Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Grey’s Teas
Tea Description:
A rare and wonderful orthodox green tea from Kenya… Now aged 111 Arthur Njuguna Komo planted his tea estate over fifty years ago on naturally fertile soils at an altitude of 6700 ft in Gatundu District, amongst the foothills of Mount Kenya, alongside the Rundu and Mukengeria rivers. Whilst continuing to play an active role in ensuring the quality of his tea and furthering the enlightened approach to employment which he pioneered, it is now run by his grandaughter, Joy. This orthodox, large leaf green tea is loosely rolled and has a sweet and fruity aroma of peaches, nectarines and mangos. In the cup the greeny gold infusion is mellow, complex and full flavoured. Brew for thirty seconds with freshly boiled water that is a minute off the boil. Up to five infusions can be made with the leaf. Truly delicious.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, I’m really enjoying this!
It isn’t often that I come across a pure green tea (that is, an unflavored/unblended green tea) that possesses more fruit notes than it does vegetative notes. Usually, when I taste a green tea, I’m expecting a vegetative tone, be it a grassy note or something that tastes more of steamed or fresh leafy vegetables … sometimes, I am surprised to taste a mild bean note or something. But, usually, I expect something that could be characterized as “vegetal.”
But, this tastes more of fruit than of vegetative. Oh sure, there are some vegetative notes in the distance. But they are way off, and only really obvious when I am really focused on finding them. The more prevalent flavors here are that of nectarine and of mango, believe it or not. No, go ahead and check the description above again … this is not a tea that’s been altered with fruit flavoring. This is a green tea – pure and true – from the Gatundu District in Kenya.
The texture is somewhat brothy – smooth and rich! And as the tea cools, more of the vegetal notes become more apparent, but, those beautifully juicy and sweet fruit notes remain.
This tea is special – I’d recommend this to everyone!
Lifeboat Tea from Williamson Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Williamson Tea
Tea Description:
Lifeboat Tea is a lovely full-flavoured, family-owned tea that has been created to provide sustainable funding for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) – the charity that saves lives at sea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I had my misgivings about this – especially since I did recently have another Kenyan black bagged tea. I didn’t want to compare the two, because they are two separate teas, from two separate tea companies. Even the bags look different – these are the round tea bags without a “fetch-string” or tag on it, looking a bit like a rescue ring buoy. No, it’s not colored bright orange or anything, it just kind of evoked that image given the name of the tea.
This really isn’t so bad, though. I find it to be quite robust with a pleasant malty tone. A nice sweetness to it too. It is not unpleasantly bitter, but I suspect that had I oversteeped it, it might be. It has just a hint of bitterness to it, suggesting to me that if the teabag had been left in the water a few more seconds I might have a bitter cup of tea. But as it is, it is certainly not unpleasant, and I find the slight bitter tone to it gives a nice contrast to the overall cup.
This is not a bad cup of tea – but again, I must say that I’d rather it be a loose leaf tea rather than a bagged tea. But, because it is bagged, it does make a great choice for cold-brewing for iced tea. Even though it’s getting cooler (autumn is finally here!) I do still enjoy a glass of iced tea in the afternoon and with my meals, and this tea – iced – is really lovely. Particularly nice with a thin slice of lemon.
Wanja Purple Tea from Wanja Tea of Kenya
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Purple
Where to Buy: Wanja Tea of Kenya
Tea Description:
Wanja Purple Tea of Kenya is a very rare tea that has sweet woodsy notes with a pleasant lingering astringency. While it is still derived from the same plant (Camellia Sinensis) that produces traditional Black and Green Tea, Wanja Purple Tea is rich inanthocyanin (a water soluble pigment that is found in red cranberries and grapes) which gives it the distinctive purple leaves.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I haven’t yet had many occasions to try purple teas. I’ve tried a few, and I’ve really enjoyed those that I’ve tried. So, when Wanja Tea of Kenya approached me with the opportunity to try their purple tea, I was very excited.
And now that I sit here, tasting it, I can say that the tea has not disappointed me. It is really delicious. It has a smooth creaminess that reminds me of an Oolong or a buttery green tea. The texture is rich and thick – almost like a broth, and there are compelling notes of wood and earth, as well as hints of vegetable and fruit within this cup. It has so much flavor to it, so many dynamic layers of flavor – but it isn’t what I’d call robust. It is soothing and calming.
