Bethany said 2010-02-02 09:56:25 -0500

Your favorite Ceylons

One type of black tea that I feel sorely undereducated on is Ceylons. This makes me sad, because I see from reviews that a lot of them tend to have caramely, sugary, berry tastes, which are all things I love and would love to find in an unflavored tea.

Golden Moon’s Sinharaja and Mighty Leaf’s Ceylon Kenilworth are two that have been on my to try list for awhile. Any other recommendations?

7 Replies

JMKauftheil said 2010-02-02 10:27:42 -0500

I haven’t tried Mighty Leaf’s product, but I’ve found I tend to like what Kenilworth has to offer.
I don’t really know much about Ceylon teas, either… They do have a place in the tea world, though, and I’ve found myself on some occasions craving them.

If it helps expand your knowledge at all, it’s where Sir Thomas Lipton started his tea empire, after Sri Lanka’s coffee crop fell to widespread disease.

Ricky said 2010-02-02 10:30:30 -0500

Sinharaja is the best Ceylon I’ve ever had. The only other one’s I’ve tried are Adagios and Andrews & Dunhams.

IdentiTEA said 2010-02-02 14:13:36 -0500

I really like Adagio’s Ceylon Sonata. However, I believe in some of your tasting notes you have said you don’t like Adagio’s “yucky black tea base”… well they normally use Ceylon as the base for most of their flavored black teas. Thus, you may not like Ceylon Sonata…

Plucker’s Pick Brunswick Ceylon BOP (broken orange pekoe) is another favorite of mine. I made iced tea with this stuff last summer… those were good times.

Bethany said 2010-02-02 14:23:40 -0500

Hah, you’re correct. I regularly lament Adagio’s Ceylon base. I’d be curious to try it on its own, though.

I’ll look into Plucker’s Pick!

takgoti said 2010-02-04 01:48:14 -0500

Sinharaja is really excellent. I’ll credit Carolyn for turning me onto that one, and I recently ordered a tin because I had to have more of it.

I recently got some of Samovar’s Ceylon and I think it’s really very good as well. It’s got great depth, full-bodied, nice black tea flavor, with a kind of ripe raspberry taste to it.

Best of luck on your Ceylon search!

MKstuder said 2010-02-05 02:39:53 -0500

Dilmah. They have four Ceylon teas all grown at different altitudes, all with a different flavor. Lover’s Leap, the one grown at over 5.000 feet, has the characteristics of a high grown Darjeeling but with more tannin. Fruity and luscious. The lowest grown in my favorite, dark as bittersweet chocolate with strong tannins and no bitterness. I love strong tea.

MKstuder said 2010-02-05 02:41:10 -0500

Dilmah also has green Ceylon tea and Earl Grey with a Ceylon base. It has all the bergamot, but with the zing of Ceylon. Really nice.