Saturday 12 April 2014

Kandula's Pink Ceylon: A Gorgeous Tea That's A Little Surprising ...

The internet is a brilliant invention for many reasons. But, for me, as a tea lover, it's proving to be vital. A simple search of tea companies in the UK bring up some really interesting pages. And this is how I found Kandula.

Kandula is based in Cambridge, and the company specialise in tea from Sri Lanka. It is a truly ethical tea company. All of their teas are produced, processed and packed in Sri Lanka, offering work to the local community. They have formed strong relations with the tea producers and the people within the surrounding areas. And they support the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, too, which, considering I love elephant's, is really impressive to me! Two of my favourite things in the world are brought together through one company.

As you can see from their packaging, the love and respect for elephants is very evident! It's bright, interesting, and if this were sold in supermarkets, it would certainly catch my attention. Packaging is vital because it draw's you in. For me, if I come across a brand I do not know, then how the tea is presented to me makes a huge difference between me buying it and not buying it. I like bright things and this certainly does hit the spot with me!


I carefully laid out on the counter all of the different teas that I have. I stood for a moment wondering which tea to try first. Scanning the line of tea's I saw one that jumped out at me instantly: Pink Ceylon.


Pink tea? I had never heard of that. Black, white, green and red, but never pink. So, I picked up the information leaflet that had kindly been sent out to me and sat right at the top was Pink Ceylon.

It is, actually, a green tea! It has, what Kandula describe as a "beautiful pink blush". It is also blended with the hibiscus flower which is often found in tea.

I have really started to enjoy green tea, and am impressed with it's health benefits, but I've not had it without flavouring, and this tea is about the purest green tea I've experienced so far.

When opening up the sachet there is the familiar aroma that you often get with green tea. I describe it as a little bit grassy and reminds me slightly of herbal tea. But, it's a smell I'm really getting to love lately.

I followed the instructions closely with this tea - I certainly didn't want to muck it up and ruin a tea I was extremely excited about trying. So, I boiled the kettle, set the time to let it cool for five minutes and then brewed it for a little over a minute.

Oh what a thing of beauty this tea is! It comes in a triangle shaped teabag, which is made from cornstarch and is completely bio-degradable. I love these tea bags as you can watch the tea brew. It unfurls, it expands, it goes from looking like large pieces of dust to proper tea leaves in front of your eyes. It's like magic.

And the colour. Instantly the water turned a beautiful shade of pink, the same lovely shade you'd get with a rose wine. This was going to be vastly different from your normal green tea!


I like green tea because I like the lightness you get from it. It's refreshing and it makes for a perfect tea after you've eaten a large, stodgy meal! I was intrigued by this tea and the minute it took to brew seemed like ages.

On my first sip, I got the ever so familiar taste of green tea come through. And it was just right. Not overpowering as to put you off, but strong enough to make for a satisfying drink.

The tea has a delicate smokey taste to it. It isn't like the overbearingly strong and (for me) undrinkable smokiness of lapsang souchong, but a pleasant, barely there undertone that adds richness to this delicate tea, but does not detract from it. The smokiness makes it interesting but at the same time, it knows it's place!

It has all the familiarity of green tea with that extra touch of difference. It's a beautifully subtle tea but at the same time, once you've had a cup of this you'll never, ever forget it.

When I was drinking this tea, I got caught up in a job, and left a small amount in the bottom of the cup that had gone cold. This is an important test for me. If I can enjoy it cold then it means it's a good brew! I took the last sip of tea, which was stone cold by now, and it was just as pleasant. It had not gone bitter like green teas can do when they cool. It was just as nice. A big thumbs up!

Due to it's wonderful colour it would make for a impressive tea to serve to friends after a meal. It's pretty to look at as well as gorgeous to taste. I'm hugely impressed by this tea, and in a funny way, feel very privileged that I had the chance to try it!

Pink Ceylon won a Great Taste Gold award in 201l and I can totally understand why. If you are only able to try one green tea this year, I would suggest you try this one. It feels like a little bit of luxury in a cup. It is, I would go as far as to say, heavenly.

Tea lovers who love experimenting, which I do, are always on the hunt for new tea's to be impressed by. Make sure you try this one. You'll surely enjoy it and it won't leave you feeling disappointed.

For more information on the blend and the Kandula company, please visit their website.
www.kandulatea.com






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