Ceylon Tea Bank Estate FBOPF Ex. Spl.

The dry leaves smell like you’d expect from a Ceylon black – smooth, with molasses as the primary scent. There is a hint of (real) black licorice, like the Panda kind. The actual brewed tea is pretty much in line with the leaf smell, and there is a very slight bready flavor in there as well. One the whole, the flavor is somewhat weak, so I’ll try steeping this for longer than 3 minutes next time and see how it works. Still, a pretty good tea.

This tea is full of wiry twisty tips. This was my first experience with a Ceylon tea and I enjoyed the vanilla and spicy notes, but in all I found the flavor a little less robust than what I was expecting. A very tasty cup, with an interesting mouth feel that lingered in the middle of the tongue. I tried adding slightly more tea and brewing the same and I noticed I got a more robust cup that I enjoyed. The smell of the leaves is quite high in vanilla and spice

I wrapped up Week 1 of Sample Frenzy with Tea Bank Estate FBOPF Ex. Spl. This cups a very nice Ceylon black: some carmel-like sweetness, a hint of something spicy, and that uniquely-Ceylonese long taste on the finish. I steeped this for four minutes, 15 seconds; if I try some more of this tea, I think I’ll give it the full five minute steep to see if the carmel and/or spice becomes more noticeable. All in all, I’d recommend this tea to anyone who likes black teas.

A really good, classic cup of Sri Lankan black tea. This tea has a light, crisp taste, a bracing quality, and the dry sweetness of wine. I drank it without milk, lemon or any other additive and it was great.

I have never had a cup of “Ceylon” tea that is not astringent. Thankfully, this one has less astringency than most.

Full 5 minute steep in boiling water. The dark liquor is rich in notes of vanilla and caramel. Flavor improves upon cooling. Like mine with little raw sugar or honey.