MAPLE  (Black Tea with natural flavors)

Information: The north eastern part on North America was once tree covered with a forest type known as the Carolinian Forest. This was a mix of various hardwoods and softwoods. Dominating the forest was a the mighty sugar maple. In the early spring as the frost is coming out of the ground the sap begins to ‘run’. This means the sap starts flowing to the upper reaches of the tree. The maple sap runs about 1 inch below the surface of the tree bark and provides the nutrients for the foliage and new growth of the tree. Native people discovered that this sap is quite sweet and if one boiled off the water you were left with this fantastic tasting and very sweet syrup. The natives even showed the early settlers how to make maple syrup which was a great dietary assistance in the early days. Today Canada and New England are world renown for this ‘wonder from the woods’.

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’ allows 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.

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!