Plum Pear Black Tea

China is the only country in which plum, and pear trees both grow in the wild. It was here that the first incidence of a plum and a pear being added to a pot of steeping hot tea is believed to have occurred over a thousand years ago. 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, eventually it was also made an excellent black tea, especially when the base tea is our high grown Ceylon tea. 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.

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.