100g Passion Fruit Flavoured Black Tea
A mellow tropical fruit character that has sweet overtones. Ancient Polynesians held passion fruit in high regard for their rituals.
Luxury Ingredients: Black tea, Papaya pieces, Jasmine + Sunflower + Safflower petals, Natural flavors(organic compliant).
Small Batch Blended and Packed in: Canada
Tea(s) From: Sri Lanka / Kenya / India / Thailand / China / Poland
Region(s): Nuwara Eliya + Dimbula + Uva / Nandi Highlands / Nilgiri / Petchabun / Fujian + Yunnan / Gdansk
Antioxidant Level: High
Caffeine Content: Medium
While you might be inclined to believe that Passion Fruit (Latin: Passiflora edulis) gets its name from its passion inducing flavor, you would be very wrong. Rather than being named by an amorous botanist, the fruit was given its name by Jesuit priests in Brazil sometime in the 1700's. The Jesuits who found the fruit growing in abundance there felt that the crown shaped flowers of the fruit, reminded them of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus before he was crucified, an event known as the Passion of Christ. During colonial times, as Jesuits traveled throughout South and North America, they brought the fruit with them and planted the seeds in the gardens of their missions. In fact the Jesuits were probably the first people to cultivate them in California where Passion Fruits are now widely grown commercially. The flavor of Passion Fruit is unique. Is has a musky guava-like character with a slightly acidic profile ranging from sweet to tart depending on the time picked. This profile makes it a perfect match with the astringency of our Ceylon tea. Fantastic hot or cold, this is one tea you'll want to savor again and again.
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.
