What does the future hold? A lot of people think long and hard about it. Some go as far as having their palms read. What most people don't know is that fortune-telling can also be done by interpreting patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, and wine sediments in a practice known as tasseography. Fascinating, isn't it? You do not have to be a divination enthusiast to enjoy tea though. Divination has next to nothing to do with this article. What we're interested in is Kenyan tea, and what makes it a worthy investment and an indispensable beverage to any individual who doesn't just have a distinguished palate but also a reverence for culture and general well-being.
Tea is celebrated as England's national drink and has an interesting history of being very popular, especially among members of the ton. Starting with Queen Anne, who was a dedicated tea drinker, another member of the ton who adored the beverage to epic degrees was Lady Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who began the afternoon tea tradition so glorified that it features in period dramas such as Bridgerton. The English reverence for tea seems to have been passed on to their colonies if Kenya is anything to go by.
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Kenya has exhibited a legendary commitment to innovation and experimenting with its tea, from how it's grown to the varieties and flavors produced. It might be interesting to note that Melvins Tea produced Kenya's first flavored teas. As of 2018, Ketepa had 37 years of experience sourcing, blending, and packing the highest-quality Kenyan Tea. This is a guarantee that Kenyan tea is love at first sip.
Tea, also known as Kenyan gold for the immeasurable value it has to the Kenyan economy, has for the longest time been the leading export for the country. This explains why no chances are taken in its growth and generally handling from the farms, across the sea, and into your cup.
Take a look at the factors that ensure that the quality of Kenyan tea is beyond reproach.
1) Labour: Tea cultivation in Kenya is mostly manual. This ensures that the chances of damage to the tea are zero to none. From the growing to the harvesting, very little, if any interaction with machinery is involved.
2) Climatic conditions: The Kenyan Highlands, where most of the Kenyan tea is grown, are endowed with the ideal climate, red volcanic soils, well-distributed rainfall between 1200 mm to 1400 mm per annum, and long sunny days which are optimum for tea growing.
3) Processing: Most Kenyan tea is processed using the crush, tear, curl method which makes it most suitable for use in blends popular in most black- tea markets. This method is what ensures that Kenyan tea has a strong and bold tea flavor which is the base of most Indian tea blends.
Kenyan tea is categorized into two grades. The grades are leaves and granules which make for the majority of the total production and have encouraging flavoring characteristics and the fine particles which make for a minority of the production often black and fine other than the leaves and granules and with thicker liquors and aroma.
Kenyan tea, as well as from other African countries is sold through a now automated system public auction in the Kenyan coast of Mombasa.
Avid tea drinkers know that the beverage has numerous health benefits. What most people don't realize is that as early as the third century, tea was recognized as a medicinal beverage in China. You're probably wondering what benefits these could be and what are the risks of over-consumption. Worry less. Human studies on the potential health benefits of tea due to its high polyphenol contents are promising. Observational research has found that consumption of 2 to 3 cups of tea daily may help lower the risk of premature death, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Good for anyone aiming to increase their life expectancy, which is probably everyone.
Concerning the risks associated with tea, the only recognized one is an increased chance of esophageal and stomach cancers from drinking tea that is too hot. Still a risk but a minor one that may be mitigated by letting the cup of tea just slightly cool before drinking it.
Decaffeinated tea may have a lower amount of polyphenols which are associated with health benefits depending on the method of decaffeination. However, for people who prefer caffeine-free tea, Herbal teas are the perfect option. These herbal teas that are naturally caffeine-free include chamomile, peppermint, vanilla, turmeric, ginger, and fruit essence teas. They more often than not have notes of floral, fruit, mint, spice, sweetness, or bitterness. There is a vast collection to choose from depending on a person's preferences.
Kenyan tea definitely has a reputation for excellence, and this is not up for debate. This is because Kenya prides itself on stellar quality control measures to ensure that the tea meets international standards. This fact has seen the increasing global demand for Kenyan tea whose consistency and reliability are appreciated by key export markets.
All year-round supply of Kenyan tea has made it a favorite of tea drinkers around the world. Another delightful factor about Kenyan tea is that its cultivation considers the environment as shown by the integrated pest management measures and organic farming to lower environmental pollution risks all the while producing some of the best grades of tea accounting for 25% of the total exports into the world markets. High praise for Kenyan tea in appreciation for its incomparable quality in global platforms is one of the most underrated marketing strategies creating awareness and encouraging tea lovers to give it a try.
Due recognition must be paid to Kenya's newest addition to the tea market. The purple tea variety is too interesting to leave out of this article. A quarter a century was put into the development of this new variety by the state-run Tea Research Institute in a bid to diversify the industry. The new variant is high-yielding, drug-resistant, and resistant to frost and certain natural pests and its large leaves make hand plucking easy.
Explore the magic of Kenyan Tea with the World Safari Shop.
Kenyan tea has grown from humble beginnings to being a giant in the world market in its own right. Mirroring the excellent culture of Kenyan Tea, we are dedicated to bringing, across the sea, our well-selected and expertly grown tea from the Kenyan Highlands with the highest degrees of consideration for the environment, your health, taste, and wallet. That’s right, you will not have to break the bank for a taste of the magical Kenyan Tea. We bring you our best offerings at pleasantly competitive prices.
We offer a wide selection of teas from the premium loose-leaf tea to the tune of Baraka Chai, Dormans Premium Kenyan Tea, Eden tea, Kericho pure gold tea, Sasini gold tea, Melvins pure Kenya Chai to the ginger or masala flavored variants of Melvins Masala Chai, Melvins Tangawizi Chai, Baraka Chai ginger tea and Fahari ya Kenya ginger tea. As you savor each sip of the tea brands in our shop selected with iconic dexterity and relive the historical significance and culture of tea may you richly reap the benefits of the age-old beverage.