Seeking Out The Rare, The Unusual And The Exotic
At Chateau Rouge we search far and wide for exceptional single-estate leaf teas that are a little different from the norm. From a handcrafted White Monkey (that’s actually a green tea) to a lightly fermented Pouchong from Taiwan and a complex black tea from the only tea estate in the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim. If you’re a tea lover we look forward to introducing you to some exciting new taste experiences.
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Formosa Pouchong
Oolong TeaTaiwan is renowned for its semi-fermented teas: Oolongs and even more lightly fermented Pouchongs ('green Oolongs'). Formosa (name given by Portuguese explorers to the island meaning 'beautiful') Pouchong, is slightly less oxidized than other oolongs and has the lightness and freshness of an unfermented green tea but is sweeter and more fragrant.
"A proper tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards"
A.A. Milne
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Imperial Earl Grey
Black TeaThe most English of all our teas. Many myths and recipes surround Earl Grey, whose distinctive flavour and aroma come from combining black teas with oil extracted from bergamot rind. For this blend we have blended premium grade southern Italian bergamot oil with Keemun, Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon teas. Producing a light yet fragrant, and stylishly complex refreshing brew.
"There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Jasmine Downy Pearls
Green TeaA delicate, intensely fragrant tea from the mist shrouded mountains of northern Fujian, China. Tender, silver tipped tea buds are layered with freshly gathered jasmine blossoms, before being hand-rolled into elegant pearls.
Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its noblest qualities
Okakura Kakuzo, The Book of Tea
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Nepal Fikkal Ilam
Black TeaNepal tea industry has been slow to develop, but the fantastic, little-known, Darjeeling-style teas from this fabled Himalayan land are starting to make waves. This wonderfully complex tea, from the Fikkal in Ilam, delivers an amazing jammy sweetness, and pepper, caramel and almond flavours that linger tantalisingly on the tongue. Fair-trade and Organic from 2013 we are pleased to be working with this beautiful tea estate.
"Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea."
Henry Fielding, Love in Several Masques
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Sikkim Temi
Black Tea - First Flush FTGFOP1Acclaimed as one of the best tea producers in India, the Temi Tea Garden is the only estate in the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim, and teas are rarely exported. It produces rare high-grown teas, similar to neighbouring Darjeeling, but from distinctly younger bushes. The gorgeous looking leaves deliver a refined golden liquor with hints of ripe fruits.
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea"
Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady
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White Monkey
Green TeaGrown on Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, China, this unusually light one bud and two leaves green tea derives its name from the way its leaves look like monkeys paws. Plucked and processed entirely by hand, it is fresh, mellow, sweet and fragrant. The name White Monkey (also known as Snow Jade rabbit) draws on the fuzzy streaks of down on the leaves, akin to monkey paws and legends of monks who used to train monkeys to picked the toppest leaves from the massive tea trees that used to grow wild in the region.
"If a man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty"
Ancient Japanese saying
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Wiedouw Rooibos - Long Cut Organic
Tisane (Herbal Tea)The most tea-like of herbal teas, 100% organic, naturally caffeine free Rooibos (also known as Redbush tea) is renowned for its health properties. This single estate Rooibos has been selected exclusively from the Wiedouw tea farm in the Cederberg mountains of South Africa, has been organic since 1997 as well as Rainforest Alliance and Fair-trade certified. The production process has remained largely unchanged and makes use of the natural hot and sunny climate, where the tea is entirely handpicked and cured naturally in the sun. This award winning special long-cut Rooibos has a soothing aroma and sweet vibrant taste with an almost 'tea-like' texture that produces multiple flavorsome cups using the same leaves.
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me"
C.S. Lewis
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Wild Harvest Organic Honeybush
Tisane (Herbal Tea)Long known in South Africa for its numerous health benefits, this fragrant herbal tea (or tisane) named after its honey scented flowers is similar to the better known Rooibos but has a sweeter flavour. Gathered exclusively by hand growing wild in the mountains of Langkloof in the Eastern Cape and dried naturally in the African sun, this rare variety of Honeybush is naturally organic and yields a fresh, mild, 100% caffeine-free infusion with gorgeous honey/peppery undertones.
"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future."
Thich Nhat Hanh
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