Tea Society “Bespoke Teas”
Tea Society "Bespoke Teas"
A "Bespoke Tea"- like a Savile Row "bespoke suit"- is made to order and one of a kind, unique. All Tea Society teas are "bespoke", that is, specifically created for Devan Shah, who grew up in the Nilgiris and entered the tea trade in south India, and James Norwood Pratt, one of the world’s leading authorities on tea and tea lore. As unique creations of the tea maker's art, these small lots of tea are not intended to compete in the trade but to repre-sent the pinnacle to which teas of the type can aspire. They are benchmarks of excellence, hors de commerce, and by no means for everybody. Though definitely out of the ordinary, they are also tastes that can be acquired.
In January of 2002, Frost Tea was produced for us on four of the leading estates in the Nilgiri hills district. This little-known tea-producing region in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India is a plateau 35 miles long and 20 miles broad, with an average elevation of 6500 feet above sea level. Its best-kept secret all these years is that Nilgiri at its best ranks with the world’s greatest teas. Flagrantly fragrant, this is high-grown black tea with an appetizing greenness to its flavor. Individually, Nilgiri Tea Society "Bespoke Teas" are distinctive, with contrasting leaf appearance, aroma and flavor profile, but all are identi-fiably Nilgiri at its very, very best.
