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Buckingham Palace Tea

CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Flavoury with medium body. Delicate Earl Grey and Jasmine notes. Bright with a touch of golden coppery colour. Perfect for afternoon settings.

INGREDIENTS: Black tea, Green tea, Jasmine + Cornflower petals, Natural flavors (organic compliant).

INFORMATION:
Every May the Queen holds a garden party at Buckingham Palace - a lovely English springtime tradition. The Queen invites between 3000 and 4000 guests. Regal cucumber and watercress sandwiches are served on white bread, smoked Scottish salmon pate, delicately scented earl grey cakes and most importantly, tea, are served on this prestigious occasion. The invitees include exotic guests from the far-flung reaches of the former British Empire. The common thread amongst them is that they have each made a contribution to the British Commonwealth of nations. The guests rub shoulders with lords, earls, dukes, duchesses and ladies from aristocratic British society. At about 3:00 p.m. the Royal Family make their entrance - the Queen, Prince Philip, perhaps even Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew. You can see the scene now -the Queen, Prince Philip and the Queen Mother, all dressed in formal spring party clothing, mingling with the excited crowd.shaking hands, smiling, stopping briefly to chat with the guests, making eye contact and the royal nod of the head to acknowledge one's presence for those unable to personally meet the Royal Family.

The tea that is served is a long time favorite and delicious Palace medley specially selected for the occasion. Intriguing hints of high-grown pure Ceylon Earl Grey blend effortlessly with soft jasmine from Fujian Province. Couple this with malty Assam (from the estate of Borengajuli), flavory Dimbula Ceylon (from Hatton), brisk and golden cup East of Rift Kenya (from Kambaa and Kagwe) and you have one of the most flavorful teas to come from the British Isles. Each cup is a cup of mystery - the flavors all come to the fore at separate times - one minute you taste the Earl Grey, the next you can almost feel the soft floral notes of jasmine. Finally you get the satisfying fullness of the Assam Ceylon and Kenya blend. Enjoy this tea and be a part of the annual tradition in the west gardens of Buckingham Palace.

IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 100ºC/212ºF

HOT BREWING METHOD:
Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz / 200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea).

ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher): (To Make 1 Liter/Quart):
Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea or 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the bags. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water. (Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about.)