Lumbini Tea Valley USA

The world’s most awarded tea. One might scoff at such a remark but take a look at their credentials and your brain will agree. Still, tasting is believing. So I decided to try it out for myself. It took over two months to make it to me thanks to customs but luckily it got here before C19 hit. Don’t know why I forgot about it on my shelf but I felt the need to confess that. Like most Sri Lanka tea, this one is bold. Though not as bold as their CTC varieties. The dry leaves are a mix of dark chocolate brown and cream. The dry leaves are a nice subtle woodsy tone. But the wet leaves reminds me of a hearty vegetable soup. The liquor is gorgeous, a perfect golden amber. The flavor is bold with strong earth tones. This first time around I am steeping it gong fu style. Though I admit it is a bit tough with the shorter leaves. It requires a firmer grip on the lid. I’ve done 3 sessions now and the first was the best. The second was still good. The third has lost its tenacity. I am excited to try this tea a few ways to see how its flavor profile changes.

Finishing up what Sips by sent me. Sad to see this one go! It’s very good.

Speaking of Sips by, I got my preview for December and 3/4 of the teas are spiced. Haha, talk about getting into the holiday spirit. I’m excited about that, especially since one of them is extra caffeinated.

This one comes from my November Sips By box. I kept forgetting about it! I tend to like Ceylons. Sri Lanka might not be my favorite region, but Ceylon is what I grew up with. It was my standard for black tea for a really long time.

The leaves are very fine and narrow and they smell sweetly promising. There’s a lively fruitlike aroma, sort of like the way ripe persimmons smell when they’ve been on the ground for a few days. Is persimmon tea a thing? It should be.

The color is lovely. A deep reddish amber. And the flavor surprises me. It’s so smooth for how dark it is! There are hefty notes of stonefruit, malt, and a little bit of new leather. I am really impressed by the almost apricot fruitiness. This is such a perfect plain black tea for the fall. It’s energizing and there is not one harsh thing about it. It doesn’t taste like any Ceylon I’ve ever had. This is a winner and I’m so happy I have another sample.

If you like Earl Greys you’d probably really enjoy this. I, too, at one point really loved Earl Greys and making london fogs, but my body is dumb and amongst the OTHER revolts it has raged, becoming sensitive to….bergamot? is a thing that happened a couple of years ago and now Earl Greys give me headaches at best, migraines at worst. of course I forgot this and made this sample that came with my Sips by box and had the tiniest sip (I made it last night so that it would have time to cool and I could put it in the fridge to take to work today) and even though after taking that tiny sip I was like ‘oh shit’ and then poured it out, I still had the most annoying mild headache all day today. uuuughhhh. this makes me sad bc I still have a can of A&D’s Mount Gray and Wendigo Tea’s Black Shuck that will probably be pushed to the back of the tea cupboard. uuuughh.