Mlesna Ceylon Tea: Leaf, Tea Bags & Gift Tins — page 9

Mlesna

Mlesna is a Sri Lankan tea house founded in 1983 by Anselm Perera, who began his career as a tea taster. It blends and packs pure Ceylon tea in Sri Lanka, and its range runs from everyday string-and-tag bags to single-estate leaf teas, flavoured blends and gift tins. Everything here is the Sri Lankan pack, shipped worldwide from Sri Lanka.

Tea bags. The 50 and 100-bag string-and-tag boxes cover the black-tea classics, English Breakfast, Ceylon Gold, President's Brew and Mlesna Colonial, plus flavoured and green teas such as cinnamon, soursop green and Sencha, which is high grown Ceylon tea made the Japanese way. For gifts and travel, the luxury foil envelopes seal each bag on its own, in 10-bag cartons of more than twenty flavours, from Earl Grey and Monk's Blend to soursop and caramel.

Leaf tea. Loolecondera is a high grown B.O.P.F for a strong cup, named after the estate where Ceylon's first commercial tea was planted in 1867. Victorian Blend is an Orange Pekoe of tender buds rolled into a fine twist. Rich Brew (B.O.P) works with or without milk, and Strong Brew (B.O.P.F) is made to take milk. The metal caddies hold the rarer grades: Lover's Leap O.P, Adam's Peak Rare White Tip F.O.P, Mountain Peak White "Silver Tip" and the Ceylon Elephant Brand Fine Ceylon O.P. The 500 g bags are named for the gardens they come from, each in its own grade: Labookellie B.O.P, St. James F.O.P, New Vithanakande F.B.O.P 1 SP, Pettiyagalla F.P and High Forest Pekoe, among others. Large cloth bags of Dimbula, Orange Pekoe and Breakfast Tea suit a household that gets through a lot of tea.

Flavoured, green and gift teas. Mlesna flavours Ceylon black and green tea with fruit, spice and dessert notes; the 500 g leaf packs include soursop, icewine and chocolate mint, and the green side runs to jasmine green and Green Gold. For a first taste of the range, the 8 Sensations assortment, the five regional teas in one box and the Tea Taster's Choice make easy gifts.