Estate Tea

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Estate Teas

Estate Teas are single varietal, not unlike a single malt scotch. These teas are Premium Estate Teas from some of the world's best tea growing regions bought at peak harvesting moments.

classic Loose Leaf Teas from the World's Best Tea Estates

Lover's Leap Sri Lanka (Ceylon) ~ Gingia Assam India ~ Illam Nepal ~ Kambaa Kenya East Rift Valley ~ ~ Nonsuch Nilgiri South India STASH ORGANIC CEYLON TEA

Darjeeling India Soom (1st flush) ~ MARGARET’S HOPE DARJEELING ~ PANFIRED&STEAMED DARJEELING

SEE MORE FINE INDIA TEAS at STASH "TEAS OF INDIA"

Lover's Leap Estate Black Tea

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz., 4oz. or 8oz. Foil Bags

A delightful Orange Pekoe Tea from Sri Lanka!

2oz. for $2.99 ~ 4oz. for $4.79 ~ 8oz. for $7.69

Cup Characteristics: Medium body, flavoury cup with piquant Ceylon character. Best in the morning or after dinner.

Origin:CEYLON (Sri Lanka) Nuwara Eliya /(Estate Black Tea) OP (Orange Pekoe)

Information: Lover’s Leap (a western tea estate) is one of the best tea gardens in Sri Lanka. During its peak season (Feb/Mar) this estate’s production is characterized by a delightful flavour that is astringent and lively. The best weather for producing quality tea is highlighted by cool nights, dry weather and bright sunny days. These conditions force the tea bush to expend all its energies into the new growth leaves giving the tea its best flavour. During Feb. and Mar. the cool moisture laden northeast monsoon winds after traveling across the Bay of Bengal ‘hit’ the island. The winds rise as they cross the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. As the air rises it cools and the moisture condenses giving rise to very wet conditions on the east side of the central divide but dry and cool rain shadow conditions on the western side. Not surprisingly, the western tea estates peak in quality. The top elevations of Lovers Leap very often are in the clouds. Regularly when you are at the peak you look down onto the clouds with brilliant sunshine and blue sky above. Lover Leap received it name because situated on the estate is a cliff where lovers would throw themselves over if they were jilted or they were not allowed to marry one another.
Not far from Lovers Leap is a lovely hotel/inn called ‘The Hill Club’. The ambiance is circa 1910. Deep leather lounge chairs comfortably display 80 years of wear, windows are open and ramshackled shutters slap in the breeze and you are addressed as ‘The Master’ and ‘The Madam’. Before dinner you must don a dinner jacket and tie, polished black shoes (shorts with knee socks are ok), repose in the bar for a predinner drink and discussion. After the second drink the maitre’d announces that dinner is served. Ladies enter the dining room first and are escorted to their reserved table; once the ladies are seated the men are invited to enter and take their seats. The waiters wear white gloves and deftly handle the serving utensils as they serve each table. Wine is served and after sorbet a port is offered, followed by retirement to the bar for one last drink and cigar. The more adventurous will wander across the 17th fairway to the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club bar (careful of the snakes!) noisily closing the bar at 2:00 am.

This tea is a true Orange Pekoe grade. Interestingly, the term Orange Pekoe has little to do with quality as it is a size grading term. Orange Pekoe in true tea jargon stands for whole leaf. When you pour boiling water on this tea you will see how the leaf uncurls and expands quite dramatically, a process called “the agony of the leaf”..

Infusion: Bright coppery colour.

Stash Organic Ceylon Leaf Tea

Loose Leaf Black Tea in 3.5oz. Pouch

Rich in flavor and color, this tea is from the Venture organic tea garden in the Dimbulla region of Sri Lanka, renowned for its organic black teas.

3.5oz. for $5.95

Twinings Ceylon Breakfast Tea

3.53oz Gift Tin

A full flavoured blend of high grown Ceylon Tea.

3.53oz Gift Tin ~ $4.95

Soom (1st flush) Estate Black Tea

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz., 4oz. or 8oz. Foil Bags

One of the finest Indian Darjeeling teas!

2oz. for $5.75 ~ 4oz. for $7.89 ~ 8oz. for $14.19

Cup Characteristics: Delicate muscatel character with excellent roundness. A superb top quality 1st Flush Darjeeling.

