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Alex Zorach

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Member since Sep. 1st, 2009. Reviewed 1452 teas.

Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Sri Lanka / Ceylon

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Picture of F.B.O.P. No. 1

F.B.O.P. No. 1 from Alwazah Tea (Swan Brand)

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

86 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 22nd, 2021

This was another fantastic find at a local middle-eastern store. I am already a huge fan of Ahmad and Alghazaleen teas, and this was another tea in the same genre, yet with some interesting differences from those. Of those teas, this one tasted most similar to Ahmad's Ceylon OPA, but I liked it better.

The dry leaf ...

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Picture of Gold Leaf Tea

Gold Leaf Tea from Akbar

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 15th, 2020

I was astonished by this tea's quality as well as value for its price. One of my friends recently bought this from a Russian market, and he had only recently opened the container so it was very fresh.

The dry leaf though is explosively aromatic. This is by far the most aromatic Ceylon black tea I've ever found in th...

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Picture of Ceylon, Lumbini Estate, FBOP

Ceylon, Lumbini Estate, FBOP from TeaSource

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Matara, Sri Lanka

91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 18th, 2019

This was an exceptional tea and without a doubt one of the best Ceylons I've sampled ever. I like Ceylons, but outside of the ones from teakruthi, it's rare I find ones that stand out. This is one of them!

The leaf looks very straightforward, made of large broken pieces of wiry leaf, uniform in texture and dark gray...

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Picture of Ceylon Extra Superior

Ceylon Extra Superior from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

89 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Dec. 18th, 2018

A delightful, mellow tea that was one of the best Ceylons I've tried in a while. A subtle tea that was better for calm meditation than as a pick-me-up.

Dry leaf has a beautiful, intact shape with long, wiry leaves in a dark purple-black color. It is only mildly aromatic, smelling lightly of malt and spice with a hin...

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Picture of Pure Ceylon Tea (FBOPF

Pure Ceylon Tea (FBOPF "SP") from Alghazaleen Tea (Do Ghazal)

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

89 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 7th, 2018

Wow, this tea offers the most exceptional value of any tea I've ever tried. It was $6.50 for a pound, yet was better than many artisan teas I've had for over 6 times the price. Similar to Ahmad Tea's Ceylon (one of my favorites), but a smidge cheaper and I think I slightly prefer this one.

The leaf consists of fai...

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Picture of English Breakfast - Ceylon OP

English Breakfast - Ceylon OP from Passenger Coffee

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Kandy, Sri Lanka

82 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Nov. 10th, 2017

Another tea I ordered at Copper Cup in Lancaster, PA.

Rich and malty, full-bodied, but not overly tannic, with just the right amount of body and fruit. Aroma of malt and dried fruit. I find Kandy tends to produce teas that have a classic British character, and this tea is no exception...it tended a little more tow...

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Picture of Ceylon Kenilworth

Ceylon Kenilworth from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Kandy, Sri Lanka

84 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 1st, 2017

A rich,warming, complex black tea. I liked this a lot, although there are other black teas from Murchie's that I like more, like the Scottish Breakfast or Yunnan, in a similar or lower price range.

I have now tried at least five Ceylon teas from Kenilworth estate, all from different companies. This one tasted most ...

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Picture of Ceylon Kenilworth

Ceylon Kenilworth from Mighty Leaf Tea

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

82 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
May. 1st, 2017

Thank you to mighty leaf for the sample! This tea is dark, strong, smoky, and complex. It's like one of those software packages that is really intimidating and hard to learn, but powerful once you get comfortable with it. I found it grew on me and I liked it more each time I drank it.

Wiry leaf smells punch-you-i...

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Picture of Ceylon Gold

Ceylon Gold from teakruthi

Style: White Tea – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

89 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 8th, 2017

I am normally not a huge fan of tippy, lighter-colored white teas like this, but I thought this was pretty exceptional and was one of my favorite lighter white teas that I've ever tried. It isn't exactly a silver needle, but I compared it as one, it would be the second-favorite one I've ever tried.

The dry leaf is ...

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Picture of Blissful Harmony

Blissful Harmony from teakruthi

Style: Black and White Blend – Region: Matara, Sri Lanka

78 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 23rd, 2017

I was genuinely surprised at how well this blend worked. I was also surprised at how much the overall character was like a white tea, in spite of there being more black tea and the leaf itself looking very dark.

Black and white tea blends are such a strange idea, and so hard to execute, and Teakruthi's teas have be...

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Picture of Afternoon Ritual

Afternoon Ritual from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 17th, 2017

One of the most aromatic teas yet from Teakruthi, this tea had a beautiful fragrance, light and fresh, suggesting malt. The leaf is also very pretty, with silvery tips mixed in against a mostly-dark background. I got excited when I opened the bag and saw and smelled the leaf!

Upon brewing the aroma gets much more ...

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Picture of Island Heritage

Island Heritage from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Matale, Sri Lanka (Dimbula)

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 14th, 2017

A light and elegant tea that I'd drink for a quiet break. Oolong-like.

The beautiful and wiry dry leaf has the remarkable aroma of mint candy, creamy and suggesting of sweetness, not a smell I've ever encountered in a pure tea before.

Brews up a cup that is surprisingly subdued. Clean and light, but only a subt...

