Chateau
Rouge Fikkal Ilam Black Tea
"A
Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about
afterwards." So said A.A. Milne
and I can’t help but agree. For many a year I was something of a tea-hater, I
liked the idea of it, but the flavour was simply lost on me, that is until I
was introduced to a pot of the proper stuff and since that time a morning that
fails to begin with a good long cup of tea is one that precedes what can only
become a very bad day indeed. This is something that the lovely people at
Chateau Rouge understand, which is why they have made it their mission in life
to bring the teas of the world to the good people of the UK, and they are doing
a sterling job.
Chateau
Rouge was launched in 2010 by Seán Farrell, a
gastronome with delicate taste and a fine attention to detail whose
predilection for travel introduced him to a wealth of rare and little-known
teas from around the world and instilled in him a need to share them. From a
mellow handcrafted White Monkey to a delicately scented Formosa Pouchong and
special long-cut Rooibos, Chateau Rouge stocks it all.
Among my
favourites for a cold winter evening is the Fikkal Ilam Black Tea. Harvested
from the awe-inspiring landscape of the Ilam District in Nepal, where is has
been grown since 1863, Fikkal Ilam is a rich fruity black tea with
almond, caramel and pepper notes, presented in a lovely boxed black canister,
creating the ideal gift for your friendly local tea lover, or an indulgent
treat for yourself. Nepal’s first two tea gardens were begun by Gajraj Singh Thapa, administrator of Ilam, with saplings his
brother-in-law, the Prime Minister, had been given by the Chinese Emperor of
the time, so this tea can conceivably be viewed as being of high rank and
standing.
Fikkal Ilam
Black Tea (100g) is £19.95 and available, along with an abundance of other
varieties and tea-making paraphernalia from www.chateaurouge.co.uk.
Have you a Chateaux rouge favourite cuppa?
© Purple Peccadilloes
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