T-SACS are ideal for brewing loose teas where the consumer is moving up from Tea bag teas to starting to brew loose teas and still requires a convenient method.
The Sacs have two major advantages in that they are made of a natural fibre which is totally compostable and also they can be removed together with the leaf from the cup or pot at the point when the consumer wishes to stop the brewing process.
Size 1 is ideal for use in a cup or mug.
Size 2 is ideal for a 2 - 6 cup tea pot.

This product is called Natural Earl Grey because we apply expensive Natural Bergamot oil to the specially manufactured leaf.

After a long period of developing what we believe is the ideal balance, we have secured the ideal leaf from a single estate.

This product is called Natural Earl Grey because we apply expensive Natural Bergamot oil to the specially manufactured leaf.

After a long period of developing what we believe is the ideal balance, we have secured the ideal leaf from a single estate.

Virtually all our teas are obtained direct from the estates who manufacture the batches or runs as we call them to our requirement and again most of our own name branded teas are obtained from the single estates during the two exceptionally high quality seasons for teas - South Western Quality Season January to April & the Uva Quality Season in July to August.
The above ensures that the teas are freshly made & sealed at source and that they are of the highest quality showing exceptional clarity and briskness or zest.
For much fuller details on manufacture see the section on manufacture of the teas.

Finally we hear a great deal in the press about the fact that Green teas are the best and have higher antioxidants levels than black teas but my site has always carried the results of the 'Tea & Health' Monograph written by W.W.D. Modder & A.M.T. Amarakoon in 2002 stating that research to that time had shown that whilst black teas have a higher level of total Flavonoids, some of these are not as effective as the catechin flavonoids in green teas but that overall Black & Green teas both were equally effective in anti-oxidant effect.
It is therefore interesting to note several recent comments by the press on recently released research papers stating that black tea is being recognized to be just as effective as green teas. In particular a report appeared in the Daily Telegraph on 26th. May 2010 reporting on the latest research conducted at the Queensland Institute of Medical research in Australia supporting both types of tea as being effective in helping to suppress cancer in teh human system.

All the tea bag teas in this section are procured direct from single estates and are not blended teas.
The teas are purchased direct from the estates where they run special manufactures to our requirements and they are then sealed stright from the estate ensuring that they retain their fresh quality.

These are high quality single estate teas imported direct from India to our branch in Colombo for packing.

These are high quality single estate teas imported direct from India to our branch in Colombo for packing.

LEAF GRADE (Size): Please note that our teas carry a grade on the pack. The smallest grade is B.O.P., a larger leaf grade is F.B.O.P and therefore a little lighter than a B.O.P. with the largest grades being P. & O.P. or O.P. 1 which exhibit even lighter liquors.
There is a large variety of green teas produced as Ceylon teas. It is advisable to use less leaf withg the more pungent green teas such as gunpowder.
BREWING: Green teas should be brewed at a lower temperature:
Most Green teas can be brewed at 80 - 90 degrees C (176 - 194 degrees F)

There is a large variety of green teas produced as Ceylon teas. It is advisable to use less leaf with the more pungent green teas.
BREWING: Green teas should be brewed at a lower temperature:
Most Green teas can be brewed at 80 - 90 degrees C (176 - 194 degrees F)

Iddulgashinna is certified Biodynamic by Demeter International & Organic by I.M.O. Switzerland.
Thotulagala is certified Organic by CU International
Present stocks of Venture were certified Biodynamic by Demeter International & Organic by I.M.O. Switzerland, however Venture Estate has elected revert to conventional tea production.

The costs of certification have been rising for the estates and also for those handling the teas in between and it is possible that in the present international financial climate that decisions are being made to keep costs down. Ceylon teas in general have established an enviable record on the extremely low level of residues in their teas over many years. I believe that many distributors and consumers accept that the strict controls in place for the production of conventional Ceylon teas are sufficient guarantee on their own.

Both the black & the green tea bags in this section are certified Biodynamic by Demeter International & also Organic by I.M.O. Switzerland.

All Ceylon teas are subject to extremely tight rules on any use of pesticides or herbicides & there is a clear policy that any new pesticide or herbicide intended for import to the island must first pass evaluation by the Tea Research Institute over several years before any importation licence is approved.

This is because the island has practiced Bio culture in tea since the 1980's & they are recorded as being the cleanest teas in the world under successive International residue tests.

What is Biodynamic Production:

Organic follows certain laid down rules on natural fertilisers & either Bio control where the estate plants species of plants & small coppices that encourage the population of benefical insects, birds etc to a level that they create a natural balance where the beneficial insects control and feed on the disease causing insects, funguses etc. Ultimate control may require some use of pesticides that are accepted by the rules of the organic bodies.

