LUPONDE
(Estate Black Tea)
Country of Origin: Tanzania
Region: Usumbara
Shipping Port: Tanga
Grade: BP1 (Broken Pekoe 1)
Altitude: 6000’ - 7000’ ft. above sea level
Manufacture Type: CTC (Cut Tear & Curl)
Cup Characteristics: One of the nicest teas to come from one of the best
estates in Tanzania. It has a malty character with nutty-like flavor.
Infusion: Tending rosy with golden highlights.
Ingredients: Luxury black tea
Information:
Outside of China, most of the world’s tea was planted by British or
Dutch colonists. Tanzania on the other hand holds the distinction of
being the only country where it was first planted by Germans. Germany’s
control of the country was relatively short lived, lasting only from the
1880’s until 1919. It was during this time however, in 1904, that tea
was first planted experimentally at the Agricultural Research Station at
Amani in the eastern Tanga district. This first experiment was a
success. Tea was next planted experimentally at the Kyimbila Mission in
the Rugwe District – also a success. Even with these successful
experiments behind them, it would not be for another few years that the
German planters would expand commercially on a larger scale. For that,
another 20 years and a World War would come to pass.
In 1919, Britain took over from Germany as the colonial ruler of the
country. Still, many German settlers stayed on in the country and in
1926, one of them decided to build a large tea garden and factory in the
vicinity of the Usumbara mountains. The hilly terrain and rich soil of
the district was found to be particularly conducive to growing tea and
as time passed other planters moved in and the number of estates
increased. One of these was Luponde, situated high in the hills at 1800
meters above sea level. Right from the start Luponde estate proved
itself capable of producing some of Tanzania’s finest teas, a trait that
continues to this day.
The modern era of Luponde is characterized by more than just amazing
tea. In recent years the estate has earned a Fair Trade certification
and has established an excellent track record of beneficial social and
economic developments for its workers. As an example, the estate
recently used some of their Fair Trade premiums to construct a mill for
grinding maize. While this may seem like a small development, prior to
the mill’s construction, workers had to haul their maize 7 km away to
have it ground. (The estate’s workers are given land on which to grow
their own crops.) The estate is also renowned for its excellent
environmental practices, forgoing chemical fertilizers and other
synthetic agricultural inputs in favor of an all-natural style of tea
husbandry. Tanzania’s early planters would be very proud of what has
grown from their initial experiments so many years ago. Brew a pot and
raise a toast to success!
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 enhance the flavor character
on this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea
‘straight-up’