ENGLISH BREAKFAST DECAF

It has long been rumored that the Queen of England insists on drinking only decaffeinated teas past noon. To purists it might sound outlandish that the reining sovereign of the most famous of all tea drinking nations should do such a thing, but apparently it's true. And it could well be, since drinking decaf allows those who are caffeine sensitive to reap all the health benefits of tea without getting the jitters. Tea, proper tea that is, produced from Camellia Sinensis, is one of Mother Nature's best options in terms of getting cancer-fighting polyphenols and antioxidants into your body. It's also a great source of vitamin C. (By some counts a cup of tea contains the vitamin C of 3 oranges.) The problem for many years was that decaffeinated teas were invariably awful. At the factory level, finished tea underwent a chemical based decaffeination process that stripped the caffeine and with it many of the natural healthy compounds found in the untreated leaf. (It also left an unpleasant aftertaste most unbefitting the breakfast table of her Highness.)

We're pleased to have had a hand in changing this dismal state of affairs by introducing the "Canadian Chemical Free CO₂Process" a few short years ago. This process, developed in partnership with overseas tea manufacturers and Canadian food scientists, removes caffeine without using chemicals of any sort. Instead, finished tea is briefly soaked in exceptionally pure water and gently flushed with CO_2. The CO₂ binds to the caffeine molecules and extracts them from the tea leaving behind all the natural proteins that give tea its flavor. It also leaves many of the polyphenols and antioxidants intact - so it's still good for you. (Long live the Queen!)

Simply put, this is a wonderful tea. The blend is based on FP leaf from Sri Lanka's Dimbula region, harvested high up in the mountains above Colombo. Our supplier is one of the country's premium growers and has been supplying us with tea for decades. For a decaf, the cup is decidedly self-assured with lovely floral notes, medium body, balanced astringency and long finish. (The cup is so good it has actually fooled professional tea tasters into believing it was untreated.) A wonderful all-day breakfast tea that opens wonderfully with milk.