Stash House Blend
stash storestash websitestore and website   Internet Tea Special of the Week Each week Stash offers a selected loose tea and FREE canister	100% natural ingredients: blended black teas, china jasmine

Stash House Blend

Our house blend is a signature blend of rich Assam, exquisite Ceylon, smooth Darjeeling, fruity Oolong, smoky Keemun and fragrant Jasmine. Each tea adds its distinctive flavor notes to this special blend.

The rainy valley of Assam is the birthplace of Indian tea. The 3000 acre Kopili Estate at 2000 feet, is the highest elevation in Assam. Teas from Kopili are very unique due to the proximity of virgin rain forest, hot springs at Garampani, the climate, and soil conditions. Kopili Assam has the malty, full-bodied flavor of the best Assams and some unique flavor notes due to the garden's location.

Ceylon, or its contemporary name, Sri Lanka, is a beautiful tropical island about the size of England that lies just off the southern tip of India. Ceylon tea is grown from sea level to altitudes exceeding 7000 feet. One of the most famous tea gardens in Sri Lanka, Kenilworth Estate, produces Ceylons with long wiry leaves and exquisite flavor.

The name Darjeeling is synonymous with superior quality black teas. This is because Darjeeling's mere forty two thousand acres under tea cultivation account for less than three percent of all tea that India produces. Darjeeling's reputation for quality tea is so high that India sells almost all of it abroad. Tea estates in Darjeeling range from less than four thousand feet to almost ten thousand feet in elevation.

Oolong is from the island of Formosa, or Taiwan, as it is known today, where it is grown on the north end of the island around Taipei. Oolong may be the last tea grown in commercial quantities on family farms. Oolong is a semi-fermented tea without the astringency characteristic of black tea. It's more deliciously fruity than any other tea, with a sparkling character.

Keemun tea, named after Quimen precinct in southern Anhui province, was a big hit in England and became a key component in English Breakfast tea blends. Its popularity spread rapidly and eventually surpassed India's Darjeeling tea as the favorite black tea in the world's tea markets. In 1915, it was awarded the gold medal at the Monde Selection in Panama as the world's finest black tea. Keemun tastes wonderful with or without milk or sugar, and goes exceptionally well with baked goods like breads, cakes and muffins.

The jasmine plant had its origins in Persia, or present day Iran. It was brought to China before the third century. However, it wasn't until sometime around the fifth century that its intoxicatingly fragrant flowers were first blended with tea. Jasmine has an intoxicating aroma and a balanced and delicate flavor. This romantic tea may be enjoyed any time of the day but is especially pleasant in the evening.