2 Kg Frosty Plum Spice Black Tea

Wow!  Sweet pear and plum notes with a frozen ice wine finish.

Luxury Ingredients: Black tea, Apple pieces, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Amaranth + Safflower petals, Natural flavors (organic compliant).

Small Batch Blended and Packed in: Canada

Tea(s) From: Sri Lanka / Kenya / India / Turkey / Thailand / China

Region(s): Nuwara Eliya + Dimbula + Uva / Nandi Highlands / Nilgiri / Anatolya / Petchabun / Yunnan

Antioxidant Level: High 

Caffeine Content: Medium 

For many of us, when we hear the word "heirloom", we think of  treasured pieces of antique furniture, well-worn gold watches or  hand-me-down diamond rings. For others, tea lovers in particular,  "heirloom" naturally forms part of the term "heirloom recipe", and takes  on a much more gastronomical meaning. So, why are we talking about  heirloom recipes? Good question. The answer is that this blend, Frosty  Plum Spice, was created by our Master Blender in homage to an old family  recipe passed down by his Dutch ancestors. Legend has it that his  grandmother, or Oma, having grown up on an orchard back in the old  country, developed a recipe for spiced plum tarts as a way to use up  fruit leftover from market day in the nearby village.

So how  does the old recipe hold up as a tea? There's only one way to find out,  which is to taste it, which we've done extensively. Our verdict? Lekker!  (That's "delicious" in Dutch.) The blend offers lengthy notes of fruit,  tempered by natural cinnamon and ginger to brew a cup that can be  enjoyed hot on cold winter's days, or chilled over ice on a hot summer's  morning. Either way, brew a pot today and raise a cup to the days and  recipes of yore. Proost!

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.