As I continue to sip, I notice that the woody tones really emerge, and there seems to be a hint of spice along with it, making it vaguely reminiscent of a Darjeeling, but this has more body to it. The vegetative notes continue to linger in the distance, not exactly what I’d call grassy, exactly, but more like a very mild vegetable – like white beans. It even has the creaminess that reminds me very much of a bean soup.
I am really enjoying this tea and all the flavors it has presented. This is currently the only tea that Wanja Tea of Kenya offers, but, they picked a really good one for their benchmark tea. I hope it is indicative of what’s to come from this new company, because they’ve certainly piqued my interest!
Capital Breakfast Organic from Capital Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Tea Description:
Capital Breakfast Organic is a blend of luxury teas from Sri Lanka, India, Kenya and China; a blend designed to compliment and enrich your day as you make your own history. The Assam component (2nd flush, June Production) gives a thick malt and full-bodied character. The Kenyan component gives a floral-like cup and coppery infusion whereas the South Indian component gives superb fruity and sprightly flavor with a lovely finish. From Sri Lanka we used a January Dimbula pick that gives an airy piquant flavor that opens the blend. Lastly, to draw everything together we added some Keemun, which gives a burgundy depth with light oaky notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried quite a few breakfast blends … and this one ranks right up there with some of the very best that I’ve tried. This is really good!
The first thing I notice is how well-rounded it is. It is full-bodied, and possesses such a delightfully rich flavor. After a couple of sips, the smokiness of the Keemun becomes apparent. It hits the palate at about mid-sip and then seems to linger through to the tail, offering wisps of smoke in the aftertaste.
The malty tones are rich and offer a pleasant, caramel-like sweetness. The Assam gives this tea a very cozy, comforting kind of taste that melds beautifully with the smoke tones that are tantalizing my taste buds. The Ceylon adds a pleasing fruity background, while the Kenyan adds to the heft of this cup … it’s got a lot of gusto, this Capital Breakfast!
The rich, satisfying flavor is delicious served straight up, but, it also takes the additions of milk and sugar (or honey) quite nicely. I think this one is best served hot, but, I think it would be good iced too.
If you have room for only one breakfast blend in your tea cupboard, I’d recommend giving this one a try – but, be warned, it is so good, you may find yourself replacing your trusty old breakfast blend for this one. It’s amazing!
Red Elephant from Joy’s Teaspoon
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Joy’s Teaspoon
Tea Description:
Our Kenyan orthodox black breakfast blend is a high quality CTC tea that packs a punch and will jump start your morning. Clean leaves, honey-like aroma, floral flavor with no harshness and excellent with a splash of milk.
A beautiful scene unfolds as you envision the tea bushes, grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya at a relatively high altitude of 2036M above sea level, situated between two main rivers (Rundu and Mukengeria) that have their source in the Mt. Kenya forest. The area is farmed by approximately 3,700 small scale tea farmers with a combined acreage of about 847 hectares (2,092 acres.) Most of the farmers are related and farm ancestral pieces of land that have been passed down from generation to generation. Most of the pluckers are women who farm tea farms that belong to their husbands or fathers. Land is usually inherited patrilineally, though recently women have begun to inherit and purchase their own tea farms.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Now that’s what I’m talking about! This tea has got some heft! This is the kind of tea that you want to drink on those mornings when you’re having a hard time keeping your eyelids open, This tea is sure to help with that!
This tea is good and strong, and a little goes a long way. That is to say, when measuring, you don’t need to add a little extra to the teapot for added strength! This is plenty strong on its own. Use the amount you’d usually use, or even just a little less. If you usually use a heaped teaspoon, use a level teaspoon for best results.
This is a very rich and flavorful tea – there is a freshly baked bread and burnt sugar kind of taste to it. Sweet, caramelized burnt sugar. YUM! There is a pleasant earthiness to this as well as some hints of malt … but don’t go thinking this is similar to an Assam, because the malty tone is where those similarities end.
This is a very enjoyable, full-bodied black tea that is strong enough to give a good kick start to anyone’s day, and it’s just what I needed to help shake that groggy, sleepy feeling I had this morning. This tea has managed to chase those feelings away without a trace! I’m awake and raring to go!