ICEWINE - Black Tea
Cup Characteristics: Beguiling sweet pear notes with hints of berry and caramel. To enhance the natural flavours, consumption with sugar is recommended.
INGREDIENTS: Black tea, White tea, Currants, Natural flavours (Organic Compliant), Ontario Ice wine.
No known or claimed sources of food allergy or intolerance.
Icewine: the nectar of the gods! What else could you possibly call a drink that goes for upwards of $250,000 per 350 ml (11.8 oz)? That's the price you'd have to pay for an ultra rare bottle of Royal DeMaria, 2000 Chardonnay Icewine. Most Icewines are priced well below that figure, but they still garner higher prices than traditional wines. Why? The grapes used to make the sweet dessert wine aren't pressed until they are frozen. As such, 1/5th the amount of grape juice is pressed from each frozen grape compared to the non-frozen variety. For vintners, a general rule of thumb is that each frozen grape will yield just one drop of Icewine. The flavour of the finished product is divine. Depending on the varietal, the nose can offer notes of peach, pear, honey, dried apricot and green apple. In the glass, the flavour is a sumptuous combination of apricot, peach, mango, melon and other sweet fruits. This fabulous black tea blend uses real icewine to deliver all that fruity sweetness in a rich, round cuppa.
Who invented Icewine? No one really knows, but the Latin poet Marcus Valerius Martialis (AD 40-102) wrote that grapes should be left on the vine until they were stiff with frost. Evidently, he preferred the rich, sweet wines produced after November.
What type of tea do we use, how do we flavour the tea and why do we use natural flavours?
Firstly... we only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka - Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavourful teas that have classic 'Ceylon' tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavour notes, touches of mild astringency, bright coppery colour and, most importantly - perfect for use as the base tea of our flavoured teas. (We have tested teas from various other origins around the world as base stock for our flavoured teas, but none of these teas made the grade.) Dimbula and the western estates of Nuwara Eliya have a major quality peak during Jan/Feb, whereas Uva and the eastern estates of Nuwara Eliya have their peak in July/Aug. This 'dual peak period' allow us to buy the best for our flavoured tea blends several times during the year, ensuring top quality and freshness.
Secondly... we use flavouring oils not crystals to give the tea drinker an olfactory holiday before indulging in a liquid tea treat.
Thirdly... we specify natural flavours. High quality tea tastes good and natural flavours do not mask the natural taste of the high grown Ceylon tea. (The norm for many making flavoured tea is to use overpowering artificial flavours, which can be used to hide lower quality tea). Natural flavours do not leave an aftertaste giving the tea a clean and true character. It should be noted that natural flavours tend to be somewhat 'soft ' and the flavours slightly muted, but for many this is a refreshing change and one of the desired attributes of our naturally flavoured teas.