For all the tea in… Mzansi

This is the story of a man who accidentally found his passion, a tale of tea, wisdom, taking pause and understanding appreciation.

Craig Cupido is the reluctant hero of the brew and the star of his own realisation of ideals. And, besides that, at 51, he’s the only bona fide tea sommelier in South Africa.

It’s a story that reads like a fairy tale.

Cupido had studied electrical engineering but ended up as a truck driver. One fine day, he was delivering orchids to a remote farm in the Western Cape.

It was a job nobody else wanted to do, because there were windy roads, tricky entrances and exits, and it was a tough offloading job, because you must be gentle with orchids.

So, while the offloading happened, Cupido waited. And that’s where his destiny met him.

The truck driver discovers tea’s refinement

“The flower beds on the farm were always neat,” he said. “And this old man would sweep up eucalyptus leaves while I waited.”

He brewed tea while they spoke, he in Mandarin, Craig in English.

“He was learning English, and I think I was part of his practice,” Cupido said. “But the tea he made, the whole process, it stuck with me.”

He kept going back. More tea. More conversation. Eventually, the gentleman introduced him to his son-in-law.  

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Tea business

The son-in-law was in the tea business, supplying loose-leaf blends to hotels in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

“He had between 600 and 700 teas at the time,” Cupido said. “That’s how I met my tea master,” he said. “He took me in, taught me, and that’s where the journey really started.”

He learnt the art of the tea ceremony.

“It is supposed to be an expression of yourself,” he said. “You can’t just copy what someone else does. If you can’t express yourself, it’s not real.”

Cupido said that everyone develops their own nuance in ceremony, and serving tea is quite technical.

“The first drop and the last drop from that pot are two different teas,” he said. “So, if I serve you first, and someone else later, the experiences aren’t the same. That’s why we use what’s called a fairness cup, smaller brews that are served at the same time, so everyone gets the same taste.”

Tea is for sharing

Not just a teapot but a Yixing pot must be used. It’s a small, clay pot without any dyes or colouring. It’s got a fat belly. For Cupido, it’s all part of the ritual and the sensory experience that accompanies it.

“There is method to the practice,” he said. “From fragrance in the cups to the feel of a warm lid in hand, it’s about more than taste.

“You feel the glow, you take in the scent, and you sip from a cup without handles,” he said. “It’s appreciation. It centres you.”

“Caffeine in tea lifts the spirit, and L-theanine calms the mind,” he said.

“Together they help you see people more clearly, feel more present. You’re not just drinking tea. You’re creating space for others.”

Some teas are for grounding. Others for the lightness of being.

“Pu-erh tea is one of my favourites,” he said. “It’s earthy, peaty. It comes from trees that are hundreds or even thousands of years old. When I drink it, I feel rooted.”

White some tea, he said, is for gentler days. Oolong tea is enjoyed when there’s a need for connection.

“Every tea has a personality,” he said. “It’s just about knowing what energy you want to feel.”

Every tea has a personality

There’s an old English adage that every problem can be solved around a cup of tea, Cupido said.

He added that it’s true because a good cup of tea can change the mood around a table, impact thinking, and enhance an individual’s emotional and intellectual presence.

Cupido has spent more than two decades refining his tea ceremony as resident tea sommelier at Cape Town’s Mount Nelson hotel. His tea menu lists 75 blends.

“I love listening to our guests and understanding their flavour preferences,” he said. “Tea is very personal, and I’ve seen people drink a tea they’ve never had before, but it reminds them of something long forgotten,” he said.

“It’s that moment. That’s what I want to create. “It’s about giving the tea a space to express itself,” he said. “Slow, thoughtful, and intentional.”

Supermarket tea doesn’t interest him.

“Those bags are filled with the dust left over from the tea-making process,” he said. “And many of them are sealed with plastic or bleached. It’s not the same. There’s no story in it.”

He loves the narrative and the journey, and even at 51, after two decades of tea, he said that there’s no end to learning about the magical brew.

“I think I’ll be a student forever,” he said. “Every time I think I know something, I learn something new.”

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