Kandy

257/365

Another from my Varieteas box. There are at least a couple from this brand included, but this one seems the most ordinary. I could do with a dose of ordinary today, not to mention more black tea than I’ve had already, so it was an obvious choice. I don’t think I’ve tried a specific variety of Ceylon before, or at least not one that was branded as such (so not knowingly, is what I really mean). I don’t imagine it’s going to be a whole lot different from the Ceylon blends I’ve tried, but I’m willing to be proved wrong.

The presentation is ordinary enough – a paper bag containing finely shredded leaf. It brews up very quickly to a medium amber-brown (less than 2 minutes, I’d say). I removed the bag at this point, because I’m drinking it without milk. I’d have left it longer if I’d been adding milk, and I have no doubt that it would have continued to get stronger. Probably considerably so.

Fortunately, it makes for a smooth and lightly citrussy cup. I wasn’t expecting excellent things, but it is actually pretty good. I feel like it has more body than the Ceylon I’m used to drinking, which usually appears as a base in flavoured teas (or occasionally straight in those single-serve Twinings teabags you sometimes get in hotels). It’s malty as well as citrussy, and is more engaging somehow than I was expecting. It’s not a tea that’d stop traffic, but I did look back at it after taking my first sip. It was almost as if I could believe this flavour had come from that cup.

There isn’t a lot I want to say about this one, other than that it’s clearly a quality Ceylon. It has a real depth of flavour, and more personality that I thought it might. I’d happily drink this again if the opportunity arose, and if I were looking to keep a bagged Ceylon in stock then it would be a strong contender. I might even choose it over some loose leaf – Adagio’s Ceylon Sonata has nothing on this, for example.

A pleasant surprise, considering it came in a bag.

I got this tea as a present from my brother -as many others. I must say, the first thing that caught my attention was its aroma; Slightly citric. It makes you want to give it a taste right away.
It’s such a fresh kind of tea. Really nice for these Summer days. I would buy this tea instead of my regular lemon scented kind, if I can be honest.

How i got it: Bought It (Basilur’s “Leaf of Ceylon” Assorted Pack)

Experience: Third tea in the “Leaf of Ceylon” pack, and a nice surprise. Very acidic aroma, with some flowery notes and just a hint of the smell of an usual Ceylon. On the taste side, its has a lasting, mild-high intensity flavor, but at the same time is curiously fresh and light. It follows a classic Ceylon style, but i’d say that i could taste some notes similar to a Kenyan tea too. Extra points for a particular, very smooth and gentle citric touch – i’m thinking in something like lemon candy notes – that comes from the inclusion of some Bergamot, which goes very well with the tea (I realized this after seeing the package. Basilur, you cheater, wasn’t this supposed to be a pack of non-scented Ceylon’s? hehe). Very enjoyable tea. Really good.

Would i buy it again?: With good possibilities too, i’m almost inclined to say ‘yes’. This is one of the better bagged teas i’ve tried, and my cupboard is open to try the loose leaf version.