Plum Pear Naturally Flavoured Black Tea

• Country of Origin: Sri Lanka
• Region: Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula or Uva districts
• Shipping Port: Colombo
• Grade: OP (Orange Pekoe)
• Altitude: 4800 - 7600 feet above sea level
• Manufacturer Type: Orthodox
• Cup Characteristics: Discover sweet notes with fresh fruit highlights. Especially exquisite when garnished with a cinnamon stick. A pleasing fruit aroma.
• Infusions: Bright and Coppery
• Ingredients: Luxury black tea, Natural dried pineapple, Freeze dried pear, Blackberry + lime leaves, Jasmine + Safflower petals, Mallow blossoms, Natural flavors.

The first incidence of a plum and a pear being added to a pot of steeping hot tea is thought to have occurred over a thousand years ago in China. China, you see, is the only country in which plum, and pear trees both grow in the wild. Everywhere else, one or the other has had to have been imported and cultivated. The ancient Chinese made great use of their natural bounty and were great culinary experimenters, a characteristic that saw the invention of many, many, tea variations. These early gastronomes, instead of using natural fruit extracts, as we have with this wonderful tea, may have simply mashed up the flesh of both fruits and added it to a fresh pot of tea before it was strained. They believed that both of these particular fruits when added to fresh tea had the ability to soothe and calm the nerves. While this flavor combination was probably first brewed using green tea, our Master taster felt that it would also make an excellent black tea, especially when the base tea is our high grown Ceylon tea. (Ceylons are known to pick up the subtleties of fruit exceptionally well.) Brew yourself a pot today and savor the acidic subtleties of both fruits as they brew together. This is truly a wonderfully fresh tasting tea that is as good over ice as it is piping hot - either way it's delicious.

What type of tea do we use, how do we flavor the tea and why do we use natural flavors?

Firstly... we only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka - Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavorful teas that have classic ‘Ceylon’ tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavor notes, touches of mild astringency, bright coppery color and, most importantly - perfect for use as the base tea of our flavored teas. (We have tested teas from various other origins around the world as base stock for our flavored teas, but none of these teas made the grade.) Dimbula and the western estates of Nuwara Eliya have a major quality peak during Jan/Feb, whereas Uva and the eastern estates of Nuwara Eliya have their peak in July/Aug. This ‘dual peak period’ allow us to buy the best for our flavored tea blends several times during the year, ensuring top quality and freshness.

Secondly... we use flavoring oils not crystals to give the tea drinker an olfactory holiday before indulging in a liquid tea treat.

Thirdly, we specify natural flavors. High quality tea tastes good and natural flavors do not mask the natural taste of the high grown Ceylon tea. (The norm for many making flavored tea is to use overpowering artificial flavors, which can be used to hide lower quality tea). Natural flavors do not leave an aftertaste giving the tea a clean and true character. It should be noted that natural flavors tend to be somewhat ‘soft ‘ and the flavors slightly muted, but for many this is a refreshing change and one of the desired attributes of our naturally flavored teas.