BANANA

Bananas grow on trees right? Sorry! The banana plant is actually a giant herb from the same family as lilies, orchids and palms. The word banana derives from the Arabic word for "finger" - for what could be considered obvious reasons. The first mention of human consumption of the fruit comes from India however. Buddhist texts written as far back as 600 years BC describe people eating them - but it would be a long time until the fruit was cultivated for commercial purposes. The first viable banana plantation was started in China around 200 AD. From then it would not be until 1502 that the fruit was first cultivated in the Caribbean and South America by the Portuguese. We're glad that it was because the sweet pulpy flavor of bananas blends exceptionally well with our high grown Ceylon tea. Brew yourself a cup and imagine yourself in the jungles of Brazil or the mountains of Ecuador. A fantastic fruit tea.

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 the flavors slightly muted, but for many this is a refreshing change and one of the desired attributes of our naturally flavored teas.