Crime of Passion Green Tea

Information: What constitutes a crime of passion? Lovers driven wild with lust? Deception? Being pushed by the heart to cross the line? This blend, inspired by a visit to the sultry hot beaches of Rio de Janeiro captures all of this and more. Brazil is a land of lovers. On the Copacabana beach in Rio, time seems to stand still as Brazilians recline in the heat of the equatorial sun. Strolling along one might notice sun worshippers and young couples feeding each other freshly cut pieces of papaya and passion fruit as they wallow in the sand. The sweet profiles of both fruits perfectly compliment the heat, humidity and the goings on at the beach perfectly. We know it might sound cliché but that combination of heat, sand, water and fresh fruit is so enticing; it should be a crime in itself. With this in mind we created this refreshingly sweet tea with a sinfully citrus punch you’ll want to enjoy again and again.

The blend has as its base a Sencha style green tea manufactured in Hunan Province in South Eastern China. Interestingly, green and black teas can be produced from the same plants. Green tea is produced by forgoing the fermentation process required to produce black tea. Instead, the leaves are steamed as soon as they are plucked, and then bruised either by machine or by hand. The leaves are then pan-fried or basket fired - a process that gives the tea its distinctive glossy look and feel. Sencha green teas typically have dark green, needle shaped leaves and produce a pale green to yellow, very bright, smooth cup with a sweetish, honey like finish. The natural sweetness of this green tea makes it perfectly suited for blending with our dried Papaya pieces and natural passion fruit flavorings. You’ll notice that we’ve also added sunflower petals to the to enhance the visual qualities of the tea – when you’re selling loose tea, looks are important too! Brew a pot today and be transported to the sultry Copacabana. Incidentally, this is one tea that can’t be beat over ice!

Hot tea brewing method: When preparing by the cup, this tea can be used repeatedly - about 3 times. The secret is to use water that is about 180’F or 80’C. Place 1 teaspoon in your cup, let the tea steep for about 3 minutes and then begin enjoying a cup of enchantment - do not remove the leaves from the cup. Once the water level is low - add more water, and so on and so on - until the flavor of the tea is exhausted. Look at the pattern of the leaves, they foretell your fortune .

Alternatively as with all top quality teas, scoop 2-4 teaspoons of tea into the teapot, pour in boiling water that has been freshly drawn (previously boiled water has lost most of its oxygen and therefore tends to be flat tasting), steep for 2-4 minutes (to taste), stir (virtually all the leaves will sink), pour into your cup but do not add milk or sugar since green tea is enjoyed ‘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.]