revisiting his tea stands scattered across the grounds. Well, it was rainy and cold and there's nothing better than a nice hot cup of tea on such a day. Finding common ground with a group of ladies, Stephen went on to explain many things about tea that I did not know. He said, "Many people do not understand the chemistry of tea and water. They just wait for the colour they prefer and abort the process there. You must steep the tea leaves in just boiled water 1 minute for colour, 2 minutes for flavour and 3 minutes for the full anti-oxidant benefit." As Twinings was a sponsor of the garden show that year, their tea stands were scattered in convenient locations and easy to visit for a free cuppa. No tea bags were in sight! All loose leaves in amber pools of liquid. The fine China had not been brought on the journey from the UK, but the company was good.The humble drink of tea packs a wine-like profusion of flavour, insists devotee Stephen Twining. Clare Boyd-Macrae reports for The Age.
Earl Grey tea goes perfectly with creme brulee, or a really good port. Its distinctive aroma comes from the bergamot plant. A similar blend, with a more subtle flavour, is Lady Grey. It has less bergamot, but has a touch of lemon and orange. Darjeeling is a delicate tea with a distinct muscatel flavour that suits tuna, trout and curry dishes.
Lapsang Souchong has a smoky taste, and is great with blue cheese at the end of a meal. Tea grown in Sri Lanka has a citrus tang due to the prevailing winds.
Does this sound more like a discussion about wine than the good old cup of tea we're accustomed to? Stephen H.B. Twining, 10th generation of the famous Twinings of London line, had been in Australia as a kind of roving ambassador to turn Australians into connoisseurs of this drink for which he has an absolute passion.
"Tea is a fabulous drink, and in my opinion totally underrated," he says. "Tea is like wine. The soil, altitude and weather conditions of the area where it is grown affect the flavour produced. And you need to think about tea as being like wine: different teas are good at different times of the day."
Twining knows the history of the family company and of tea itself like the back of his hand. The Chinese have been drinking tea for 5000 years, although it didn't reach Europe until the early 1600s and didn't take off in England for another two centuries. This was due partly to punitive taxation resulting from the opposition of powerful 
brewers, doctors (who said it was unhealthy) and clergy (who said it was sinful).
When taxes were at their highest, accompanied by inevitable smuggling, a 100g packet of tea cost the equivalent of $350 today. No surprise then that tea was kept in caddies under lock and key. Prosperous families had their portraits painted partaking of this exclusive beverage.
Fortunately things didn't stay this way. In 1784, an enterprising member of the Twining family persuaded the Prime Minister of England that more realistic taxation rates would be better for everyone, and, in the 1830s, plentiful, deregulated tea started arriving from India. Things were looking up.
Twinings itself has almost 300 years of involvement in the tea industry. Thomas Twining opened the first-ever dry tea and coffee shop on London's Strand in 1706 and the company is still there today.
Stephen Twining's enthusiasm for tea developed when he was eight and had to do a geography project on India for school. "Now you can't do India without doing tea. I got some samples of various blends from my father - green, Sri Lankan, Indian, Chinese and so on - and I conducted a tasting for my classmates. Their ignorance about this wonderful drink shocked me, and I made an extraordinary judgement.
"If this was representative of the British, indeed the world's population, there was more than a lifetime's work for me in spreading the word. It was at that moment that I decided what I was going to do."
Stephen Twining is 40 and looks like a schoolboy: tall, gangly, bespectacled, very English, with an engaging grin. He speaks fast, words tumbling out in his effort to convey the wonder of this drink.
"The beauty of tea is that you can choose it like you choose music. I long ago established what works for me. I start my day with something strong like English or Irish Breakfast tea, which gets me going. Then I work my way though the day, with maybe peppermint, jasmine or green tea after dinner."
He drinks between nine and 15 cups of tea a day. Just as well it's a healthy drink. "Without milk and sugar, a cup of tea has less than one calorie," he says. "It has important anti-oxidant properties and is a rich source of fluoride."
Global consumption of tea is increasing on two fronts. "People in developed countries are looking for more out of their cup of tea, for different flavours," he says. "And in the developing world, where water isn't always safe to drink, people have discovered tea as a terrific source of safe hydration."
Twining has made several visits to Australia, and while he loves the country and its people, he is less enthusiastic about billy tea. "I always respect local tea traditions and am keen to try them. I think the best place to have billy tea is in the bush. Is that a tactful way of putting it?" he asks with a huge grin to compensate for any possible offence.
Melbourne's famous coffee culture doesn't seem to daunt him. "I think coffee is more visible, but tea is a more relaxing drink, and the ritual of making it is part of the whole thing. Preparing a pot of tea can be a calming distraction from the pressures of daily life."
Twinings has never owned tea plantations, but works very closely with producers in Sri Lanka, Africa and India. "We only buy from tea growers who meet certain ethical criteria," he says. Twinings is a founding member of the Ethical Sourcing Partnership, a group of large tea-packing companies that monitor social and ethical conditions on tea estates.
In the talks and tastings he holds around the country, participants listen to Twining's account of the history of tea and of the company while sipping different blends and observing and smelling the leaves in wine glasses. He explains, too, about picking, processing, storing, exporting and blending the tea. Twinings tasters, he tells his audience, are required to train for five years.
He drinks some of his teas black and others with milk. Just don't mention sugar. "Sugar is great for other things, but shouldn't go anywhere near tea," he says firmly. "The whole point of tea is the delicate flavour, and sugar is too dominating."
However, in the end, he says, "It's your cup of tea: you take it how you choose. The No. 1 rule is not to drink tea because it's good for you, but simply because you enjoy it."
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