Ontario Breakfast Specialty Tea

• Country of Origin:India, Kenya, China
• Region: Assam + Nilgiri, Kericho + Kiambu, Anhui Province
• Shipping Port: Haldia + Cochin, Mombasa, Shanghai
• Grade: FP (Flowery Pekoe)
• Altitude: 1500’ft, 7100’ft, 4200’ft above sea level
• Manufacturer Type: Orthodox, CTC
• Cup Characteristics: A superb fresh morning tea. Malty notes from the Assam, flower-like hints from the Kenya with delicate wisps of oiliness from the Yunnan.
• Infusions: Bright coppery colour
• Ingredients:Luxury black tea

This tea blend was specially created by The Metropolitan Tea Company Ltd taking into consideration the nuances of the various waters across Canada. To be considered as ‘the toast of Canada’ from a tea perspective, the tea had to be able to ‘shine’ in any water. For this reason a broad range of origin teas were used. More than 35 various teas were tasted using the water sent to us from various parts of the country. The tasting session extended more then 2 days until the right blend was achieved which combined the best teas a synergistic relation. A few additional refinements were undertaken the final result was an outstanding tea - the best in Canada, if not North America or the world. The Assam component (2nd flush, June Production) gives a thick malt and full-bodied character. The Kenyan component gives a floral-like cup and coppery infusion whereas the South Indian component gives superb fruity and sprightly flavour with a lovely finish. From Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) we used a January production Dimbula that gives an airy piquant flavour that opens the blend. Lastly, to draw everything together we added some Keemun, which gives a burgundy depth with light oaky notes.

Canada has a history of consuming the best teas in the world. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, on a world scale, it was Canadian and Irish tea companies that paid the most for the teas, which formed the basis of the blends that were readily available in their respective countries. Sadly, in Canada and to a lesser extent in Ireland, as the tea blenders became older and started retiring, the large tea companies did not see the need to maintain the quality. There were competitive pressures in the market place and these had to be met! Consequently the overall tea quality in Canada declined over the 1980’s and 1990’s. Luckily, concurrent with the dramatic quality decline there was a tea trading company in existence at the time, named Hayter and Scandrett that trained it’s personnel exceedingly well in the fine points of tasting and recognizing quality teas. These personnel carried the blending secrets and knowledge of fine quality tea to The Metropolitan Tea Company Ltd. This knowledge was later transformed into the best tea blend in Canada, resurrecting Canada’s long history to drinking and enjoying the world’s best teas.