Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  The Tea Nation

Product Description:

Black tea is most commonly produced in South Asia and Africa. It has a stronger flavor than most other teas and also has higher caffeine content. Black tea is prepared from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis and it is the most fermented of all teas. Black tea from Ceylon Tea is primarily produced using the orthodox method, where tea leaves are first harvested and then rolled to small pieces and fermented. The fermented tea leaves are dried using fire kilns. This process gives black tea its characteristic strong, full-bodied flavor and deep brown color.

Papaya is a tropical fruit that originally grew in southern Mexico. Passion fruit, also a tropical fruit was originally frown in Central America. Both are now cultivated in most countries with a tropical climate, such as Brazil, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. While papaya is an excellent and refreshing end to any meal, the distinct taste of passion fruit makes it an essential ingredient for cocktails. We have mixed these two contrasting, but complimentary flavors in a secret blend and mixed it with Pure Ceylon high grown tea to produce an exciting and refreshing drink.

Taster’s Review:

As I sit here, it is cold outside.  Really cold.  Frost forming on the windows kind of cold.  Not exactly a tropical climate.

But, my teacup thinks it’s on an island getaway, thanks to this Papaya & Passion Fruit Black Tea.  The tropical fruit flavors in this tea are sweet and delicious, while the black tea edges in just enough of its flavor to keep the sweeter tastes from becoming too cloying.

The black tea is a Ceylon base, and perhaps it’s just the combination of flavors, but I’m finding this to be quite a strong tea for a Ceylon.  There are hints of bitterness in the background too, but not from over-steeping (I steeped just 3 minutes).  It is more of a savory kind of bitterness that does its part to keep the cup complex and interesting, and cutting through some of the sweeter notes of the fruit flavors so they don’t overpower the cup.

A nice balance between tea and fruit flavor here where the tea flavor wins out over the fruit – but not by much.

This is a good summertime tea (yeah, I know it’s not summer), one that should be brewed by the gallon and kept in the icebox.  It would be great as a sun tea too!  This is a delicious black tea blend – one that is nice served hot, but I think it’s even better chilled.  It is very refreshing and the tropical taste lends itself so well to a cool glass of iced tea.

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