ELDERBERRY

This little round, blackish-purple berries are usually harvested in late August and early September. When most people think of Elderberries, more often than not they think of jams, jellies and pies, even wine. Besides being delicious however, Elderberries have had many other traditional uses. Some early recorded instances of the consumption of the berries date to ancient Greece. Texts from that period record that the berry was thought to be effective in boosting the respiratory and immune systems. More recently, early North American pioneers prized the Elderberry for its perceived ability to ease ailments such as the common cold. We prize the Elderberry for its ability to flavor our Ceylon tea with an intense berry character. Delicious when served piping hot, this tea is also divine over ice. Berrylicious!

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.