Origin: India Darjeeling

(Estate Black Tea) TGFOP1 (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe One)

Information: 1st Flush occurs in Darjeeling from March through to mid April, During this period the tea bushes have once again begun ‘flushing’ (read growing) after the winter dormancy period. Vigorous flushing occurs because the day time temperature has risen 5 to 7 degrees Celsius (from 10/12 C to 20 Celsius); the hours of daylight have increased (the vernal equinox has passed); and despite the fact that the weather is dry there is excellent moisture retention in the soil from the winter rains. All these factors in the rarefied mountain air help produce this stunning tea. The plucking fields of Soom are about 5200 feet above sea level and the terrain is very severe with some of the slopes approaching 45 degrees. The slopes are so steep that the estate still carries the green leaf to the factory by mountain pony. Many of the bushes are over 130 years old but produce remarkable tea; in fact it is not uncommon for some 1st Flush teas to be rushed to Germany in a race similar to the Beaujolais Run. The are several theories about the origin of the name of the estate. ‘Soom’ in Lepcha Language (local dialect) means ‘Three’ or ‘Triangular’ Interestingly the estate is bounded by three streams and is somewhat triangular in shape. Another school of thought is Soom also means ‘holy abode’ and as Soom has a holy deity who is worshipped, it is possible the name originated from here. The factory burned to the ground in 1995 and was out of production for 1 1/2 years. The new factory has all modern equipment, which now produce some of Darjeeling’s best teas. Top tea estates perform a social function and Soom is exemplary in this regard. The estate not only employs 700 people, but provides housing, food and medical needs for the families resulting in about 2000 people living on the estate in full view of the Himalayan Mountains.

There are 3 main times of year for producing good quality Darjeelings:

1st flush - Springtime harvested teas from late Feb. to mid April. The young leaves yield a light tea with generally intense muscatel with ‘point’. A gentle afternoon tea.

2nd flush - Harvested in June, these teas are more fully developed. The liquor is bright and the taste full and round excellent muscatel. An superb afternoon tea that is especially good with scones and raspberry conserve.

Autumnal - Not always available depending upon the weather, they are typified by a round taste and coppery liquor. Excellent as a breakfast tea with milk..

Infusion: Bright tending slightly greenish.

Kambaa Estate Black Tea

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz., 4oz. or 8oz. Foil Bags

From Kenya comes this golden tea!

2oz. for $2.99 ~ 4oz. for $4.79 ~ 8oz. for $7.69

Cup Characteristics: A rich full bodied tea with superb flavour. The cup has thickness and lively character. Excellent self drinker.

Origin: Kenya Kiambu - East of the Rift Valley (Estate Black Tea) BP1 (Broken Pekoe 1)

Information: Kambaa is one of the premiere factories under umbrella of the KTDA (Kenya Tea Development Authority -a state run corporation). Each factory in the KTDA relies on the ‘small holder’ (small individual family farming unit) to provide the green leaf for the making of black tea. Within the KTDA there are 150,000 small holders supplying green leaf to 39 factories scattered throughout the tea growing districts of Kenya. Despite such a diverse supply of green leaf to the various factories there is very rigid quality control mechanisms in place which ensure that farmers tender top quality produce.

Kambaa is consistently within the top 4 quality tea estates of the KTDA and indeed Kenya. Tea is a very important product for Kenya. The industry provides employment for several hundred thousand people from the small holders through to the steamship companies that transport the tea around the globe. Tea is a relative newcomer to the Kenyan agricultural scene. Tea was started by British planters after the Second World War. Many of these planters were feeling unwanted in India (India achieved independence in 1947) and migrated to Kenya. Despite a ban on the transfer of plants and information, these planters smuggled Indian tea plants into Kenya. The plants thrived in the Kenyan climate and today Kenya is the world’s second largest exporter of tea.

Infusion: Bright coppery colour.

Gingia Estate Black Tea

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz., 4oz. or 8oz. Foil Bags

A nutty tea with excellent character!

2oz. for $2.99 ~ 4oz. for $4.79 ~ 8oz. for $7.69

Cup Characteristics: Round cup with good tea flavour. Hints of cinnamon, passion fruit and mango result in a deliciously mild spice and fruit tea.

Origin: India Bishnauth, State of Assam (Estate Black Tea) STGFOP (Special Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe), Keemun like leaf

Information: Second Flush Assams typifies the best qualities that this particular type of Indian tea has to offer. The full bodied maltiness and rich pungency of an Assam is even more pronounced in this season. Although the Assam region does not benefit from the high elevations, this area has remarkable soil alluvial conditions and ideal temperatures for tea. Teas from the Assam tend to be higher in natural tannins and therefore are more astringent and have a ‘thick’ nose. These attributes are highly desirable characters and this particular selection from the Gingia Estate is very rich example - to the point of distinction.
The British became interested in tea cultivation in the Assam region of India in the 1830’s when it appeared that treaties with China which included tea were not going to be extended. The East India Company made representations to the British Governor of India to be allowed to research the possibility of tea cultivation in India. These discovered a hardy camellia that was indigenous to Assam. This particular genus of the camellia eventually became know as the ‘Assam jat’ and today forms the backbone of Assam tea plantations. The ‘Assam jat’ as compared to the ‘Chinese jat’ has more body and richness, whereas the ‘Chinese jat’ tends to be light and flavory.

