Kiwi Melon Tea

Kiwi Melon tea. Sounds absolutely delicious doesn’t it? The name just rolls off the tongue. But would you say the same thing about Muskmelon and Chinese Goosebury tea? Well, you almost had to. You see, before some quick thinking New Zealand marketing specialists developed the name “Kiwi”, the oblong juicy green fruit was known by its original name, Chinese Gooseberry. The change came about in order to get around the high export tariffs that were placed on berries at the time. A similar fate befell the Muskmelon. It is rumored that the name was shortened to “Melon”, by a New York City advertising man in the 1950's who felt that the term Muskmelon was too sexy for the North American market. Whichever name you choose to go with, we think you’ll find that the only descriptor needed for this tea is “delicious”. Well, that and perhaps the words, “refreshing”, “subtle”, "art”, and “delicately pungent.” Brew some yourself and observe how the sweet flavors of kiwi and melon blend seamlessly together in the cup. As well, as you may have already surmised, this is one of our best blends for making iced tea. In fact, it’s so good over ice that we developed a word to describe just how good it is: suprakiwimelicioso! Ok maybe not, but it does make a great iced 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 ‘ 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!