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“While I have been impressed by Thai Sticky rice oolong by Curious tea, I am not so much impressed about this Kenyan tea. I wonder, if it is because: a) tea from Kenya isn’t that good b) it is 2020...” Read full tasting note
Tumoi Nandi Hills Black is an easy-going tea with a classic black tea profile that would appeal to most drinkers. Grown around Nandi Hills at an altitude of over 2,000 metres by the Tumoi Teas Cooperative without the use of pesticides and processed using traditional orthodox tea production methods. This Tumoi Nandi Hills Black is from the Summer 2020 harvest.
Unlike our Purple Green tea from Tumoi, this one does not come from the new purple cultivar. Instead, a more conventional tea plant (also used for the Tumoi Nandi Hills Green) is used to produce a black tea that is smooth and balanced. It also provides an interesting comparison to the green tea from Tumoi.
Tumoi Teas Cooperative is a relatively new type of tea farmer cooperative in Kenya that focuses on creating beautiful tea while also supporting local farmers and the local community. While a large proportion of tea plantations in Kenya are owned by multinational corporations, Tumoi Teas is completely run and managed by small-scale tea farmers.
Tumoi specifically focusses on producing high-quality orthodox teas. The rationale behind this is that the Kenyan tea industry is dominated by CTC (cut-tear-curl) teas that are destined for bags. The CTC market is very volatile with large corporations buying up the majority of CTC tea and generally trying to drive the prices down. This results in very little return for the farmers. In contrast, farmers that grow small scale but high quality teas are more in control over pricing and enjoy much fairer returns for their labour.
This Tumoi Nandi Hills Black has rather mixed leaves in appearance and size. The dark amber liquor has a slight fruity and malty aroma. The flavours are well-balanced and smooth. The overall fruity profile has notes that are stony, fruity, malty and mineral. The aftertaste is pleasant and not overpowering, with no astringency and only a touch of dryness. The character overall has a very classic black tea taste that would appeal to many tea drinkers. It makes an excellent morning breakfast tea, especially if you would like to take it without milk.
It is best brewed at 90°C for 3-4 minutes and should be brewed around two times depending on your taste. If you do prefer a stronger brew, this tea will stand a longer infusion and higher water temperature well to produce a much strong cup.
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While I have been impressed by Thai Sticky rice oolong by Curious tea, I am not so much impressed about this Kenyan tea. I wonder, if it is because:
a) tea from Kenya isn’t that good
b) it is 2020 (!) harvest, which is almost 3 years
c) combination of both
d) steeping western 3 grams
The visual of the leaf promised a lot. Long, wiry, not single-coloured, tea, with hints of golden pieces as well.
In taste it is a dismal. Flat tasting, very boring; with no impressive nor strong notes. They say it is “fruity, stony and slightly malty with notes of plums” aaand I get nothing from it. It has been like breakfast tea. There weren’t any extra points, considering it is a loose leaf. If I got this in tea bag, I would happily drink it on daily basis, but not as a loose leaf.
Shame indeed, as I was looking forward to try plain Kenyan tea. I will hope I will try fresher batch one day.
