February 27, 28, 29–Teas of Kenya: The Voss Inn bed and breakfast will be hosting a tea tasting from 7:00-9:00pm on behalf of A Thirst for Tea and Certified Tea Master Frankee Muller. We’ve narrowed down our topic a bit this month. We’ve received so many wonderful teas from growers in Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda that we decided to try to give them all the attention they deserve. So, this month we will be focusing on Kenya by itself. We will devote exclusive attention to Malawi and Rwanda either next month or in April. In the next few days we will have profiles for most of the Kenyan teas we’ll be tasting, but for now here is a quick sneak peek.
- Kenya Silverback White. This is an incredible tea that I just can’t get enough of! So prepare yourselves. You’re in for a real treat! Kenya Silverback White is an astounding white tea, similar in appearance to a Chinese silver needle. Instead of the fruity/floral notes of the Chinese teas we tasted last month, this has an absolutely wonderful aroma of roasted nuts and a breathtaking flavor with notes of honey, roasted nuts and Madagascar vanilla. The infusion is a beautiful gold color, reminding me of an African dawn.
- Grandpa’s Anytime Tea is a strong, gutsy black tea with a rich, warming character. It is grown by the oldest tea farmer in the world, Arthur Njunguna Komo, who celebrates his 113th birthday this year. Mr. Njunguna Komo and his family have literally changed the political and economic landscape of Kenya.
- Royal Purple Tea is the newest introduction in the world of tea. The Tea Research Foundation of Kenya spent 25 years developing this drought resistant strain of tea that has four times the antioxidants of black tea. This tea is only now being introduced to the world market by Joy M. W’Njuguna (Arthur Njunguna Komo’s granddaughter.) I had a long conversation with Joy today and am VERY excited to be offering several of her teas to you for this month’s tasting.
Best of Black Tea Tasting