Learning About Tea

There is always time for a tea party whilst Meggar is home. This week, we invited a few mothers and daughters over on New Year's Day and served up gingerbread, scones, blackberries, and a special tea. The loose tea was a gift from Constance last year and has been stored in my freezer awaiting a special brewing. We were pleasantly surprised by the Ceylon Kenilworth Orange Pekoe--it was delightful! Rich-brown in color, meaning it was strong enough to be considered a British afternoon tea, but there was not any harshness to its flavor. Its name reveals that it is only grown on the Kenilworth Estate (famous in Sri Lanka, which was formerly called "Ceylon" when it was a British colony). I also just learned that the orange pekoe is the leaf just below the bud; orange is the second or larger leaf when only the top two or three leaves are harvested anyway. It takes 2,800 leaves to make a pound of tea. The Kenilworth OP package says:  "This tea is a treat for the eyes, nose and palate. The long, crisp, dried leaves are dark brown with beautiful tawny tips; the infusion has a soft, almost rose-like scent that imparts a pleasing taste that is free of astringency. A very likable, elegant breakfast or afternoon tea."