The Perfect Cup of Kambaa

As with all top quality teas, scoop 2-4 teaspoons of tea into the teapot, pour in boiling water that has been freshly drawn (previously boiled water has lost most of its oxygen and therefore tends to be flat tasting, steep for 3-7 minutes (to taste), stir (virtually all the leaves will sink), pour into your cup, add milk (do not use cream) and sugar to taste - sit back and enjoy a moment in Kenya.

Fine Iced Tea

Makes one quart: place 6 teabags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [Please note - High quality tea can ‘cream down’, meaning it looks like you added milk. This is normal for high quality teas and there is nothing wrong with your iced tea. High quality tea has a higher percentage of tannins which cause the ‘creaming down’.]

Kambaa Estate Tea from Kenya

Kambaa is one of the premiere factories under umbrella of the KTDA (Kenya Tea Development Authority -a state run corporation). Each factory in the KTDA relies on the ‘small holder’ (small individual family farming unit) to provide the green leaf for the making of black tea. Within the KTDA there are 150,000 small holders supplying green leaf to 39 factories scattered throughout the tea growing districts of Kenya.

Despite such a diverse supply of green leaf to the various factories there is very rigid quality control mechanisms in place, which ensure that farmers tender top quality produce. Kambaa is consistently within the top 4 quality tea estates of the KTDA and indeed Kenya.

Tea is a very important product for Kenya. The industry provides employment for several hundred thousand people from the small holders through to the steamship companies that transport the tea around the globe. Tea is a relative newcomer to the Kenyan agricultural scene. Tea was started by British planters after the Second World War. Many of these planters were feeling unwanted in India (India achieved independence in 1947) and migrated to Kenya. Despite a ban on the transfer of plants and information, these planters smuggled Indian tea plants into Kenya. The plants thrived in the Kenyan climate and today Kenya is the world’s largest exporter of tea.

Kambaa black tea has a malty flavor that has light hints of currant. It's bright coppery cup turns golden when milk is added. It also makes an excellent iced tea.

Teabags
Kambaa Teabag Sampler (5 servings) - $3.95
Kambaa Teabags - Single Bag - 24 servings - $10.95
Kambaa Teabags - Double Pack - 48 servings - $16.95