I was living in a tiny apartment in Tokyo in 2009, so tiny most people in Canada wouldn't believe it. My parents opened the Wisdom Teashop as a small retail shop and they sent me this tea. I used to drink it everyday because the maple made me think of Canada. The taste of this tea will always be linked to the journey we have taken as a business and as a family in that time. Tea is more than just a drink. It is the memories we have around drinking it too.
Sweet with piquant caramel notes. A unique flavor that complements high grown tea. Everything you would want from a maple flavour. Sugar free as all our teas are.
From the Producer:
North America's northeastern reaches were once completely covered by what is known in Canada as the Carolinian forest, and in the US the Eastern Deciduous forest. The native inhabitants who called this forest home learned to carve a living from its natural wonders. One of the most miraculous of these was the sap of the mighty sugar Maple tree that dominated the forest from one end to the other. Early natives noticed that each spring, small animals would chew on the branches of the tree. They discovered that the animals were attracted to the sweet sap and devised a way to tap the trees but cutting notches in the bark to allow it to run out freely. This they would collect in pails and boil down to a thick, sweet syrup. Maple syrup! When the first European settlers began arriving in 17th century, the natives showed them how to make the syrup. The sweet delicious flavor meant it very quickly became a staple of their diet. To this day, Canada and New England are world renowned for what can only be referred to as the "wonder of the woods". We've captured this incredible favor and added it to a luxury, high grown Ceylon tea for a sweet cuppa that's second to none. Cheers!
What type of tea do we use, how do we flavor the tea and why do we use natural flavors?
Firstly... we only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka - Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavorful teas that have classic 'Ceylon' tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavor notes, touches of mild astringency, bright coppery color and, most importantly - perfect for use as the base tea of our flavored teas. (We have tested teas from various other origins around the world as base stock for our flavored teas, but none of these teas made the grade.) Dimbula and the western estates of Nuwara Eliya have a major quality peak during Jan/Feb, whereas Uva and the eastern estates of Nuwara Eliya have their peak in July/Aug. This 'dual peak period' allow us to buy the best for our flavored tea blends several times during the year, ensuring top quality and freshness.
Secondly. we use flavoring oils not crystals to give the tea drinker an olfactory holiday before indulging in a liquid tea treat.
Thirdly... we specify natural flavors. High quality tea tastes good and natural flavors do not mask the natural taste of the high grown Ceylon tea. (The norm for many making flavored tea is to use overpowering artificial flavors, which can be used to hide lower quality tea). Natural flavors do not leave an aftertaste giving the tea a clean and true character. It should be noted that natural flavors tend to be somewhat 'soft ' and the flavors slightly muted, but for many this is a refreshing change and one of the desired attributes of our naturally flavored teas.