Ceylon teas are grown in what is now called Sri Lanka, but for some reason the use of the old name has persisted. High-grown Ceylon teas are bright and lively, with a full, distinctive flavour and aroma and a light amber colour.

Ceylon originally grew only coffee. How that beautiful country came to become the great tea exporting nation she is today is one of the most remarkable turnaround stories of all time. In 1869 the leaf blight devastated the coffee plantations. This forced farmers to look for alternatives and over the next 10 years the tea industry gradually established itself - with great success. Andrew Carnegie visited Ceylon in 1879 and remarked:

"Tea cultivation has been introduced recently, and the quality is said to be excellent. There cannot be any doubt of this, because it finds a ready market here. None has been exported. If it were not a remarkably good article the foreign would be preferred, as we all know a domestic article has a world of prejudice to overcome at first. I shall watch the Ceylon tea question with interest, and hope that at some not distant day the production of tea leaf may rival that of the coffee bean."

Assam, in the flood-plains of the Brahmaputra Valley in NE India, is the exception that proves the rule that high-grown tea is best! This low-lying region has been producing teas since 1839, though the tea plant has grown wild there for much longer. Assam teas have great richness and strength and are often characterised as malty and full-bodied.

The two teas, rich Assam and bright Ceylon, make a great couple. They seem to bring out the best in each other. This blend is an excellent way to start the day... and an excellent way to continue it too! Many of our customers find a cup every hour or two to be absolutely essential if they are to get any useful work done.