It’s a wet, misty morning outside that speaks of mystical adventures. I’m almost expecting a unicorn to step out from the line of trees.
I felt like I was in a drippy, green cocoon when I stepped out onto our backyard deck. The trees embrace our backyard world in a protective sway.
This morning’s tea is from the Oliphant tea estate, located in the Nuwara Eliya district on the tropical island of Sri Lanka, better known as Ceylon in the tea world. I have found information that this estate was the first to grow 30 tea plants brought over to the island from China. Sir Anthony Oliphant was a chief justice on the island around the time of his son’s, Laurence Oliphant, birth in 1829. Both men are credited with being the first to grow tea on the island.
Ceylon is well known for its black tea production. Think a “brisk” cup of a well known teabag. However, I have chosen a green tea instead and it is a delight with its large broad leaves and golden yellow tea color.
At the highest altitude for tea growing on Sri Lanka, the Nuwara Eliya tea growing district is an emerald green world due to its high rainfall.
The leaf of this tea reminds me of the large leaves found in a China Yunnan tea. Here is one that took on a most interesting shape during processing.
A duck for a wet day.
The aroma is slightly vegetal with a very smooth flavor with hints of toast and fruit. This would be a perfect green tea for those not enjoying the vegetal quality that a green tea usually posesses. That quality is extremely light in this tea.
Today I’m off to an Art Fair with a friend. Hopefully, the sun will peek out this afternoon.
Enjoy the weekend!
Art and Tea 
Love the duck.. my first thoughts also. I hope the art fair was fun..
The dish in the first picture is beautiful! Where did you find it?
Would you send that unicorn and all your wet, misty weather down here to us, please? This was a lovely post, Karen.
Kathy V in NM
It was a lot of fun, Judy, thanks!
Hi Katie, thanks for visiting! I purchased that as part of a sushi set at Home Goods about 5 or 6 years ago.
I’d love to trade weather, Kathy! My son and his family live in NM and he tells me that there’s not much rain that falls there. Not as much as here anyway. I’ll be visiting in September. Can’t wait!
Ceylon Green Tea. Interesting. I’d like to try it since it doesn’t have a vegetal taste. It’s good to know they’re able to make a good Green Tea like this. I’ve come to love the vegetal taste of a Green Tea like a Japanese variety but it seems to be an acquired taste.
I know what you mean, Jason. It took me years to acquire a taste for some of the more vegetal tasting teas like Sencha.
Funny, did you know that a unicorn’s head is the crest of the chiefs of the Oliphants?
Sir Anthony is from the Condie branch, whose crest is a falcon, but with the senior branches dying out in the male line, the chiefship (and with it the arms (and crest) of the chiefs) now is held by a descendant of a younger brother of Sir Anthony. Had Sir Anthony’s son, Laurence had descendants, they would be using a unicorn’s head as their crest.