Malabar Java

A tea from a country you would not expect. Indonesia is far better known for its coffee, yet it has quietly grown tea since the 1680s, and this one comes from the Malabar Tea Estate, on the slopes of Mount Malabar, a volcano in the highlands of West Java. It is a historic garden, shaped by the Dutchman Karel Bosscha, a remarkable man who ran it for over thirty years and, along the way, helped found what is now one of Indonesia's leading universities. 

The leaf itself is Assamica, the same broad-leafed variety behind a classic Assam, which was brought over from India in the nineteenth century and thrived here. But Java is not the Assam lowlands: grown high up on cool, volcanic slopes, this tea comes out gentler and more rounded than a traditional Assam, with the family resemblance still there but none of the big, brisk punch. Think of it as an Assam that has mellowed and taken a holiday!

Then there is what the mountain gives it. Tea grown on volcanic soil almost always picks up a lovely cocoa note, and this is a fine example: a rich, deep cup with real chocolate character, rounded out by sweet dark-berry notes. It is properly satisfying without ever being heavy.

It is a proper, loose-leaf black tea, so there is caffeine in it. It is easily strong enough to take milk, but I would try it without first, to catch all that cocoa and fruit.

Brew at 100°C for 3 to 4 minutes.

Ingredients || Premium Black Tea

Warning, packed in an environment that contains nuts

Caffeine || Yes

Tasting Notes || Rich and rounded, with real cocoa and sweet dark-berry notes

Brewing Notes || 1 teaspoon per cup, 100ºC, brew for 3-4 minutes.