautiful. You can actually capture all the aromas. It's beautiful. And now we can enjoy our teas. (GULPS) Oh yeah. It's so smooth. Happy birthday, Mum. Thank you, dear. Love you. Me and Sen have gotta go out and hang with team. # I know you had to go, # and I can see you dance across the world. China! Japan! India! Colombia! Malaysia! Italy. England. Morocco. Taiwan. France. Cambodia! Germany! Australia! New Zealand! (ALL CHEER) (RELAXED VIOLIN MUSIC) It's part of our tradition to boil up the jug... ...and gladly wet our whistle in fine china cup or mug. But lately there's a stirring in our trendy cafe scene, and our beloved loose-leaf tea has been overshadowed by a bean. So have a high tea in the afternoon and a herbal late at night. Cos in the morning, the whole damn country's drinkin' coffee,... BOTH: ...flat and white.