Details:

When Queen Elizabeth II received the news (whilst visiting Kenya and staying at Treetops Lodge) that her father King George IV had passed away, preparations immediately got underway for her coronation as the head of state for The British Empire. In the matters of protocol it was important that all details be considered - including the type of tea served. This blend represents the major tea growing regions within the British Empire of the day.
1. From Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon): We have used teas from the Nuwara Eliya and Dimbula districts. Both districts are high elevation (above 5000 feet above sea level). These teas are marked with light bright liquors with delicate astringent flavor. The western part of Nuwara Eliyas peaks in quality during February as does Dimbula.
2. From India two district teas are used (Assam and Darjeeling). [India was not part of the British Empire in 1952, gaining it’s independence in 1948, but Indian teas formed the basis of virtually all English tea blends, so we would have been remiss not to include these in the blend.]. Top quality Assam tea is keynoted by gutsy and thick liquoring tending malty teas whereas Darjeeling tea is characterized by light liquor with a muscatel like character in the cup. Both districts peak in quality during June, (the 2nd flush season).
3. From Kenya (signifying Britain’s interests in East Africa) we have included tea from Tinderet a high grown estate in the Kericho district. Tinderet is characterized by golden coppery liquor and very flavory with a hint of maltiness.
4. From Egypt - signifying the importance of the Suez Canal to the world and Britain’s commitment to this area - we have used Nile Delta camomile. This adds an interesting appearance plus a honey like character that is unique.

The final result is a delicious full flavored orange pekoe style tea with hints of honey and no doubt served with great fanfare and distinction at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Cup Characteristics:

A delightful cup that is full flavored with a hint of muscatel and honey-like camomile.

Incredients:

Luxury black tea, chamomile.

Infusion:

Bright with golden liquor.

Grade:

FBOP (Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe)

Manufacture Type:

Orthodox

Region:

Sri Lanka - Dimbula, India - Assam + Nilgiri + Darjeeling, Kenya - Kericho, Egypt - Nile River Delta

Hot Tea Brewing Method:

Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea 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 enhance the flavor character on this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea ‘straight-up’

Iced Tea Brewing Method: (to make 1 liter/quart)

Place 6 teaspoons of tea 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!

Tea & Health

No matter what your age, tea delivers a multitude of health benefits that range from: being cardio-protective, a good source of fluid and being friendly to your teeth. As educated people we know the importance of eating a balanced diet that contains five portions of fruit and vegetables, plenty of complex carbohydrates and restricted amounts of saturated fat. However, when it comes to what we drink, even health experts can get a little confused. In a recent survey of health professionals, only 23% of GPs thought that tea could be included in the daily fluid allowance, whereas more than a fifth of practice nurses believed tea to contain the same amount of caffeine as coffee.

Not All Tea Is the Same

Roughly 2.5 million tons of dried tea is produced each year, and about 20% of it is "green tea", which is made by steaming the fresh tea leaves lightly, and drying them quickly. The rest of it is called "black tea", and it involves fermentation of the fresh tea leaves. For medicinal purposes, green tea is considered superior to regular black tea, since it has as much as five times more of the polyphenols that are of interest to us as potent anti-oxidants and cancer preventives. The composition of the green tea varies with the geography, climate, seasonal fluctuations and the methods used in growing it. When tea is harvested, they are supposed to take only the leaf bud and the two adjacent young leaves. Older leaves are considered inferior, and they have much less of the medicinal polyphenols. Usually, a good quality green tea has about 10% by weight of polyphenols. Our teas are of the best quality which promotes the high concentration of polyphenols.