Kenilworth Tea by SBS Teas

Angrboda 3 tasting notes

GOSH! The extravagancy of not only being on Steepster at dead-early in the morning before leaving for work, but actually posting something. How decadent.

I’ll just make it quick because my first encounter with this one, which is one of the ones out of the enormous box of tea I received this weekend, because it struck me as kind of odd.

It has an extremely fruity sort of flavour. Extremely so. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was flavoured with black currant or similar. It’s there in both the aroma and the flavour, but I have to assume that the labels on the bag in which it was sent to me are correct.

Very very strange! Somehow stranger than if it had been a cocoa note, which we’re used to seeing around here and there. I seem to recall someone else, I think it was Teaplz, having encountered this phenomenon before, and now I’m wondering if perhaps it was the same estate.

This is very fruity indeed, and perhaps I’ve actually happened across a Ceylon tea here that shows me a little more personality than other Ceylons. Usually with Ceylons the highest degree of interest I can muster is wondering why the tea world stubbornly sticks to calling them Ceylon teas instead of Sri Lanka teas…

I feel a bit like exploring this category again, although right now, with a cupboard that looks like it does, is SO not the time for it.

2011-04-11 00:06:09 -0400

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And it’s goodbye to the Kenilworth.

I went into this one with rather low expectations, having not had all that much luck with Ceylons in general before. And then I encountered this. It is shocking and unnatural how much I actually liked this. I’m of a mind to re-explore the Ceylon teas now, so I may get me some samples from Nothing But Tea whom I happen to know have a large selection. Their shop is summer closed at the moment though, I think, so it will have to wait. Which is probably just as well, all things considered.

The second reason for having Ceylon this morning harks back to the Passion fruit black I had yesterday. Remember I had a synesthesiastic colour association with the base tea in that one? Reddish brown like polished cherry wood, and it sort of said ‘Ceylon’ to me. We are now checking if that same colour applies itself to a cup of confirmed Ceylon.

Wait, why does this cup smell like those fancy little perfumed soaps? Sort of flowery and sweet-ish, but not sweet in a way that you would necessarily want to eat… It has never done that before.

Right flavour. Colours. What say we?

It’s a bit strong, because it’s got some extra leaf. There was more than one pot in it, but less than two. But yeah, I’m getting some hints of that colour association. I’m not sure it’s really it, but it’s fairly close. It’s definitely reddish brown, but I’m not sure if it’s not more red than brown.

Yeah, I think the base in that passion fruit business yesterday could very possibly involve Ceylon, but I’m not sure if it’s only Ceylon. Or it could still be something else entirely, but my immediate semi-qualified guess is Ceylon.

2011-08-19 04:00:49 -0400

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Are we SURE this really is actually what it says on the bag? Really?

I mean, okay, it’s the second steep of the leaves.

But I forgot them, so it’s had a good half hour. It’s gone a bit lukewarm bit it’s not even remotely bitter. It’s not even astringent for crying out loud!

I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you! How can this happen with a Ceylon?!

It defies logic. I’m pretty sure it defies a number of the laws of nature. It ought to be completely and utterly undrinkable at this point. What’s going on???

2011-04-23 12:11:51 -0400

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