French Earl Grey (Organic)

Description

Country of Origin: Sri Lanka (Earl Grey Tea) (Blended by Neat Jane’s Tea House)

Region(s):   Nuwara Eliya + Dimbula + Uva

Grade:      FP (Flowery Pekoe)

Altitude:    150 – 2550 metres above sea level

Manufacture Type:  Tea : Orthodox (Traditional leafy)

Cup Characteristics:  Ooh-la-la flavor notes from earl grey, Rose and Cornflower petals. It has a very smooth finish with a French character and a beautiful floral scent.

Infusion:    Bright coppery colour

Ingredients:  Sri Lanka Black Tea, Bergamot flavouring, Red Rose petals, Cornflower petals

Description:  Truly a unique and wonderful tea. With their innate sense of style and sophistication, the French elevate even the simple act of  taking tea to an art form. From the delightful tea salons dotting every Parisian arrondissement to tea served at outdoor cafes nestled in the hills of Provence you will find French Earl Grey the pinnacle of everything tea.

This tea has richness – like a brocade at Versailles with a saucy but sprightly flavour. There is romance and mystery with superb golden color notes. To cement the ‘French’ character,  cornflower petals was added along with some red rose petals – a tea fit for the Latin Quarter along the Seine.

Tea became the fashionable beverage in French society toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV. Members of the upper class would gather to debate issues of the day and drink tea. Princess of Palatine remarked in 1706 that tea could make one chaste and therefore was better for Catholic priests than for Protestant ministers.

French art romanticized the tea hour in their paintings as artists such as Chardin and Boucher painted teapots into rich still-life works and portrayed society at festive teas set in exquisitely furnished rooms. They captured voluptuous women taking tea in the intimacy of their boudoirs or languishing at tea  tables resplendent  with silver and lace.

One of the  more ambitious teas paintings  was Barthelemy’s  ‘Le  The  a  l’Anglais’  which  he  painted  in  1776.  The  elaborate  work  depicts  Mozart  at  the hrpsichord performing for the gentry seated at tea tables in the Paris salon of the Prince de Conti.

What really makes French tea unique is the accompaniment of ‘one patisserie’. Careme (1783-1833), a celebrated patisserie  chef declared a pastry to be one of the noblest forms of architecture. One of our favorite methods of taking French tea is with a  buttery croissant, ‘pain au chocolat’ or ‘le muffin’ accompanied by a fruit confiture.

Hot tea brewing method:  Bring  fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of   loose tea  for each 200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water  into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Add  milk and sugar to taste.

Iced tea brewing method (Pitcher):  (to make 1 litre): Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea  into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using fresh cold water, boil and pour 1¼   cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving   pitcher straining the tea. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.

A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and   diluted with cold water.

Iced tea brewing method (Individual Serving):  Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea  into a teapot for each serving required. Using  fresh cold water, boil and pour 170-200ml per  serving over the tea. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining  the  tea. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving. Sweeten and/or add lemon to taste. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be   poured over ice and diluted.