Interestingly, the story of Kosabei estate TGFOP, perhaps one of the finest teas produced in Kenya, actually begins in Assam, far up in the Himalayan foothills in North Eastern India. During the 19th century, long before tea was ever plated in Kenya, (rumoured to have been in 1903), British planters had been clearing jungle and producing teas for the London auction up in Assam. The early planters lived in extreme isolation, often weeks upriver from the nearest town. Subsequently, they had a lot of time on their hands.
Now, where does the Kenyan connection come into play? One of Assam's early planters was a man by the name of George Williamson. Williamson's excellent business acumen and knack for growing and manufacturing exceptional teas soon caught the attention of the London auction houses and his company grew into one of the largest and best-run private tea companies in the world. During their many years growing tea in Assam, George Williamson's perfected the art of the tea world's finer grades, among them, TGFOP - Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. During the early part of the new millennium, George Williamson's moved their business from Assam to Kenya, bringing their tea expertise with them and ushering in a new era of Kenyan production.
Recognising the exceptional quality of seasonal Kenyan leaf, Williamson's decided to experiment with some of the more traditional Orthodox leaf styles they had manufactured back in Assam. The result is some of the finest, most flavourful teas to be found anywhere on Earth.
Extremely high in antioxidants and full of goodness, our Kenya Kambaa (Kosabei) TGFOP is quite simply an outstanding tea, at once light and profound, gentle and astringent with notes of malt, currant and moist earth. Like all good Kenyan's this tea makes an excellent self-drinker but also takes milk extremely well.
An inspiring cup from the Tuscany of Tea! Loaded with regional nuance, tends malt, exceptionally fresh - A moment of goodness, transported away, like drinking tea on the estate.