Selections like this Gingia make the tea tasters work a pleasure. The taster ‘lives’ to find a “cracker” (a.k.a. superior quality tea). This tea was one of the best we have seen from the Assam. It is a self-drinker and has enough flavour and character to hold its own, even with milk and sugar.

Infusion: Some brightness but tending towards a darker infusion.

Nonsuch Estate Black Tea

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz., 4oz. or 8oz. Foil Bags

A delicate tea with a hint of fruitiness!

2oz. for $2.99 ~ 4oz. for $4.79 ~ 8oz. for $7.69

Cup Characteristics: A very flavourful tending light liquoring tea. Has an interesting almost fruity almost floral- like maltiness that is unique to teas from the Nilgiri area of India.

Origin: India Nilgiri - South India

Information: Nonsuch is one of the best Nilgiri district teas in league with Tiger Hill and Pascoe’s Woodlands. The Nilgiri area is in Southern Central India and certainly well suited to the production of tea. The cooler temperatures of the mountains and abundant rainfall ensure superb cropping conditions. Generally Nilgiri teas resemble better Ceylon teas but tend to be somewhat more delicate in their flavour. Nonsuch has a hint of fruitiness that is quite distinct to the Nilgiri area.
In the world tea trade South Indian tea is highly valued. The estates are quite small and each estate’s taste profile is quite different from one another. During earlier times the USSR was very active in the weekly tea auction in Cochin bidding up prices to high levels. Due to the high prices achieved at auction the South Indian tea estates maintained good husbandry and production practices that allow them to receive a return that is generally higher than most other tea growing areas.

Nilgiri is a mountainous region of Tamil Nadu State in southeastern India. The peaks of the Nilgiris rise abruptly from the surrounding plains to an elevation of 5000 - 8500 feet above sea level. Tea was first planted on an experimental basis in 1835 and the first commercial tea garden was at Thiashola Tea Garden which began operations in 1859. The tea at Thiashola was cultivated by Chinese prisoners of war, captured by the British during the Opium Wars.

The climate of the Nilgiris allows tea to be produced all year round. The first flushes of the new season are picked from April until May and account for about 25% of the region’s total harvest. The 2nd flush - accounting for about 40-45% of the yearly crop is from Sept. to Nov., and lastly the third flush is from Dec. to Jan. The best teas are produced during January and August..

Infusion: Bright, tending coppery.

Illam Estate Black Tea

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz., 4oz. or 8oz. Foil Bags

From Nepal comes a tea with Muscatel notes!

2oz. for $3.59~ 4oz. for $5.79 ~ 8oz. for $8.79

Cup Characteristics: Light liquoring with muscatel character.

Origin: Nepal Borders Darjeeling (India) (Estate Black Tea) TGFOP1 (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe #1) 2nd Flush

Information: Illam estate has a Darjeeling-like character with good muscatel flavour. Some may ask: ‘What is the muscatel flavour?’ When you taste this tea you will experience an almost perfume like character that some tea drinkers call ‘Chanel -like’: others call the Darjeeling character ‘slightly over -fired’ or oaky. The muscatel flavour is the natural taste of the tea - becoming more pronounced during April (light tasting with astringency and intense flavor) and June (intense flavor with more body). The flavour is on account of the altitude of the tea estate, the soil conditions in the Himalayas the weather patterns, temperature, the originating species of the bush (Chinese genus as opposed to the Indian genus) and fermenting techniques; it has nothing to do with the tea being over-fired (over-fired is a description of poor manufacturing techniques). The leaf appearance is very typical of a well produced high mountain grown Nepalese tea. It appears mottled with brownish and greenish leaf - almost camouflage-like. This appearance is caused the myriad of different mother bushes, the older age of the bushes and the subsequent fact that the leaves ferment differently.

The area where Illam is produced is high in the Himalayan mountains. The slopes where the tea is produced are extremely steep which makes it very difficult for the tea pluckers to go about their work. At Illam one is surrounded by the high snow covered peaks of the world’s highest mountains. It is truly a very scenic area. The quality of this tea befits the tremendous efforts undertaken to produce the tea and the beautiful surroundings.

The are 3 main times of year for producing good quality Illam Nepal teas:

1st flush - Springtime harvested teas from late Feb. to mid April. The young leaves yield a light tea with generally intense muscatel with ‘point’. A gentle afternoon tea.

2nd flush - Harvested in June, these teas are more fully developed. The liquor is bright and the taste full and round excellent muscatel. An superb afternoon tea that is especially good with scones and raspberry conserve.

