AMBANGULU
(Estate Black Tea)
Country of Origin: Tanzania
Region: Usambara
Shipping Port: Tanga -on the Indian Ocean 400 Kms north of Zanzibar Is.
Grade: BP1 (Broken Pekoe 1)
Altitude: 5700 feet above sea level
Manufacture Type: CTC (cut torn and curled)
Cup Characteristics: Full bodied tea with good flavor. A rich thickness mellow with no rough edges.
Tending malty.
Infusion: Bright and coppery – lively
Ingredients: Luxury black tea
Information:
Tanzania is situated on the East Coast of Africa directly south of Kenya. Ambangulu Tea Estate is in the northern part of the country close to the Kenyan border and Ngorongo Crater, a prime wildlife reserve.
Ambangulu is a fairly small estate in terms of tea plantations but extremely well managed. This has resulted in high demand for this tea on the world tea trading scene by specialty tea wholesalers as well as the bazaar in Pakistan.
The owners and managers of Ambangulu have been reinvesting in the estate quite heavily providing jobs and security for approximately 1500 workers and their families. In addition to this they now ship their produce in locally made - but to strict specifications - 5 ply kraft paper sacks. Traditionally the state’s of Tanzania all Ambangulu Tea is now shipped in paper sacks. In the addition to saving trees and habitat for local fauna the gross shipping weight has been reduced by 3000 pounds saving wear and tear on roads and vehicles. From time to time due to hazardous road conditions and floods, the estate is cut off for periods up to 2 weeks, accessible only by aircraft.
Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Even though milk and a dash of sugar help capture the malty and mellow character of this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea ‘straight-up’