youmeandtea.com

Country of Origin: Sri Lanka

Cup Characteristics: Wow! Very refreshing. Pomegranate gives a lovely astringency and Vitamin C laden Rosehip rounds the edges. 

Ingredients: Luxury black tea, Rosehip, Blackberry Leaves, Natural Flavors.

• Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into 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). Even though milk and a dash of sugar help enhance the flavor character on this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea ‘straight-up’
• Iced tea-brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. 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 double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water]. Please note that this tea may tend to go cloudy or ‘milky’ when poured over ice; a perfectly normal characteristic of some high quality black teas and nothing to worry about!

From high tea to tea biscuits and tea clippers, the Brits have had a hand in many tea related endeavors. We’ve got two more to add to the list: Pomegranates and Rosehips. John Bartram, a London Botanist, sent pomegranates to British Quakers in Philadelphia in 1762. The early Americans prized the fruit for its sweet juicy flavor and high vitamin C content, one fruit providing 40% of an adult’s daily requirement. Interestingly it is for the same reasons the British have long collected and consumed Rosehips, the round apple-shaped interior of the rose flower. During WWII, Rosehips with their high levels of Vitamin C became an important source of the vitamin for British school children. Closure of trans-Atlantic shipping routes meant that shipments of Oranges from the US and Southern Europe were no longer available. Children were subsequently given the task of collecting rosehips from their local gardens for the creation of a syrup that was diluted with water. The concoction was sweet and hinted faintly of the flowers they came from. So there you have it. The British love Pomegranates and Rosehips. So it only seems fitting that someone should combine the two with a good solid British tea, which is what we’ve done here. Sweet, tart and fruity on the nose, the cup exhibits deep notes of syrup, red berry and faint wisps of rose blended seamlessly with our astringent Ceylon – a fabulous blend.