Country of Origin: Sri Lanka
Region: Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula or Uva districts
Shipping Port: Colombo
Grade: OP Orange Pekoe
Altitude: 4800 - 7600 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: Orthodox
Cup Characteristics: Sweet and creamy best describe the taste. 'I want it and I want it NOW!' best describe the after effects of the tea's intoxicating finish
Infusion: Bright and Coppery
Ingredients: Luxury black tea, Calendula + sunflower petals, White chocolate pieces: (Sugar, Cocoa butter., Whole milk powder, Skim milk powder, Butter oil, Soya lecithin, Vanilla Extract) , Natural flavors

Information:
The first noted occurrence of chocolate addiction is rumored to have taken place during the ancient Mayan civilization of South America sometime around 400AD. The Mayans were the first to process the wonderful confection and called it xocoatl, from which the English term chocolate is derived. Ah yes, chocolate. The word itself is enough to make some people forget whatever they're doing, be it their taxes, feeding their kids, leading a meeting, etc., and hunt down the nearest piece, slice, or spoonful. Sandwich the word between white, and mousse, and well, watch out. The invention of chocolate mousse. the wonderfully rich and creamy dessert, is generally credited to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, famous French painter, noted chocoholic, and reputed lover of fresh cream. Henri, in need of a fix after a marathon painting session in his studio, went into the kitchen and being a creative sort of guy, decided to try something new. He grabbed some chocolate, sugar, a heap of fresh cream, and set to work. A little while later and voila, chocolate mousse was born. A few months later, Toulouse-Lautrec's friend Aristide Bruant, also a noted chocolate addict, (his likeness can be seen in Lautrec's famous painting Ambassadeurs,) came up with the idea of a white chocolate mousse. Toulouse obliged and voila encore, white chocolate mousse was created. To honor these two great chocoholics, and the Mayans who preceded them, we've created this amazing tea. Sweet, creamy, chocolaty, arousing, velvety smooth finish - words alone cannot describe this one. Brew some for yourself and you'll see what we mean. Incidentally, a little milk and sugar will really help open this one up. Bon chance!

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.

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!