Monsoon Mountains Tea Company
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I started this by heating a medium sized ceramic pot with near boiling water. Then putting 2.5 grams of leaves and giving a little shake , I got a lovely light chocolate and citrus aroma, its actually a little hard to describe as its quite sweet, maybe caramel as well.
Brewing it at 205 for about 90 seconds, I got a clear red liquor with the same aroma but much more intense now. The flavors are light caramel and chocolate with a little bit of citrus and raisins. This tea is quite soft and light, and I would highly recommend drinking it straight up. Though it might work iced with just a touch of sugar, I might have to try that sometime.
Highly recommended.
Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate, Citrus, Raisins, Sweet
Preparation
Okay this one is a fanning grade for which I brewed it in a strainer ball. Using 2 grams of leaf in a 6 ounce mug for about a minute and a half at 205. I found this gave the best results of boldness without being overpowering.
The aroma is caramel, honey and plums, with that intense tea aroma you sometimes get from black tea, a great scent for waking up in the morning if you arent a coffee drinker. The liquor is a clear dark red brown . There is a tiny bit of fanning that escaped the ball , but the liquor is quite clear. The tasting of this gives dark bittersweet chocolate, honey, caramel and plums. Dark fruit and dark chocolate is what is what really comes out as well as sweetness.
Highly recommended for breakfast or for afternoon snacks.
Flavors: Caramel, Dark Bittersweet, Honey, Plum, Tea
Preparation
Today we have up New Vithakanakanda estate FBOP. I started by brewing this in a clay pot, 3 grams for 150 ml water at 205 for 3 minutes. I got a somewhat dark clear caramel colored liquor. I get aroma’s of raisins and chocolate, and a little bit Cacao or a raw chocolate. I do find competition or western style brewing works a bit better with Darjeelings and Ceylon tea.
Tasting this I get many of the same flavors as aroma, but there is a slightly stronger citrus note as well as plums. There is also a dark bittersweet chocolate flavor now. Its actually kind of hard to describe it. Now the information on this says it goes well with lime, and though I usually take my tea straight I can see this, it does seem like the flavor profile would work well with this.
In conclusion, this tea has a rather complex flavor profile, makes a great tea for going with an afternoon snack.
Recomended
Flavors: Cacao, Chocolate, Citrus, Dark Bittersweet, Plum, Raisins
Preparation
Today we have up Loolocondera FBOP, I started by heating the glass pot and giving the leaves a quick shake in the pot to get the aroma. Chocolate, nuts, flowers, all rose up from the pot.
I brewed this a single time with 2.5 grams of leaf to 180 mg of water. I got a very clear dark orange red liquor, there is no dust of sediment. The flavors are chocolate, with nuts and a pleasant sourness, also a bit of spice maybe cinnamon and a bit of citrus. There is also a strong bitter and astringent note in this tea, not overpowering, but quite noticeable. From what I understand, the spice and citrus, with a strong astringent quality is pretty common in Ceylon teas, because of the terrior.
This tea would go well with a slice of lemon or be able to stand up to food, its not quite as soft of subtle as other teas, but in some ways that is good. Ive been playing with the brewing time and found 2.5 grams for 2 1/2 minutes at just under boiling gives the best balance of flavor in my opinion. I find Ceylon tea does a little better with western style brewing.
Recommended if you are looking for a nice Ceylon or a tea to have with your lunch.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Citrus, Nuts, Pleasantly Sour
Preparation
Hi Ken, many thanks for the review. So much of what becomes astringent in tea depends heavily upon the type of water used to make it more than the terroir. Ceylon Teas are not really renowned for their astringency, rather, for their citrus notes (usually more lime than lemon and therefore sweeter), but for their delicacy and sweetness. I use very soft spring water for tasting the teas I bring in, with a good PH balance but then, as a taster, I make sure the PH in the watre I use is the best it can be for where I am. Sweeter water certainly makes a sweeter tea. The same teas brewed in an area in which the tap water is highly treated won’t taste as good as water that is pure. But you are absolutley spot on with the aroma from the pot. Then again, everyone’s palate is so different. I get caramel notes, and a milkier chocolate. If you want chocolatey teas, the best are Ceylon Low Elevation / Ruhunu / Ratnapura FBOP’s and OP1’s. Lumbini and New Vithanakande low elevation OP1’s and FBOPFExSp’s have lovely chocolate, sultana, plum and flowery ( freesia type) notes to them. I certainly concur with a hint of cinnamon in the Loolecondera. For this reason, this tea makes a lovely base for a chai blend.
…and as an afterthought I would like to add that, if it is a good full flavoured tea one is looking for, that reminds you of what ‘proper’ tea should taste like, this is pretty close to the quintessential loose tea flavour that would have been prevalent in a household tea in the 50’s and 60’s. Loolecondera Estate tea makes a good everyday cuppa.
Yes im slowly working my way through the samples. I think the bitterness is because I tend to brew black tea a bit on the strong side to bring out the spice notes. Lumbini definitely tasted of dark fruits and chocolate and that review will be coming up soon.
Okay back to those Ceylon teas now, need to make a little room in my cabinet. I started by using a glass tea pot, about 200ml. I used 3 grams of leaf in about 150ml of water, since this is how you are supposed to taste Ceylon and Indian tea. Brewing for 3 minutes, at about 205, again this seems to be the standard for tasting session for this type of tea. I tried gongfu a few times with Indian and Ceylon tea and got… not great results.
After doing the infusion I got a light golden brown liquor, a little lighter than would be expected from a black tea, but darker than a first flush Darjeeling. This is a high mountain Ceylon tea.
The aroma from it is quite strong, muscatel, floral, and I hate to say this, but a tea aroma.. I cant really think of any other way to describe it, it smells like tea..if you drank tea bag tea as a kid, you know what aroma IM talking about… because that’s the one, I cant associate it with anything else other than tea.
The flavors pretty well match the aroma, but there is a slight sour bitterness that is surprisingly mild and pleasant and adds to the overall experience. Its also very floral and has some other flavor I cant put my finger on. This is a really nice tea, and is actually quite different from the tea from India, im actually a little surprised sometimes by how much terrior affects the flavor.
I recommend this tea for anyone who who likes Indian tea, and also for anyone who is looking to expand their repetiore of tea tasting.
Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Mint, Muscatel, Tea
Preparation
Fresh stock from a small specialist company that focuses on Ceylon Single Estate teas.
Leaves: Fairly small/dark with a lovely sweet cocoa powder aroma
Nose: When brewed,mild ,sweet grass,cocoa dust and a hint of light tobacco,more lemon verbana on 2nd steep.
Taste:Mild with a grassy sweetness, medium bodied,becomes more floral as it cools,dash of fresh lemon.
Finish:Nice lingering cocoa aftertaste.
Good for two steeps this is a pleasant,easy going tea.Not a tea that will ever get top ratings as it’s not hugely complex but the sort of brew you can go back to andf enjoy again and again when you just want a well made refreshing drink.
