Lumbini FBOPFEXS (Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings Extra Special )from the Lumbini Estate is an extraordinary Ceylon Ruhunu black tea with 'mouth feel' and a plum finish but with a very rare handmade leaf style. A tea to note!
The Lumbini FBOPFEXS offered here is a Specialty Tea Institute gold medallist. Quite frankly, it's easy to understand why. The finished leaf is exceptionally well crafted and very stylish, overflowing with golden and silver tips. The cup is likewise superb with an amber liquor opening up to a refreshing medium body, mouth filling astringency and delicate notes of plum on the finish. Lumbini FBOPFEXS is an exceptional tea from an exceptional source!
Ingredients: Artisan black tea
Origin: Lumbini Estate, Matara District, Sri Lanka
Lumbini Tea Factory, located in the Matara district of Sri Lanka's Southern Province is by all counts a model for the global tea industry. Not only are their teas utterly spectacular, but also their commitment to safe practices, sustainability and the environment is second to none.
Lets start with the nuts and bolts. The family run factory was commissioned in 1984 to produce a capacity of 3000 kg of finished tea per month. Over time, that number has increased to 50,000 kg of finished tea per month. To produce that much tea, 300,000 kg of fresh green leaf is purchased from nearly 2500 growers in the region, or is plucked from the factory's own 150 acres under tea and the 1200 acres of land it rents to grow fresh leaf. Daily production is handled by 100 full time staff that sort, process and grade all finished tea. It's quite a serious operation.
It's also an exceptionally well-run operation. Lumbini's attention to detail has seen it earn its HACCP certification, ISO 9001:2000 Certification, a merit award as the best tea factory in Sri Lanka by the STI, Specialty Tea Institute of America, the highest price ever at the Colombo auction, and a further award from the STI, a gold award for the tea we are offering here, the Lumbini FBOPFEXS, Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings Extra Special. If that isn't enough to convince you that this is one heck of a tea operation, consider also that Lumbini composts all its organic waste to be used as a natural fertilizer and plants trees to help maintain their surrounding forests. (The estate is located near the Sinharaja Forest, one of Asia's last virgin rainforests.) In short, Lumbini is a top of the line tea supplier.
Water Temperature: Just off the Boil (205 degrees)
Water Quality: Best with Spring Water
Amount of Leaf (per 6 fl oz water): 1 tsp. to 1 Tbl.(2.5 grams)
Steep Time: 2--4 minutes
Number of Infusions: 1
When measuring it is best to weigh your tea. (I use a small pocket scale. We have a few or you can get good inexpensive scales at Old Will Knotts) Measuring volume with a teaspoon or tablespoon is not accurate because whole leaf teas take up much more space than broken, graded teas.
We highly recommend brewing your tea in a teapot or mug with a removable infuser so that you can remove the leaves at the end of the steeping time. Whole leaf teas of this quality need room to unfurl and expand in the water in order to perform their "magic." However, leaving the tea leaves in the water will result in an over-infused, bitter tea. If you want a stronger cup of tea increase the amount of leaf rather than the steeping time. If you don't have a removable infuser, you can brew the loose leaves directly in the pot. At the end of the steeping time, pour all of the tea into a warm serving pitcher or pot.