Autumnal - Not always available depending upon the weather, they are typified by a round taste and coppery liquor. Excellent as a breakfast tea with milk..

Infusion: Bright, light tending slightly greenish.

MARGARET’S HOPE Darjeeling (2nd flush)

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz., 4oz. or 8oz. Foil Bags

High Altitude Indian Darjeeling Tea!

2oz. for $3.79 ~ 4oz. for $6.79 ~ 8oz. for $9.79

Cup Characteristics: A delicate tending astringent cup with the distinctive ‘Muscatel’ character. Hints of currant create an almost wine-like taste.

Origin:India Darjeeling (Estate Black Tea) TGFOP TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flavoury Orange Pekoe)

Information: During the 1930’s the garden was owned by Mr. Bagdon who lived in London but visited the tea garden regularly. He had two daughters. The younger daughter named Margaret; who when she saw the tea garden fell in love with it, hoping one day she would have an opportunity to return. Sadly she fell ill on board ship during the return trip to England and died soon after. In her memory, her father changed the garden’s name to Margaret’s Hope. It is believed that she visits the estate bungalow from the western side, coming through the main guestroom and leaving from the study through the verandah to the tennis courts.
The bushes at Margaret’s Hope are almost entirely the Chinese Jat (genus) accounting for the green leafed tippy appearance of the manufactured leaf and the superb fragrance. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during ‘second-flush’ (end May - end June). During this time Darjeelings are incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a complex bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe the taste as nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants, but most often it is described as similar to the taste and fragrance of muscat grapes.

The are 3 main times of year for producing good quality Darjeelings:

1st flush - Springtime harvested teas from late Feb. to mid April. The young leaves yield a light tea with generally intense muscatel with ‘point’. A gentle afternoon tea.

2nd flush - Harvested in June, these teas are more fully developed. The liquor is bright and the taste full and round excellent muscatel. An superb afternoon tea that is especially good with scones and raspberry conserve.

Autumnal - Not always available depending upon the weather, they are typified by a round taste and coppery liquor. Excellent as a breakfast tea..

Infusion: Bright tending light.

PAN FIRED DARJEELING

ESTATE GREEN TEA - NAGRI FARM -

2nd flush (India Green Tea)

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz. or 4oz. Foil Bags

Discover Pan Fired Indian Green Darjeeling Tea!

2oz. for $5.49 ~ 4oz. for $8.39

Cup Characteristics: Tending delicate, light liquoring with notes of muscatel, pungent (full body- typical of 2nd flush ).

Origin: India

Darjeeling PFTGFOP1

(Pan Fired Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe #1)

Information: In the production of green tea the new leaves are hand plucked and immediately taken to the factory where they are slowly withered to reduce their water content. The leaves are not allowed to ferment and immediately go to the rolling process where the shape of the leaf is achieved. Following this they are pan fired which locks in the flavor. You can see that these teas are machined rolled since the leaf appearance is somewhat mixed and the final product has not been hand sorted (which would result in whole leaf and buds appearing). The pan fired tea has more body than the steamed green Darjeeling because during the rolling stage a small amount of fermentation does occur - hence the slightly extra body.
Nagri Farm is a tea estate in the Darjeeling region. Prior to the 1800’s Nagri Farm, due to its prominent location where it has a commanding view of the surrounding plains, was a fortified (fort) location with a local garrison. There were occasional skirmishes between local tribes people and ‘outsiders’ from Nepal, Tibet and warring Maharajahs. Later the fort became a dairy farm using the old fort buildings. In the 1880’s use of the farm changed when tea was planted - hence the name of the estate.

The estate is divided into 34 sections. Section 1-5 are bushes that were planted prior to 1883 and section 6-12 were replanted in 1883. Sections 13-34 were subsequently planted over the intervening years. Interestingly these old bushes have a very unique shape - almost bonsai like. Despite the fact that these bushes are extremely hardy, the yield is low. The estate covers 286 hectare (726 acres) and the average yield is 600 pounds per acre - compare this to an estate in Assam (called Keyhung with young bushes) which has a yield of 2000 pounds per acre.

Infusion: Tending bright, green, typical infusion of a well made green tea.

STEAMED DARJEELING

STEAMED DARJEELING GREEN TEA

NAGRI FARM - 2nd flush (India Green Tea)

Loose Leaf Tea in 2oz. or 4oz. Foil Bags

Delicate Steamed Indian Green Darjeeling Tea!

2oz. for $5.49 ~ 4oz. for $8.39

Cup Characteristics: Very delicate, light liquoring with notes of muscatel, hints of pungency (full body character - typical of a 2nd flush tea).

Origin: India

Darjeeling STGFOP1

(Steamed Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe #1)

Infusion: Tending bright, green, typical infusion of a well made green tea.

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