Yeah I love that description 'Chewy Tannins' )

Indeed I'm glad there are more premium lines coming about, as long as
they are actually premium quality and not just 'value added'
packaging. While I agree their teabags will never be quite the same as
loose leaf I think they definitely stand out by miles in comparison to
other teabags in the mass market, many of which smell like crusty old
socks or cardboard! I think it's mainly due to how fresh their tea is,
even in teabags... and I can totally vouch for that having seen the
process on a tour of their factory recently... very high standard.
What I think makes them really stand out is that they do it all
themselves because they are the grower, the processor and the
packager... the tea once picked doesn't sit around losing freshness
passing through numerous middlemen before final packaging and
shipping.

I'd be quite interested to know of other tea growers who do this, I'm
sure they are out there if someone can point to a few as I imagine
they are not many, especially those who export internationally.

I've tried so many other specialty teas imported and sold through
specialty traders and I just find that although very nice they often
lack a special something, a certain complexity that I've found in the
t-series tea... and I'm sure it comes down to freshness.

I've gotta say now that even though I'm a Dilmah fan I've become
spoilt with their premium t-series range and though I can still
appreciate their mass market range I find it hard to go back to
nowadays! )

Ah all this talk of tea... time for another cuppa.

Jon









On Apr 7, 3:21 am, "Space Cowboy" wrote:
Thanks for backing me up on the smokiness. I thought maybe it was
just me. I'll back you up on the chewy tannins. I've had Dilmah in
the past and disappointed. I will say they were the teabags. I have
some loose somewhere just haven't got around to it. I notice all the
brands are adding a Premium line.

Jim