UVA Highlands

Tried this today from a coworker’s new stash. First off – tiny, tiny, tiny leaves! It reminds me of a Pakistani tea someone brought me – almost looks like instant coffee. Harney site suggests brewing 5 minutes. Coworker said it about knocked his socks off at 5 minutes so I went with 1 1/2. A nice, simple tea for daily use is what I’d say this is. Nothing fancy, just good ol’ tea flavor. Good hot, good cold. I got no hints of mint at all though.

Haven’t had this one in a long time. I asked my random tea generator (my twelve year old daughter) what I should drink today and she said, “Uva Highlands!” So here we are.

This is a rotovaned tea, so I figured it could only withstand a short steeping. I pulled the leaves out at three minutes and I think that was just right for me. It is described by Harney and Sons as a bright, brisk tea, and I would have to say that is accurate. This is a pick me up tea, not like a bold and well-muscled breakfast tea, but it is NOT a sit-and-sip-and-meditate soothing cup…to me. It is an eye-opener. My tongue is tingling. I thought I wasn’t getting the wintergreen aspect, but it really came on as a long-lasting aftertaste. A fun cup for this morning, but not a favorite. I like teas that wrestle me out of bed and into my day, or that pat me on the hand and say, “There, there” when I need it.

UVA Highlands is a brisk Ceylon tea with hints of Wintergreen and background notes of Ceylon tea flavors

The Brown Santa Express (United Parcel Service) brought me a Christmas present early!
I like the packaging that Harney & Sons uses…a metal tin(4oz in this case) with a sealed mylar bag inside. I pour the tea from the bag into the tin for easy of use. The smell of the dry tea was fresh and earthy, without any musty or moldy hints. Very nice! It brewed up a nice, clear tan to brown, without the red tones I’m used to seeing in other Ceylon teas. The taste is mild, with no bitterness and a very slight tannin aftertaste. The “fresh” smell carried over into the tea and gives it a bit of flavor that reminds me of some high quality green teas. Overall, VERY good, this one is a keeper!

I used 2 1/2 teaspoons of tea in my 4 cup pot with water just off the boil. I steep by color, not time, so about 3 minutes is a guess. the tea is pretty finely broken, so a little goes a long way and the 2 1/2 teaspoons expanded a great deal to fill about 2/3rds of the large strainer that fits the teapot.

Whoa – steeped this for five minutes, resulting in a VERY astringent brew. Milk and sugar were no help. I’m going to try again at three minutes and see how it turns out. Results to follow.