Kalubowitiyana

Kalubowitiyana Estate

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Black

Tea Description:

Only limited amounts of CTC style tea are produced in Sri Lanka, and we are happy to be able to reintroduce this style after a prolonged absence. This offering is notable for a pleasing malty nuance, combined with the classic Ceylon notes of cedarwood and light citrus hints.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Nice! This Kalubowitiyana Estate Ceylon Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports is a very finely cut CTC … but don’t let the small size of the leaf cut discourage you. Just reduce the brew time … I brewed this for 2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch rather than my usual “go to” time of 2 1/2 minutes for black tea, and the result is a cup of really pleasant Ceylon tea.

The most surprising note in this tea is the malty tone … it is MALTY … like a good, hearty Assam! It is rich and flavorful, with a heftier body than I usually associate with a Ceylon. This is like a Ceylon in Assam’s clothing. In fact, had I not known that it was a Ceylon with my first sip, I would have thought it was an Assam.

However, now that I’ve had a few more sips, I notice more of a Ceylon character start to emerge. It has that even-tempered flavor that I expect from a Ceylon, as well as hints of citrus that arrive at the tail end of the sip. Mid-sip, I notice a woody character with earthy notes. There is a moderate amount of astringency to this, which is further accentuated by the citrus notes that arrive at the finish.

This is a really pleasant cuppa – one that would be nice morning or early afternoon tea. It has a good amount of kick to it … so it can get you going just like a hearty Assam would!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea