F.B.O.P.    

Kandy District   
3,200 ft

This is a single estate tea that replaces Melfort. Melfort is no longer producing black teas.
The estate is at the lower end of the Pussellawa valley on the road to Nuwara Eliya.
This area is a wonderful endless tea carpet, following every dip and mound in the ground broken only by the shade trees, bungalows, factory and workers cottages. Along the roadside, caddies (small thatched stalls), sell wonderfully coloured sweets and the most sought after Jaggery bowls, a natural brown coloured sugar extracted from the flowers of the Palmyra palm and Kitul tree, the process is similar to the extraction of toddy from the coconut palms. The syrup is placed in half coconut shells and hardens into a semi-circular block, two put together as a ball of Jaggery. It can then made into fudge, used in preparing traditional sweets, used in place of cane sugar and even eaten with string hoppers.

The estate management is an exceptionally good one and they are highly interested in marketing their teas from various estates. In recent years they have established a visitor centre at Melfort, where tourists and others may visit the estate, look at the tea, manufacture and there is a shop with items for sale. The estate in 1853 was known as Malfont it appears and with Wilson Ritchie as proprietors during the coffee period. It would have been amongst the earliest coffee estates started up.

This area is where the ground was cleared for the very first plantations which were in coffee in about 1826.

Liquor:    A rounded smooth malty taste, more delicate than some Kandy teas. Will take milk or with less leaf produces a lighter liquor for drinking without milk, especially if the leaf is removed.

Brewing:  3 - 5 minutes. longer in Hard water areas. For palates which like more body and strength 3 - 5 minutes is the recommended time. However a number of clients prefer to cut the leaf amount and brew for 2 - 3 minutes and this produces a lighter liquor for drinking without milk. We always recommend the use of filtered water some clients even use bottled water which is excellent. This will not apply to soft water areas.

ICED TEA:    Brew at double strength of leaf and allow to infuse well. then pour into a glass filled with ice.

Packs Available:

Identification Colour: MAROON

Loose  Leaf  TEAS:         125 g  Foil.  -   125 g Cartons.    -     1 Kilo Foil