Country of Origin: Sri Lanka
Leaf Appearance: very dark with some golden tips
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker
Liquor: reddish brown
The leaves of this black tea were aged in a Pinot Noir barrel. I’m usually a white wine kind of a girl but given that I work for a wine retailer my interest was definitely piqued. The flavor of this tea was incredible. It was fruity, floral and somewhat malty with an underlying earthiness. I was amazed at just how “grapey” it was. This tea was all of the things I enjoy about red wine with none of the tannic mouth puckering that I do not like. Special blends like this are usually only available in limited quantities at their Portland shop. I definitely recommend picking up some if you have the chance.
The Wall Street Journal recently did an article on the founder of Smith Teamaker. You can check it out here.