Sri Lanka's Nuwara Eliya district sits higher than any other tea country on the island, and this FBOP comes from the Court Lodge estate there, on the western slopes near Pidurutalagala, the country's tallest mountain, and not far from the Bomburu Waterfalls. Being on the western side means the estate catches the early monsoon, which brings its best crops around February, unlike gardens on the eastern side of Nuwara Eliya, where the monsoon lands in autumn. Court Lodge has picked up strong prices at the Colombo auctions in recent years.
FBOP stands for Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe, a grade that sits between FOP and BOP: the leaf is broken as in a BOP, but the pluck uses the top bud and first two leaves of each shoot, as in an FOP, giving young, tender leaf with a fair share of golden tip. Nuwara Eliya teas are often described as the lightest and most floral of Ceylon's growing regions, sometimes nicknamed the Champagne of Ceylon tea, and this one carries that character alongside lemon, orange and honey notes, with milk, coffee and a faintly medicinal edge underneath. The liquor runs coppery and dark.
Brew it with freshly boiled water and give it five minutes to open up. It takes milk, sugar, honey or lemon without losing its shape, or drink it black if you want the full hit of those Ceylon tasting notes. Tea and Coffee Company packs the leaf fresh to order.