Biodynamic production is a totally different concept where the farm or estate is viewed as an organism in its own right. Therefore the needs of this organism must be met in full which may mean that if the esttaes is involved solely with plants and not animals a provision must be made for copious amounts of composting to be generated. The estates may encourage workers to maintain a large herd of cows which the estate may donate on the understanding that the estate receives back the dung and the horns of the cows and the rest is left to the advantage of the workers. On top of this the estate will need to purchase further supplies of cow dung by the lorry load.
Rudolf Steiner (161 - 1921) studied middle ages agriculture where farmers found that there were natural forces that helped their agricultural output. He deduced that carbon was the carrier of formative processes in the organism, oxygen the bearer of life and nitrogen the carrier of consciousness and soul. The dynamic section of Biodynamic looks at the fact that there are forces beyond the earth that have an effect on plant growth, this meant that by observing the cosmic forces that are work it was possible to select the most favourable time to sow, plant cultivate and harvest crops. Without going into minute details about planetary groupings and their effects on various substances such as quartz, mica, calcium, numus and water the estate has large composting facilities, with a wormery section and various preparations undergoing their development before use. There are two spray preparations prepared by burying teh horns from 1st lactation cows filled with preparations for 6 months before they are used for preparing the sprays. The sprays are applied a) in the morning to the roots of tea bushes in the aggressive period of the day and a spray is applied to the leaves in the afternoon for leaf growth.
There are a series of other preparation which are numbered 501 - 507 and the whole process is concerned with the natural enrichment of the soil and encouragement of growth without stress.

Demeter International was founded in 1997 and at present has 18 member organisations around the world, representing more than 3,000 producers in 40 countries.
A comprehensive verification process ensures strict compliance with the standards which not only apply to production but right through to processing and final packaging.
There no allowance for irradiated products, fumigation, or any genetically modified ingredients.
Demeter products must have at least 90 % of their ingredients to Demeter standards to carry the trademark

In the case of loose teas in this category we always try and use natural spices or jasmine blossoms which are carefully layered throughout the tea.

For tea bags we use cut spices but with the jasmine tea bags we use a NATURAL flavouring oil which is carefully sprayed over the leaf as a very fine mist, using a special drum to circulate the leaf evenly.

These large velvety buds are harvested from a particular clone of VP which produces much larger leaf buds than commercial tea bushes. It also produces leaves that have a purple hue to them as against the normal green leaves.
It is grown by a small number of estates in separate plots away from the normal estate tea fields. The shoots are grown to match orders received. The amount available will always be fairly limited which of course affects the price.
The buds are picked by 6 specially trained pluckers very early in the morning when the cool mists are still hanging over the fields but before the sun rises too high. The pluckers can only pick a small quantity of about 250 g each during this plucking time as against the normal 25 to 45 kilos that pluckers will pluck from a tea field. The quantity they pluck is dependent on weather and the age of the field from pruning. The buds are naturally dried without rolling and are technically classified as a green form of tea.
There are many types & qualities of so called White tea marketed in commercial brands but the price will hold the key to the type & quality of a white tea. White tea of this quality would never be packed into tea bags. It is claimed that genuine White tea has a higher antioxidant level and research has shown that the buds which are immature leaves contain lower concentrations of caffeine which would perhaps tie in with the fact that the bud cells are left in tact and not ruptured.

These are freshly harvested chamomile flowers & peppermint leaves which we pack as cut leaves or flowers in our tea bag packs in Colombo.

These are freshly harvested whole chamomile flowers & whole peppermint leaves which we pack in Colombo.

This section contains all the items that could be classed as gifts which includes any tea packs, in tin caddies, white wood boxes, crafted high quality timber boxes e.g. Tea bag presentation boxes or hand made metal canisters & trinket boxes with boxes made to take these special items.
It also contains books on tea & professional tea tasting sets for the keen tea consumer.

Various books & booklets about tea, or research into tea and its health properties.

NUTS: Specially selected class 1 whole Cashew Nuts (kadju) packed in our packs.

JAGGERY: This is a form of what is often called palm sugar. Palm sugar can be obtained from the flower pod of a number of species of palms. However when procured from the Kithul Palm, the treacle or the solid form is a very dark rich brown in colour whereas coconut palm sugar is a pale colour.
The flavour of Jaggery is something between maple syrup and a heavier flavour towards molasses and Kithul Jaggery is considered to be the finest quality. It is used in the making of a local fudge which often includes cashew nuts, poured over buffalo curd which is a wonderful combination and so many other dishes. As a boy I used to wrap small pieces of it into string hoppers as a change from curries, such as beef, Katta sambol or pol sambol.