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Picture of Colonial Mornings

Colonial Mornings from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Matale, Sri Lanka (Dimbula)

91 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 10th, 2017

This is one of those transcendental black teas that somehow manages to be both warming and cooling in the same sip. Eminently satisfying!

All of Teakruthi's teas have been aromatic, but none explosively so until this one. I opened the bag and there was this burst of fragrance...first a sweet one that was hard to d...

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Picture of Mythical Green

Mythical Green from teakruthi

Style: Green Tea – Region: Uva, Sri Lanka

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 6th, 2017

I reacted to this very similarly to how I did to Teakruthi's other green tea, the Green Valley. I thought it tasted like a good but inexpensive Chinese green tea, and as such I'd be unlikely to buy it because it was so expensive. It didn't stand out and especially did not seem on the level of Chinese teas in this pr...

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Picture of Ceylon Sonata

Ceylon Sonata from Adagio Teas

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Kandy, Sri Lanka

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 2nd, 2017

I very much like this tea, it is one of my favorite "base" or "default" Ceylons that is sold by any major tea company.

Before steeping, the leaf is aromatic and has a pleasant malty aroma, like an Assam but less fruity.

Flavor is crisp. The cup is very aromatic, mostly malty but with light roasty/toasty notes. ...

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Picture of Divine Highlands

Divine Highlands from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

77 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Jan. 31st, 2017

This was remarkable, it was like a smoother rendition of a Darjeeling first flush. I found it hard to brew but once I figured it out, it was exquisite. The main downside I found about it, like some Darjeelings, I wasn't crazy about how I felt after drinking it.

Dry leaf smells fresh, bright, fruity, and suggests s...

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Picture of Sencha

Sencha from Basilur

Style: Sencha – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

50 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Jan. 30th, 2017

The last of the Basilur teas I picked up at a friend's wedding, and unfortunately, one of the least satisfying.

The tea bag didn't smell great, but upon brewing I was surprised by a more pleasing aroma. Like other lower-quality senchas I've tried, and somewhat like bancha, this one had a distinct corn aroma.

The...

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Picture of Ceylon Oolong

Ceylon Oolong from teakruthi

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Matara, Sri Lanka

81 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Jan. 25th, 2017

I've reviewed over a hundred oolongs, and tried several oolongs from "unusual" places, i.e. countries that are not known for making oolong, including India, Kenya, Japan, and Nepal, but this is the first one I've tried from Sri Lanka.

It was very strange, and I'm glad I tried it, but it's the sort of tea I would hav...

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Picture of Rainforest Indulgence

Rainforest Indulgence from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Matara, Sri Lanka

92 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 20th, 2017

An exceptional CTC tea, the best I've ever had, and as complex as many hand-processed, whole-leaf teas. This one really surprised me.

The dry leaf is unusually aromatic for a CTC tea. The aroma is toasty and with a strong maltiness, more like rye than other grain.

The brewed cup smells intensely aromatic, and j...

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Picture of Green Valley

Green Valley from teakruthi

Style: Green Tea – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

70 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Jan. 17th, 2017

I enjoyed this tea but thought it the most overpriced of Teakruthi's offerings so far.

Dry leaf smells quite good, like a Chinese tea, a little vegetal and slightly floral, suggesting of a slight edge. It reminds me of chun mee both in smell and appearance, but is more vegetal.

I like this tea but it can get ove...

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Picture of Wild Monsoon

Wild Monsoon from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Matara, Sri Lanka

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Jan. 12th, 2017

The dry leaf of this consists of big, dark, coarse looking leaves that are slightly curled. There is a mild toasty and chocolatey aroma. The leaf takes up a lot of space, and you need to use quite a lot by volume to get a strong enough cup.

Upon brewing, the aroma is distinct, different from other teas I've tried,...

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Picture of Southern Malt

Southern Malt from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Matara, Sri Lanka

94 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 9th, 2017

The first tea I tried from Teakruthi was excellent and enjoyable, but didn't wow me. This one immediately stood out, from before the first sip, or even just smelling the brewed cup.

The dry leaf has a smell that strongly suggests a savory stew. It's malty with a hint of smoke and spice.

When brewed, wow. This ...

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Picture of Royal Midlands

Royal Midlands from teakruthi

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Kandy, Sri Lanka

84 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Jan. 5th, 2017

I went to try this tea first because I got the sense that it seemed the most "classic Ceylon" of Teakruthi's offerings, and it definitely delivered the character I expected. This is a little less like the types of Ceylons served in British traditions though, and more like the type of tea I find consumed in the middle-...

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Picture of Ceylon UVA Highland

Ceylon UVA Highland from Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Uva, Sri Lanka

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 30th, 2016

I enjoyed this tea; it's a potent black tea of good strength, with a classic British character. One could convincingly substitute this for an English Breakfast blend. It also has a great price, and is a bit smoother than other similar teas in its price range.

The cup is moderately aromatic, a little malty but mor...

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Picture of Ceylon Orange Pekoe

Ceylon Orange Pekoe from Basilur

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

66 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 31st, 2016

This was yet another tea I had the opportunity to sample from a variety pack in a hotel. I have never seen this brand for sale in the U.S. It was good, considerably above-average for a simple black tea bag.

A bold and strong tea, not particularly distinctive or remarkable, but good. Aroma is malty with hints of s...

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