TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF
Creating Folium Gin
Folium literally translates as leaf from latin and it is the unique combination and the history of two of the oldest and most prized plants – the grape vine and the tea plant – that we have sought to capture and to blend with other botanicals to create the refined flavour of Folium gin.
Tea and wine have similar levels of depth and complexity in the way they are grown, harvested and enjoyed and Folium seeks to combine these two worlds using wine growing experience from Southern Europe and Tea knowledge direct from Southern China.
2018
Douro River, Portugal, Autumn 2018
The Grape Vine
We have worked closely with Port Wine producers in the Douro Valley to identify the right grapes to use in the production of our unique Gin.
Migeul our wine producer comes from a long line of wine producers and a family that created the Quinta do Mourão project in the Duoro valley. Migeul has continued the traditional approach to the growing, cultivation and harvesting of the grapes.
The Tea Leaf
For Tea we travelled to China to the source of both our blends of tea to find partners who have worked within the tea growing industry for generations.
Zhang Wei is a third generation tea producer working in the Fujian province in China. He has a deep understanding of the process required to develop and harvest the finest tea product having worked in all areas of the plantation.
Folium Gin
Exquisitely Refined
The terraces in the mountain region of the Fujian province where the original white tea was picked, might easily remind wine lovers of the Douro where our grapes are grown and this gave us the inspiration for our brand and our label.
Folium means “Leaf” in Latin and from the tea leaf to the vine leaf, our botanical choices extend this further with the addition of the mint leaf, rosemary leaf and the citrus of the verbena leaf amongst the nine botanicals in our refined Gin.
This gives Folium Gin a distinct flavour that combines herbal tones with a floral freshness and tangy fruitiness to deliver a smooth and complex taste with a lasting spiced finish
OUR BOTANICALS
The unique flavour of Folium
Malvasia Fina
This is a grape of inland northern Portugal, especially the Douro, Dão and Beira Interior regions. The wines produced from the Malvasia Fina are subtle, fresh and moderately complex. They have hints of molasses, a suggestion of beeswax and nutmeg and appear slightly smokey
Bai Mu Dan
One of the more famous white teas is known as White Peony Tea in English, but is also known as Bai Mu Dan (白牡丹) or Pai Mu Tan in China. White Peony is a classic tea and considered to be synonymous with wealth and honour in China and is often preferred by white tea drinkers for its fuller flavour
Huangshan Maofeng
Huangshan Maofeng tea is one of the most famous green teas in China. The tea is grown near Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), and the English translation of Huangshan Mao Feng is “Yellow Mountain Fur Peak” due to the small white hairs which cover the leaves and the shape of the leaves which resemble the peak of a mountain
Goji Berries
Goji berries have been eaten in China for around 2000 years, where they are nicknamed “happy berries” because of the sense of wellbeing they are said to induce. They are high in nutrients and have a slightly bitter taste somewhere between cranberry, cherry, and tomato
What people are saying
Customer Testimonials
OUR PROCESS
Distillation and Blending
Distillation
We take a different approach and we distil each of our botanicals separately to ensure we get the maximum and consistent flavour from each of our ingredients
Testing
At the end of each distillation we thoroughly test the purity and quality of the distillation. After we have produced our final blend we test again to ensure flavour and consistency
Blending
Once we have our nine distilled elements we blend these to create our unique mix and it is this that gives us the distinct flavour of our Gin
Bottling
The final and critical step is to get the product into our bottles and out to our customers. Each bottle is hand filled and labelled with its unique batch and bottle number
Stay In Touch
Learn more about our latest news and events
Newsletter
Subscribe to stay in touch with our latest news, events and offers