| Country of Origin | Sri Lanka | | Region | Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya districts | | Shipping Port | Colombo | | Grade | FP (Flowery Pekoe) | | Altitude | 5000 feet above sea level | | Manufacture Type | Orthodox | | Cup Characteristics | A full flavorful cup of tea tending bright - typically associated with its origin - Ceylon Tea delicately scented with the Natural Oil of Bergamot | | Infusion | Tending bright and coppery notes | Traditionally Earl Grey was a blend of Chinese and Indian teas scented with the oil from the citrus bergamot fruit - a sort of orange. The stories of Earl Grey are numerous. One such tale tells how a British diplomat on a mission to China saved the life of a Mandarin and as a gift of gratitude was given the recipe for this flavored tea. This diplomat upon his return to Britain presented the tea to the Prime Minister of the day, Earl Grey. Another story says it was the Prime Minister himself who saved the Mandarin. In an event it was the Prime Minister of England (1830-1834) Earl Grey who made this tea fashionable. All decafs sold at Tea Laden are processed using the Co2 Process. The advantage of this decaffeination process is that no chemical solvents are used to remove the caffeine. Also, using the naturally occurring Co2 in a circulation process which carefully uses high pressure and temperature to extract the caffeine, the origin distinct character of the tea is retained in the cup. There is a slight change in the character of the tea due to the process but the end result is an uncompromising cup of tea with no chemical overtones.
High grown Ceylon tea as the base for decaf tea for several reasons: High grown Ceylon gives the tea a flavorful and satisfying character. Most importantly, high grown Ceylon teas retain their character under Co2 decaffeination processes much better than other teas |