BEHIND THE CRAFT
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Tea Craft: The Tea Bush

It all starts with an evergreen plant called Camellia Sinensis, which has 2 original subspecies, one from China and one from India.

The plant will grow to a tree if it is not pruned – there are ancient trees more than 100ft high in Yunnan - it flowers with delicate creamy petals, a little like an orange plant and the mature leaves are thick and shiny.

Camellia Sinensis Sinensis [the Chinese plant] likes the cooler temperatures found in higher altitudes [these were the bushes planted by the East India Company in Darjeeling foothills of the Himalayas] and they a productive life of about 100 years. The Indian ‘Assamica’ prefers the hot and humid conditions of the plains of the Brahmaputra River of Assam and has a shorter life.

Find out more about where tea is grown.

FGTE12118

Royal Flush Loose Leaf Black Tea Caddy 100g

Net Weight: 100g

£22.00
A beautifully balanced Orange Pekoe black tea from the high altitude Pedro Estate of Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Bright, medium-bodied and delicate, this is a treat to be savoured.

The East India Company - Lifestyle

Tea

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£22.00
SPECIFICATION DELIVERY & RETURNS
Product Detail Experience How to Ingredients & Allergens
In 1954, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Phillip made their first state visit to Ceylon as part of the Royal Tour celebrating the Queen’s coronation.

As part of the trip, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip was invited to visit the Pedro Tea Estate.

To commemorate the visit, he planted his own tea bush. The tea bush flourished and an exclusive royal area was propagated.
In Honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, The East India Company’s Tea Master located the original bush, harvested its tea and served it at the official royal lunch. Our Royal Flush black tea was born.

Whilst this original 'Royal' tea bush is sadly no longer available to be harvested, our Royal Flush tea continues.

Our Tea Master has now sourced an equally outstanding tea with all the qualities of the original, so our loyal customers can carry on enjoying their Royal Flush.
Tea is analogous with wine in having so many different types and flavours - astringency, sweetness, fruit notes, smokiness to name but a few. Just like wine therefore, the pairing of different teas with different foods is a mixture of art and science.

Our Royal Flush is a bright and delicately flavoured black tea, characteristic of high grown Sri Lankan teas.

We think it is perfect to drink on its own, after dinner.
Quantity

2.5G OF TEA LEAVES PER CUP

Temperature

200ML OF WATER AT 100ºC

Brewing Time

3-4 MINS BREWING TIME

Best enjoyed without milk or sugar in the afternoon and evening.

Ingredients

Black Tea

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place avoiding direct sunlight and strong odours.

Stories

James Taylor - The Father of Ceylon Tea

James Taylor was a 17-year Scott when he left London in 1851, landing in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, and sent to work on a coffee estate near Kandy. Coffee was the predominant crop at the time but was prone to being destroyed by fungus.

After gaining some years of planting experience, Taylor cleared 19 acres of forest in the Loolcondera Estate and in 1867 planted tea for the very first in Sr Lanka, using seedlings from Assam.
Not only was he a pioneering planter, but he also learned and developed new production methods, from trial and error on his veranda to his first tea factory and his ‘ground-breaking’ tea cutting machine that allowed production to grow from a few pounds to 23,000 tonnes just 20 years later.

Known for high quality, Ceylon teas commanded a high price in the London tea auctions of the 19th century.

Taylor died aged only 57 but is still today regarded as the pioneer of the now global Sri Lankan tea industry, the 4th largest producer in the world.

Our spirit delivers no ordinary products

  • FAQ

    Does this tea include caffeine and is there more or less than in coffee?
    Yes, all tea like coffee, contains caffeine. The amount in both teas and coffees does vary, depending on the type, but typically Sri Lankan black tea is lighter than other teas in caffeine content, usually between 50 and 90mg for a normally brewed 230ml serving. This compares to about 95mg for a normal cup of coffee. The best advice is to treat tea and coffee similarly if you have a problem with caffeine.

    Is your Royal Flush tea till made using the original tea bush planted in Sri Lanka in 1954 by HRH Price Phillip?
    Sadly our Royal Flush tea no longer comes from the original Royal area of the Pedro garden, which we are unable to access. However we are fortunate indeed, that our Sri Lankan Tea Master has sourced a very similar tea, in proximity, in quality of leaf and most importantly in delivery of a superb cup. So we are still able to honour this historic occasion in 1954, with a fittingly historic cup of tea.

  • Delivery & Returns

    UK Standard Delivery: £3.95
    UK Next Day Delivery (mainland UK only): £9.95 (Order before 12pm)
    International Delivery is available, please see our delivery page for details. For more information and Terms & Conditions, please see our Delivery page.

  • Reviews

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