Tulsi - India's "Holy Basil"

One of the most interesting things we found at the World Tea Expo was Tulsi, an herb from India with a distinct flavor.


Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is also known as Holy Basil. It is part of the basil genus and is often used in various ayurvedic remedies. Tulsi is also naturally caffeine-free. It seems to have a number of health benefits, but what attracted us to it was its unique taste. It's hard to describe; slightly spicy, sweet, floral and minty, all at the same time.

There are two varieties of Tulsi, purple and green (the green is pictured). We've brought in six different blends in bulk; the pure green and purple varieties, as well as Cooling Mint, Marigold Lemon, Orange Fennel, and "House Blend", a mix of green and purple Tulsi.

We've also brought in some boxes of unbleached teabags; Pure Tulsi, Tulsi & Lemongrass, Tulsi Chai and Tulsi & Ginger, as well as an assortment pack of all four.

Oh, did I mention they are all Certified Organic? Our supplier also works with small farms to help support Sikhya - a free school for homeless, underpriveleged chlidren in Northern India.

We don't have it on the website currently, but we'll be brewing it up in the shop quite often, so come in and give this unique herb a try!

New teas from India

After a long wait, the Makaibari Estate Autumnal Flush 2009 Darjeeling is finally here! Well, almost. We got samples and tasted them, now we're just waiting for it to arrive and it should be any day now.

UPDATE: It's here! You can get it on our website or in the shop.



We usually get the Autumnal flush sometime around January or February, so you may be wondering what the hold-up was. Well, they had a very good excuse; in May of 2009, Cyclone Aila ravaged several tea estates in Darjeeling, including Makaibari. They have done a remarkable job of recovering, though, and were still able to produce an Autumnal flush.

It has a lovely smooth flavor with less astringency than most other Darjeelings. The liquor is a bright golden color. It's a bit lighter than one would expect in an Autumnal, but it's still a good, well-rounded tea. We'll have it in the shop and online soon, but remember, it's a seasonal tea so we won't have it forever.

Darjeeling may be the most famous tea-producing region in India, but it's certainly not the only one. Nilgiri, in southern India, is quickly becoming more well-known in the tea industry for its unique flavor. Nilgiri teas tend to have some similarity to Ceylon teas (which makes sense, they're practically neighbors), but Nilgiri teas have a fragrant, woodsy quality not found in other teas.



For quite some time, we had a wonderful tea from the Havukal Estate in Nilgiri, but sadly we can't get that particular picking anymore. So recently we tasted several samples of Nilgiri teas to try to take its place. This OP (Orange Pekoe) grade tea from the Korakundah Estate was the winner of our taste test, and so here it is!

The flavor is a bit lighter than our Corsley Estate, but still has that exceptional woodsy fragrance that Nilgiri is known for. This would make a lovely afternoon tea, perfect for relaxing in the bright Spring weather. And not only does it taste good, but it's TransFair certified and grown using organic farming methods. The Korakundah Estate Nilgiri is available in the shop and online.