Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Tea Description:
This Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe consists of semi-leafy pieces with some tips. You may notice a more mellow liquor with a mild, fresh flavor, an inviting bouquet to your cup, and a finish that lingers attractively.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I thought I had completed my series of Morawaka estate Ceylon reviews, but I came across this sampling the other day as I was sorting through my stash (in an effort to get it organized … an effort, I fear, that is futile, and yet, I continue on!) I am happy, though, to have found this Ceylon as it is quite enjoyable.
The flavor is mild and bright, with hints of floral notes in the background. There is a fair amount of astringency that is more tangy than it is dry. That tangy note lingers into the aftertaste, imparting an almost citrus-y taste on the tongue. As I continue to sip on the tea, a sweetness develops that gives the cup more of a smooth, well-rounded character, and helps to soften the astringent finish. This particular grade of the single estate Morawaka Ceylon seems to be a bit more floral in taste than the others … assuming I am remembering correctly.
This has that brisk flavor that one might expect from a Ceylon. It makes for an excellent choice for a lighter breakfast tea, or a mild afternoon tea. It goes wonderfully with chocolate. (Then again, there aren’t many things that don’t go wonderfully with chocolate.) It also makes a wonderful iced tea, and takes additions well – try serving this with a thin slice of citrus for a glass of iced refreshment!
A very nice offering from KTeas!
Morawaka Ceylon Pekoe-1 from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
Curly, leafy tea of a slightly smaller size (hence the “1”) produce a good, basic cup of tea that has a light liquor, a delicate taste, and a pleasantly memorable finish.
Taster’s Review:
I think that with this sampling, I’ve had the opportunity to try six of the seven Ceylon teas that KTeas offers from the Morawaka estate in Sri Lanka. And of the five different teas that I’ve tasted and reviewed, this Ceylon Pekoe-1 is perhaps the best example of what I think of when I think of a high-quality Ceylon tea. This tea tastes like Ceylon to me.
The dry leaves resemble small, curly pellets that almost look like a greener Oolong (only the leaves here are, of course, black). After infusion, they open up a bit, but they are still curly. The one thing that stood out to me most when looking at the infused leaf is just how uniform in size they are.
And the flavor that these leaves produce is delightful. Smooth yet rustic, this tea evokes thoughts of curling up under a blanket, in front of a roaring fire in a log cabin in the woods. I’m not sure why that thought came to me as I sip this tea; all that I can come up with is that it has that kind of comforting flavor that you’d want to curl up with in front of a fire in a log cabin …rich and flavorful, while at the same time maintaining that mellow evenness to it that I expect from a good Ceylon.
I detect no bitterness to this cup, although there is some astringency at the end that I’d classify as a tangy sort of astringency. There is also a somewhat citrus-y finish to this cup that seamlessly melds with the astringency. The aftertaste is caramel-y sweet, somewhat floral and slightly tangy.
With so many Morawaka estate teas to choose from at KTeas, you might wonder which to choose. Maybe this will help steer you in the right direction: For a good, strong Ceylon that almost rivals a hearty Assam, you should try the FBOPF Ceylon or the FBOPF-1 Ceylon. If you want a bold, hefty Ceylon, try the BOP-1 Ceylon. If you’re looking for that familiar Ceylon flavor, try this Pekoe-1 Ceylon, or for a crisper, brighter take on the familiar Ceylon, try the OP-1 Ceylon. Finally, if you want the convenience of teabags, but still want a high quality Ceylon in those teabags, try the BOPF Ceylon Teabags.
What ever you might be looking for in a top-notch Ceylon, KTeas has you covered!
Morawaka Ceylon OP-1 from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
Fresh from the Grower!Direct from the Morawaka Tea Estate in Ceylon (Sri Lanka)!Orange Pekoe leaves tend to be long, thin, and wiry. It may seem counterintuitive, but these larger grades of leaves produce a lighter or paler liquor–but this is due to the fact that the leaves are whole, not broken and bruised to expose more of each leaf to the water. The taste is also lighter: more delicate than that of the Ceylon leaf’s broken compatriots.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been reviewing a lot of the Morawaka Estate Ceylon teas sold by KTeas in the past few months. We (the SororiTea Sisters) had a very unique opportunity to each of the grades of tea from the Morawaka Estate, and I have really enjoyed them. It is nice to be able to not just try a selected one of the grades, but each of them so that I can really taste the difference between the grades.
