Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Tea Description:
Fancy extra large wiry leaf. Smooth taste. Exceptional.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The above description for this Vithanakanda Estate OP1 Black Tea from Empire Tea Services is short and simple … but it is also spot-on! This cup is indeed smooth tasting and truly exceptional! One of the best examples of high-quality Ceylon teas I’ve tasted.
From the very first sip, I’ve been WOWing on this tea! That is to say, from that very first sip, the first word I uttered is wow! It is smooth from start to finish … absolutely no bitterness. Just smooth, rich taste that starts off sweet with notes of honeyed caramel, and a few moments later, I notice a rich malty tone.
Moments later, a fruity note comes in to play with hints of flower in the distance. The finish is sweet with a citrus taste that is faintly tangy … and it is here that I notice a slight – ever so slight! – astringency. I find that the astringency becomes apparent only when I’m really focusing and trying to find it … so for those of you who tend to avoid teas with an astringent finish, I think this one will be to your liking.
Having recently reviewed another Ceylon from this estate, I have to say that the Vithanakanda estate is turning out to be one of my favorites for Ceylon tea. The teas produced on this estate are of the utmost quality: rich, smooth and delicious and beyond what I’ve come to expect from a typical Ceylon. This is the good stuff!
This tea is very pleasing. A medium to full tasting tea, not what I’d call particularly invigorating the way you’d expect an Assam to be, for example, but, it does have a strong, brisk taste that would make a good pick-me-up when you need something that will recharge you. Enough flavor to hold up well if you like to add milk and honey to your tea … but enjoyable enough to drink straight-up too!
Tropical Delight (Iced Tea) from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Tea Description:
Mango, Passion Fruit and Kiwi flavors with Ceylon tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I brewed this earlier this morning and let it chill in the fridge until this afternoon, because I knew I’d be out and about running errands, and I wanted to be able to enjoy this tea as it was intended – as an iced tea.
I did manage to take a quick sip or two as a hot tea, though, and enjoyed it that way as well. But, I do think that this is much better as an iced tea. The flavor was a bit strong as a hot tea, but because flavors tend to soften as they cool, those big, bold flavors had become just right when it chilled.
This is really tasty. The flavor of the Ceylon tea is prominent, and what I like here is that this is not some wimpy, lackluster Ceylon – this is a robustly flavored, brisk Ceylon that is tasty enough to stand on its own. As a chilled tea, it has a pleasant level of astringency, and has a very thirst-quenching, refreshing quality to it.
The flavors start out a little bit subtle. After the first sip or two, while I can smell the fragrance of the fruit … the flavors are slow to emerge. The first note that I taste is the mango and then after another sip, I begin to notice the passion fruit. The kiwi is the last to come forward, and at first I wished I could taste the kiwi flavor a bit more, but, by the time I reached the end of the glass, the kiwi had reached a very satisfying level.
I like how the flavors develop. They start out soft, and now as I am nearly finished, I can taste the sweet tropical flavors in the aftertaste … making me want more!
Nice and refreshing – a great treat as these hot summer days begin to wane into the cooler autumn months ahead; I like that it’s still warm enough to fully enjoy a delicious glass of iced tea, and this tea makes a great iced tea, indeed!
Season’s Greetings Tea (AKA Caramel Tea) from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Teas
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Tea Description:
Sencha green tea, Ceylon black tea, Almond slivers, and Caramel flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I debated with myself about whether or not I should publish this review now, or if I should wait until it was closer to the holiday season, but decided that since this tea is indeed available year round (and certainly quite enjoyable any time you choose to brew it!) I would publish the review now.
I was also a little confused by the tea, because the sample I had received was called “Caramel” and I couldn’t find it on the website! Fortunately, though, the staff at Empire Tea Services is very friendly, and they got back to me to let me know more about this tea, including that it is also called Season’s Greetings!
Well, whether you call it Caramel or Season’s Greetings … and no matter what time of year you steep it … one thing that remains consistent with this tea is that it is AWESOMELY GOOD!
The base of this tea is a blend of black Ceylon and green Sencha teas. I infused it using a lower temperature water (175°F) to ensure that the green tea would not be scorched, and this made for a perfect cup. The flavor of the black tea was not quite as rich as it would be if it were brewed with boiling water, but, this allowed for the buttery nuances of the Sencha tea to come through.
And it was those sweet, buttery tones that really made this tea shine. The sweet, creamy notes of the caramel married beautifully with the flavors of the green tea, while the black tea flavors seemed to meld naturally with the sweet almond notes. Together it created a fusion of amazing flavors.
Normally, when I think of a “Christmas Tea” … this isn’t the combination of flavors I envision. But, I love this different interpretation of the holiday season … it makes for a perfect cup of tea any time of year.
Fruit De Bois from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Product Description:
Flavored high elevation Ceylon black tea. Fruits from the wood. A scintillating flavor with a lingering taste. Excellent!
Taster’s Review:
This is a very interesting blend. I don’t think I’ve tried one quite like this.
The black tea base is a medium-strength Ceylon, brisk but not overwhelmingly bold. There is a fair amount of astringency, but no bitterness to the tea itself.
I do notice a faint bitter tone that doesn’t taste like “tea bitterness” though, and I attribute this bitterness to the fruit. The fruit is both sweet and tart, and just before mid-sip, I notice the faintest bitter tone. The finish is sweet and the aftertaste has a berry tartness to it.
What is most interesting to me about this blend, is that other than the berry tartness in the aftertaste, it is difficult to discern which fruits I’m actually tasting. The best way I can describe it as a homogenous kind of fruit taste, like a fruit smoothie made with a bunch of different fruits and blended in such a way that it becomes like a hybrid fruit of sorts. Even though it’s difficult to determine just what I’m tasting… I’m finding it tasty.
I like this best iced!
Lavender Ceylon from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Product Description:
An unsurpassed floral tribute to Ceylon tea. Blended with Lavender flowers.
Taster’s Review:
This has to be one of the most remarkable Lavender teas I’ve ever encountered – certainly the best Lavender black tea I’ve yet to taste.
From the moment that I opened the pouch, I was amazed at just how fragrant the tea is. It smells like pure lavender. So beautiful! It doesn’t smell like lavender oil. It doesn’t smell like artificial lavender essence. It smells like the fresh flower, as if I were standing in a field of lavender in bloom. As the tea brews, my whole kitchen is filled with the scent of lavender! If you want a fresh-smelling kitchen – this stuff works better than potpourri or candles!
The flavor is superb! If you like the flavor of lavender – this tea should be put on your “must try” list immediately! The lavender flavor is intense and so true – but at the same time, it doesn’t taste like I’ve just taken a swig from a bottle of lavender body wash. It doesn’t taste perfume-y or soapy. It tastes sweet and floral.
The black tea is not lost here either. It does stand back to allow the lavender flavors to express themselves fully, while not standing so far away that it can’t be noticed. This is one of the very best floral flavored black teas I’ve ever encountered. It allows for a perfect representation of the flower while still keeping the flavors of the black tea in focus.
This is great hot or cold – perfect for a garden tea party!