319 Ceylon Vithanakande FBOPF (EX) [HOME]
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Reviewer: Candace Pritchard, antioch,TN
March 27, 2009
Years ago I had some Assam in England that spoiled me for life. As hard as I tried, I never could find that exact taste again. Well this tastes just like that. All other teas are tastless for me after this. I love it!
Reviewer: A tea Drinker, SHELTON,CT
January 29, 2009
Not sure what "A tea Drinker" has been drinking, but bland is one word I most certainly would NOT use to describe this tea. It may not be your "cup of tea" in so far as the flavor is concerned, but it is anything but bland. My first impression of this tea is that it is exceptionally flavorful and complex for a Ceylon, which can sometimes taste almost one-dimensional. Not so with the Vithanakande - there's a lot going on in this tea. It's quite aromatic and if you let it cool down a bit, you can even taste some cocoa notes. This tea is brisk and inviting.
Reviewer: A tea Drinker, Tigard, OR
December 27, 2008
I've tasted this tea several times and am disappointed. I would describe it not as "medium bodied", but as "invisibly bodied". It's painfully bland.
Reviewer: David, Lighthall, Fresno,CA
July 03, 2008
I have only recently been exposed to high quality teas through a local vendor in Fresno, Ca, el Tea. I was lucky to discover this tea early on and have yet to find another that I prefer. Yes, the leaves are exquisite, along with the taste. I will have to try it with the other Ceylonese variety mentioned in another review. I would also add that the price offered by Specialty Teas is a bargain.
Reviewer: A tea Drinker, Kensington ,CA
May 17, 2008
Simply the best tea I've ever had the pleasure of tasting.
Reviewer: Michael , DeCoster , Kensington ,CA
March 06, 2008
A truly excellent tea and worth paying a little extra for. Very drinkable
Reviewer: A tea Drinker, Suwanee ,GA
September 09, 2007
I tried this tea as a sample. If you are used to regular black tea in tea bags, you'll notice the astringency, bitterness, and after taste are completely gone in this tea. It is very smooth. The only thing I can say is that it is also quite generic - UNTIL you blend it with 311 Ceylon Koslanda OP Organic. Without doubt, this is a must try! Smooth, creamy, robust without any flavor over powering the other. The combination is simply amazing. I'll be ordering both for to blend as my everyday tea. Even a guest commented it was absolutely the best breakfast tea they'd had.
Reviewer: A tea Drinker, Teaville, OH
January 30, 2007
Scott from Ohio: This is in regards to Matthew from Chicago comment on "high price". If you seriously price this tea, you'll see how reasonable the price is, as I have not seen it cheaper ANYWHERE else.
Reviewer: Matthew , Schrank , Chicago ,IL
January 14, 2007
This tea looks very pretty and smells lovely, but I found the body of it rather lacking. Very nice finish, definately has that trademark Ceylon hint of citrus, but little in terms of mid-tones. However, not a bad tea and I think it should be tried despite its high price.
Reviewer: A tea Drinker, Pittsburgh ,PA
June 23, 2006
#319 was a pleasant complement to my usual Assams. I agree with most of the description; there's a touch of cocoa in the aroma, and the flavor is brisk and interesting. It's brighter flavored than most Assams I've tried, and not as far along the path to cocoa as Golden Monkey. For me, it's another good work tea, it doesn't require close attention to enjoy the flavors.
Reviewer: Stephen , Shotwell , Belmont ,CA
January 29, 2006
This may be my favorite tea of all. Brisk, fruity, winey, aromatic. Brilliant red-orange color. I don't detect any cocoa flavor in the current lot, but I do taste a note of raspberry. (Yum!) Store this tea carefully, as I believe it can decline faster than most. (I learned the hard way -- had a Ceylon of similar quality a couple years back that went from vibrant to flat within a half year.)
Reviewer: A tea Drinker, Tea Leaf, OH
September 14, 2005
"Scott from Ohio" I misjudged the chocolate notes in the tea. Only after allowing the brew to cool down could I taste chocolate notes in the tea. My impression of the tea has improved, and so has my rating to 5 stars, tops among other Ceylon teas for taste & leaf quality.
Reviewer: SCOTT , BURGESS , ELYRIA ,OH
September 02, 2005
Scott from Ohio This tea probably has the prettiest leaf of any black tea in memory, with white tips or streaks along the leaf. For me I have to use slightly more tea to get the Ceylon flavor I like. Very smooth & never bitter, but for some reason I don't notice the chocolate notes that others have mentioned. Very good tea, but #317 Kenilworth OP Ceylon has more flavor. Vithanakande still is worth reordering as it is a unique, memorable tea.
Reviewer: Guillaume Deudon,
My breakfast favorite. No milk - no sugar! A few small cups. Better than any other Ceylon/Assam/Chinese tea.
Reviewer: Chan Sen,
What an unbelievable taste. It's a pitty more people don't know about this tea. One try, and your hooked for life!
Reviewer: Anna from Hoboken,
Oh my, this is GOOD, and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I like that it's not as "lemony" or "citrusy" as more typical Ceylons. It is definitely a "cross-regional" tea, representing the absolute best of a Ceylon, Assam and China Black all in one. How is such a multi-dimensional tea possible???
Reviewer: Sean Dressler,
This is about the prettiest tea Ive ever seen. Has qualities of nice, brisk Ceylon; boldness of Assam; and, a little hint of chocolate like China black. Great value!!
Reviewer: Sergey,
I've gotten this tea as a sample. It is the best of the teas I've ever tried. Not a Ceylon like taste at all. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. To anyone who never tried quality tea tasting this particular brand will surely put this individual to disadvantage of wanting to drink this tea again and again, without considering other kind of teas, because they (other teas) will be inferior by taste. But of course, it's not cheap.
Reviewer: Sergey,
For some reason my review of this brand wasn't posted. I wonder why. I did praised this tea. And here I repeat again and again. If you never drank quality teas and happened to drink this one, you will have hard time finding something better in Ceylon-Assam range. Of course, all opinions are subjective, but I ordered pound of it. (Comment from SpecialTeas: Please be assured that we post all review we receive - good, bad or indifferent - as long as they do not contain obscene or offensive language ( … you would not believe the creativity). Unfortunately, for unexplained reasons, we did not receive Sergey's original posting. Thank you for resubmitting it.)
Reviewer: Robin H,
I didn't expect to ever find a black tea I would like better than SpecialTea's Golden Monkey, but here it is! On a comfortable weekend morning when I really want to relax with a wonderful taste, this is the tea I ALWAYS choose now.
