Our Arctic Raspberry tea has fruity overtones of blueberry with the depth of elderberry.
Cup fills the mouth with the piquant flavor of sweet raspberries – hint of blueberry and elderberry. Fabulous hot or iced.
Explorers, trappers and hunters who have found themselves lost in the far north have long held the arctic raspberry to be the tastiest of all naturally occurring survival foods. These little berries can be darker than their commercially grown counterparts and possess a stronger flavor with overtones of blueberry and elderberry. Peak growing season for the berry is July and August – the only months any plants will grow in the arctic regions. If you are unlucky enough to find yourself stranded in the remote north during those months just search out the tall, slender twigged bushes and start picking. Or, if you simply find yourself lost for ideas on a Sunday afternoon at home, brew a cup of this naturally sweet tea and imagine yourself commandeering a dog team through the barren wilds of Alaska. Mush! Mush!
What type of tea do we use, how do we flavor the tea and why do we use natural flavors?
Firstly… we only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka – Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavorful teas that have classic ‘Ceylon’ tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavor notes, touches of mild astringency, bright coppery color and, most importantly – perfect for use as the base tea of our flavored teas. (We have tested teas from various other origins around the world as base stock for our flavored teas, but none of these teas made the grade.) Dimbula and the western estates of Nuwara Eliya have a major quality peak during Jan/Feb, whereas Uva and the eastern estates of Nuwara Eliya have their peak in July/Aug. This ‘dual peak period’ allow us to buy the best for our flavored tea blends several times during the year, ensuring top quality and freshness.
Secondly… we use flavoring oils not crystals to give the tea drinker an olfactory holiday before indulging in a liquid tea treat.
Thirdly… we specify natural flavors. High quality tea tastes good and natural flavors do not mask the natural taste of the high grown Ceylon tea. (The norm for many making flavored tea is to use overpowering artificial flavors, which can be used to hide lower quality tea). Natural flavors do not leave an aftertaste giving the tea a clean and true character. It should be noted that natural flavors tend to be somewhat ‘soft ‘ and the flavors slightly muted, but for many this is a refreshing change and one of the desired attributes of our naturally flavored teas.