Passion Fruit Black Tea

Passion Fruit (Latin: Passiflora edulis) gets its name from Jesuit priests in Brazil sometime around the 1700's. The Jesuits who found the fruit growing in abundance there felt that the crown shaped flowers of the fruit, reminded them of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus before he was crucified, an event known as the Passion of Christ. During colonial times, as Jesuits traveled throughout South and North America, they brought the fruit with them and planted the seeds in the gardens of their missions. In fact, the Jesuits were probably the first people to cultivate them in California where Passion Fruits are now widely grown commercially. The flavor of Passion Fruit is unique. Is has a musky guava-like character with a slightly acidic profile ranging from sweet to tart depending on the time picked. This profile makes it a perfect match with the astringency of our Ceylon tea. Fantastic hot or cold, this is one tea you'll want to savor again and again.

Only high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka - Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva are used here. 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. 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' allows us to procure the best for our flavored tea blends several times during the year, ensuring top quality and freshness.

Flavoring oils (and not crystals) are used to give the tea drinker an olfactory holiday before indulging in a liquid tea treat. High quality tea tastes good and natural flavors specified do not mask the natural taste of the high grown tea. (Compared to the use of overpowering artificial flavors, which can be used to mask lower quality tea). Natural flavors do not leave an aftertaste giving the tea a clean and true character. They 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.