Small Leaf Ceylon Tea (Pekoe Fannings)

This fine leaf Ceylon tea (pekoe fannings) is widely used in blends to provide character. It is light, bright, brisk and rich in flavour. This is a fabulous tea.

Although the colour of the liquor can be a little dull, the nuances of flavour really do tick all my boxes. I have a romantic connection with Ceylon tea that will go with me to the end of my days.

The leaf itself is neat and even with tiny flecks of brown being visible. Ceylon teas used to be used widely in British blends. Today they are used far less widely due to their price, which is one of the reasons that tea today tastes differently to 30 years ago. The reason for Ceylon teas high price is because of the extremely high minimum wage system that operates in Sri Lanka, where tea-pickers will earn as much as Junior Civil Servants. The wage level is so high that often Ceylon teas are often picked by career tea-pickers, not of Singhalese origin, who have travelled from the Indian mainland attracted by the higher wages offered in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is one of my favourite tea destinations and the gentleness, politeness and dignity of its people are reflected in the character and flavour of their remarkable teas.