This is Orange Pekoe-1, which means whole leaf, not a broken or cut leaf. And what is interesting here is that of the Morawaka Estate Ceylon teas that I’ve tried thus far (I still have the Pekoe-1 to try) is not how similar they tend to be, but how different they are. This OP-1 is much lighter in taste than the others that I’ve tried. It doesn’t have that malty taste that I noticed in the Morawaka Ceylon FBOPF, or the robust quality of the Morawaka Ceylon FBOPF-1. It doesn’t have that same “burnt-sugar sweetness” that I noticed in these other two varieties.
But what this does have is a true Ceylon taste. What I’m tasting now is true to the flavor that I’ve come to expect from a Ceylon, only better. It has a freshness to it that I don’t typically experience from a Ceylon. It is light, mild and even-toned. It tastes crisp and bright. There is a sweetness to this as well, but it is more like honey than burnt-sugar or caramel. While this doesn’t have the same bold body of the broken leaf, it has a briskness to it that is very refreshing.
So which do I prefer? I like them all! I think that this particular Ceylon would be best suited for an afternoon tea, while the smaller, broken leaf Ceylon teas would make a very pleasing breakfast tea. I could see having several varieties of this estate Ceylon on my shelf depending upon the occasion.
Another excellent Ceylon! Cheers!
Morawaka Ceylon BOPF (Teabags) from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
These teabags contain Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings grade tea from Morawaka Tea Estate’s Low Country Ceylon plantation in Sri Lanka. With the convenience of a teabag, you get the benchmark Ceylon color and flavor in your cup. No stale left-over Dust, here: these teabags were manufactured in February 2011, February & March being the First Flush of the Ceylon tea world, providing the prime quality teas which have been selected to fill these teabags.
Taster’s Review:
This may just be the freshest bagged tea I’ve ever had! The tea in this teabag was harvested in February of this year and immediately processed into teabag form. Now, I really don’t know when the tea on the grocery store shelf was harvested and manufactured, but I suspect it was longer than seven short months ago.
And you know what? The proof of the freshness is in the taste. I’m blown away at just how good this Ceylon from a teabag tastes. It is a bold and bright. It has a good, strong flavor to it … and even some malty undertones. The best way I can describe the flavor that I’m experiencing right now is that it is a cross between a rich Assam and a brisk Ceylon… falling very close to the middle between the two … veering slightly more toward the Ceylon. It has that briskness you might expect from a Ceylon, but a rich, malty undertone that is common with Assam tea.
I steeped my first teabag at 3 1/2 minutes, and I found that it was just a little too astringent for my taste. Still good and certainly very drinkable, but after that cup was gone I decided to brew another bag, this time at just 2 1/2 minutes and found that this was perfect. A deliciously inviting cuppa!
This makes a great breakfast tea and goes great with milk and honey, if you like to add them to your breakfast tea. It is also tasty without any addition if you prefer it that way. It is also good iced with lemon or lime.
This is a wonderful alternative to those store-bought teabags. These teabags provide the convenience of teabags and the freshness of loose leaf. That’s a win-win in my book!
Morawaka Ceylon FBOPF from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
“One of our best Tippy Grade offerings,” Morawaka says of this Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings grade Low-Grown Ruhuna or Ceylon tea. This tea presents larger leaf cuts with a fair amount of tips. Not what we’ve come to think of as “fannings”, to be sure, but that’s what the grower calls this grade. Produces a lighter liquor with a rich aroma and flavor.
Taster’s Review:
Don’t be afraid of the final “F” in the FBOPF here… even though it stands for fannings, these leaves are not as small as what you might think of when it comes to store-bought fannings. These are the upper-scale kind of fannings!
I think I may have used a little too much leaf in this steeping, because this is NOT a light liquor! But that’s OK because I’m really liking it just the way I brewed it. It is robust and strong! Much stronger than I would typically note a Ceylon to be.
But even with all it’s stout robustness, I don’t taste bitterness. Just a good, strong brew. Even some malty tones. This tastes a bit more like an Assam might taste than a Ceylon!
There is a fair amount of astringency to this cup, an astringency that is both tangy (almost citrus-like!) and somewhat dry. It finishes with a sweet aftertaste.
To be fair to how it was intended to be brewed, though, I decided to brew this one again, this time using the right amount of leaf and it does produce a lighter infusion. It is crisp and rich in flavor, but, it lacks the robust flavor and some of the malty tones of the first cup. Both are tasty though!
I like this tea’s versatility. If you want a good, strong cup of tea to fuel you in the morning – this tea can be that for you. If you’d prefer a light and pleasantly brisk cup – perhaps an afternoon pick-me-up? – this tea can be that for you as well. Great served over ice with a thin slice of lime!