Cup Characteristics: |
Classic Ceylon flavour profile,
slightly pungent with
almost sweet honey-like
notes. |
Infusion: |
Tending
bright with golden
yellow highlights |
Information: |
The Uva district of Sri Lanka peaks in quality
during the Southwest
monsoons during July to
September. As the
monsoon winds blow
across the Indian Ocean
they pick-up moisture
during the 3000 mile
journey to Sri Lanka. As
the warm moist air rises
into the cool mountain
air condensation occurs
and there is heavy
rainfall on the western
side of the island. The
Eastern side gets very
little rain but lots of
sunshine. Uva is on the
east side of the island
and consequently being
in the rain shadow the
quality improves
dramatically.
Aislaby is in the
Malwatte Valley also
known as the heart of
the Uva tea district.
The pungency that this
tea exhibits is
particular to this
district. Aislaby is
classed as a high grown
estate in that its
bushes grow in a band
between 4000 - 4500 feet
above sea level. Aislaby
is a medium sized estate
for this region,
covering 326 hectares
(about 825 acres - there
are 640 square acres in
a square mile). The
yield of the estate is
about 1600 kilos per
annum per hectare or
about 1.1 million pounds
per year, (this is
enough tea to fill
175,000,000 tea bags!).
Because Aislaby produces
such high quality tea
only about 50% is used
for tea bags - the rest
is bought by discerning
tea people around the
world. Aislaby was
established as a tea
factory and tea estate
in the 1880’s a few
short years after the
tea industry began in
Sri Lanka. The current
estate manager Mr. Y.
Wadugodapitiya is
justifiably proud of his
wonderful tea.
Teas that come from high
grown estates provide
superior flavor and the
best quality because:
cooler temperatures,
generally better soil
conditions, more
sunshine, generally
slightly less rainfall -
These conditions cause
the bush to grow more
slowly and the goodness
and flavor is
concentrated in the new
shoots.
|
Brewing Instructions: |
Hot Tea Brewing Method:
Bring freshly drawn cold
water to a rolling boil.
Place 1 teaspoon of
Aislaby for each cup
into the teapot. Pour
the boiling water into
the teapot. Cover and
let steep for 3-7
minutes according to
taste (the longer the
steeping time the
stronger the tea). Even
though milk and a dash
of sugar help capture
the floral character of
this tea, it is
perfectly acceptable to
consume this tea
‘straight-up’
Iced Tea Brewing Method:
(to make 1
liter/quart): Place
5 teaspoons of
Aislaby into a
teapot or heat
resistant pitcher.
Pour 1 1/4 cups of
freshly boiled water
over the tea. Steep
for 5 minutes.
Quarter fill a
serving pitcher with
cold water. Pour the
tea into your
serving pitcher
straining the
leaves. Add ice and
top-up the pitcher
with cold water.
Garnish and sweeten
to taste. [A rule of
thumb when preparing
fresh brewed iced
tea is to double the
strength of hot tea
since it will be
poured over ice and
diluted with cold
water]. Please note
that this tea may
tend to go cloudy or
‘milky’ when poured
over ice; a
perfectly normal
characteristic of
some high quality
black teas and
nothing to worry
about!
|