I am currently drinking attempt two of Ceylon Gem by Teabento. Attempt one was brewed and then immediately after the tea finished steeping, I tossed the leaf, washed the infuser, and took the garbage out. I then managed to knock over my 16 ounce mug of freshly brewed Ceylon Gem, sending tea racing towards all the appliances and the power bar situated on the butcher’s block where my kettle now resides. In my panic to save the electronics, I knocked over the mug again. Needless to say, after all of that, my mug was empty and I had Ceylon Gem all over my floor.
So here I am with attempt two. No spillage so far. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
Anyways, I brewed the tea per the recommended steeping parameters of 3 minutes in 190F water. I then let the tea cool a bit to a more easily drinkable temperature.
Teabentos website claims this ceylon flower black tea has a “delicate taste with hints of honey, berries, citrus and caramel” so I was surprised when the tea was quite brisk/tannic. I suppose that is fairly common in Ceylon teas though so I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Looking past the briskness, I am getting honey and some caramel. I am not getting much in the way of berries and other than that briskness being akin to a citrus pithiness, I am not getting much citrus either.
I don’t think I am the intended audience for this tea. The description lured me in with so many of my favorite flavors but at the end of the day, Ceylons tend to be too strong for my tastes and this is no exception. I want smooth. I want dessert-like. This is sweet but it’s definitely more of a pick-me-up/morning tea.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teabentos
Description
Ceylon Gem is another brilliant black tea from Amba estate, the twin-sister of our lovely elephant CEYLA. Hand-crafted and carefully blended with flowers from the camellia sinensis tea plant, which give the tea a natural mild sweetness. The beautiful look and the delicate taste with hints of honey, berries, citrus and caramel make the tea a true gem. Its delicious nature deserves to be appreciated on its own.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ruhunu Ceylon/Zesta Tea. . . .
I would like to preface this review with the following fun fact – I am a sucker for any ceylon tea.
This tea is part of the Ceylon region pack from zesta tea and features Ceylon from the Ruhunu region which is a low grown region in the south of Sri Lanka. This tea was a loose leaf and required me to utilize one of my tea sacs rather than a stainless steeper as the leaves were so fine.
This was a batch of pure Ceylon meaning that there was no added flavors or herbs to compete with the flavor of the tea. This was a beautifully smooth brew and was one of the best ceylons I’ve ever had. Interestingly I was only able to get one brew out of a batch, but I still think that the tea is worth the cost even at one brew per serving.
Zesta sells this tea as part of their Ceylon region pack, and I would be willing to pay pack price for just this single box. For black tea drinkers, this Ceylon region pack needs to be in your upcoming purchase. This would also make a great gift for tea enthusiasts to test their palate for the subtle differences that growing regions have on a tea – wine drinkers do it all the time, we can too!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zesta Tea
Description
Experience and appreciate the unique taste of premium regional teas, as this regional pack has Ceylon tea from all five tea growing regions – Uva, Ruhunu, Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Kandy. Ceylon tea became famous for its unique taste variety that differs across the regions and elevations which are reflected in these teas.
