Moke Tea Blends
A fun fact: the word ‘assam’ means ‘(one) without equal’ – and we think the tea is aptly named. Famous worldwide for its rich taste and bright colour, this tea when brewed at its best will give off a flavour that’s malty, almost bread-like – perfect with breakfast. Like many other teas (e.g. yellow, white, green), it is made from a variant of Camellia sinensis; its production in Assam, on rich-soiled plains by the Brahmaputra river that receive plenty of rainfall per year, is what makes it thrive. Assam is also remarkable for housing plenty of scientific knowledge on tea; the Tocklai Tea Research Institute was founded in 1911 in Assam as the first of its kind, investigating all aspects of tea cultivation and processing, as well as areas of innovation like the medicinal benefits of modern tea and tissue culture. We add the infusions: cinnamon and ginger, inspired by plenty of cups of the same combination.
Assam
Lemon & Ginger
Named after its Sri Lankan district of origin, nestled in the southeastern parts of the country’s central mountain range, this tea is known for the welcome intensity in its taste and its memorable pungency. This is thanks to kacchan (dessicated monsoon winds) which disrupt the leaves’ photosynthesis, and which, coupled with the hot days and cold nights of Uva’s climate, shape chemical changes that ultimately bring out the strength of the tea’s unique flavour and aroma.
The best quality Uva tea grows between July and September, when the leaves are exposed to the southwest monsoon; in this time you will find certain mentholated notes (think a refreshing, peppermint-like taste, but combined with the smooth and highly aromatic senses inherent to the tea).
A packet of this black tea of this may quite literally ask how you are (in Kiswahili; literally ‘no issues?’ and, indeed, relieve you of any ailments. The health benefits of black tea are well-known – including, among others, its antioxidant properties, power to boost heart health, and relief from symptoms of hypertension; in our production we make sure these qualities are wholly preserved, and that any light healing you need, you can find in this.
Hujambo
English Breakfast
This tea just might be as memorable as Earl Grey is iconic, and easily as good a breakfast tea. We keep and mellow out aspects of the teas above; intensity of taste, spice and mint notes, bitterness of black tea – this golden mix is as well-rounded in its taste as our careful selections of tea gardens, around the world, that we source the leaves from. Best enjoyed, as with any of these teas, to your taste – liberal milk and sugar included.
The very name of the brand, and of its director, honours this blend and for good reason. The finer traits of the coffee lie in the Ethiopian Arabica beans we use. Arabica beans are naturally sweet, yield a better oil release, and have to be farmed with care; and that’s what we do. But for the bitter aftertaste and caffeine kick? Robusta. The mix here, and the delicate balance we nurture, is between a distinctively flavourful and bright set of Arabica beans and a dense, well-caffeinated set of Robusta beans with their boldness of body. In a good brew, too, you can expect that the Arabica beans will capture all the coffee’s fine aromatics in the crema of the cup.
Espresso
