Your purchase will support Steepster.
“With all the kitchen revamping, I have had to move my tea stash. I realized that I seriously need to prune my collection and I am trying to drink some of the older teas. When we first went loose...” Read full tasting note
“It seems that I am discovering a newfound love for Ceylon teas so please excuse me while I drool over this for a while, a delightful sample pack from H & S which I received yesterday. My first...” Read full tasting note
“Kenilworth, warm honey toast we don’t mean to boast but we find it the most delicious” Read full tasting note
“Reordered this one instead of UVA Highlands as part of my January restocking. It’s a smooth, not to tannic brew. I can easily get two good steepings from a 1tsp scoop. It has the nice clear,...” Read full tasting note
From the famous Kenilworth Garden north of the Dimbula area, comes this wonderful Ceylon Tea. Large leaves and full oxidation yield a great Ceylon. This garden has been a consistent favorite of our Ceylon drinkers. It has an especially smooth liquor.
Since 1983 Harney & Sons has been the source for fine teas. We travel the globe to find the best teas and accept only the exceptional. We put our years of experience to work to bring you the best Single-Estate teas, and blends beyond compare.
I have been window shopping for a new gaiwan but have hid a real road block. There are just too many that I want, I narrowed my list down to seven that I would be quite content having. I have a feeling that it is going to be a long process trying to narrow it down further. On a fun side note, when searching for ‘green gaiwan’ bing was convinced I was trying to look up Gawain and the Green Knight.
Today’s tea is Kenilworth Garden OP from Harney & Sons, from one of the oldest tea estates in Ceylon…err…Sri Lanka. I am going to admit, whenever I see OP I have myself a little giggle, in tea terms OP means Orange Pekoe and is in reference to the grade of tea. In gamer terms OP means over powered, so it is hard to not assume that this tea is really an overpowered weapon in a PVP game. Enough nerdiness (for now) and onto aroma! The aroma of this tea is rich and sweet, with notes of caramel, malt, molasses, and a tiny hint of cocoa. This aroma has a presence, and that presence is richness. It also has a slightly brisk finish of oak wood which adds a touch of lightness to the smoldering richness.
Once the tea has been steeped and removed from its happy little bath, the aroma of the wet leaves is less sweet and more robust. There are notes of oak wood, molasses, and a touch of pepper at the finish. The liquid is creamy sweet with notes of brisk oak wood and dried leaves on a forest floor (specifically not wet loam.)
Tasting time, let us see if this OP tea is Over Powered! The taste is quite intense and brisk, yet very smooth, with no astringency at all. It starts out brisk and oaky with a touch of loam, this fades to molasses, and lastly loam and pepper at the finish. The mouthfeel is dry, in a lip-smacking good way. In a not terribly surprising turn of events I decided to add some cream and sugar. Doing so cause a minor mouth explosion of happiness, it is so rich with the cream and sugar! The briskness is still there but reduced a great bit, so it is mostly rich and malty. I feel an overpowering need for scones and tiny sandwiches now.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/harney-sons-kenilworth-garden-op-tea.html
Flavors: Cocoa, Loam, Malt, Molasses, Oak
This tea has a light, vegetal aroma that reminds me of cooked green beans. The taste is very smooth and bright, with a sweet aftertaste that seems to linger for awhile between sips. It is not very dry at all and I only taste a hint of smokiness. It has a very nice, smooth liquor and goes well with a little cream and sugar, though they are not necessary to appreciate this tea’s flavor.
