Melfort Special Green Tea — Pussellawa Valley Loose Leaf Green Tea

🍵 The Leaf — Matt olive-green, coarse and open-rolled, produced at the Melfort Estate in the Pussellawa Valley using Chinese Camellia sinensis plants and a dedicated modern green tea facility

🍵 The Cup — A glowing golden liquor with a lively, fresh bouquet — fruity and gently spicy, with a full body and a pleasing, clean bite that lingers

🍵 The Character — More presence and structure than many lighter green teas, with a fruity freshness and a spicy warmth that recalls the best of traditional Chinese large-leaf green tea

🍵 The Occasion — Rewarding for a thoughtful morning brew or a mid-afternoon pause; equally enjoyable drunk hot or cooled over ice on warmer days

Melfort Special Green Tea is a premium loose leaf Ceylon green tea from the Pussellawa Valley in Sri Lanka — one of the finest and most distinctive green teas the island produces. Grown at the Melfort Tea Estate in the Nuwara Eliya district, where cultivation began in 1914, and produced at a dedicated modern green tea facility established in 2004, this Sri Lankan green tea has earned a reputation as a market leader for good reason. The estate sits at around 3,000 feet above sea level, where the cool highland climate and excellent growing conditions give the leaf a clarity and character that sets it apart from other Ceylon teas.

The leaf itself is striking: matt olive-green, coarse and open in style, with an appearance that echoes traditional Chinese green tea craftsmanship. This is no accident — the estate works exclusively with Chinese Camellia sinensis plants, carefully selected for their quality, and processes the leaf using methods that preserve its freshness and natural complexity. The result is a loose leaf green tea with genuine personality: a golden cup that glows, a bouquet that is fresh and fruity with an appealing spicy lift, and a full-bodied flavour that carries a slight, pleasant bite — lively without being sharp, structured without being austere.

What makes Melfort Special genuinely memorable is its presence. Where many green teas offer delicacy above all else, this one offers depth and expressiveness too. The fruity and spicy notes are not subtle backgrounds — they are part of what makes this tea so satisfying cup after cup. It is ideal for those who love loose leaf green tea but find lighter styles a little one-dimensional, and equally rewarding for experienced Sri Lankan tea drinkers looking for something outside the classic Ceylon black.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists. With over 350 teas and infusions — one of the largest collections in the country — we have spent years seeking out teas that offer something genuinely remarkable. Melfort Special Green Tea is exactly the kind of find we love: single-estate, carefully produced, and with a character all of its own.

Ingredients: Green tea.

Brewing Note: Melfort Special brews best with water that has cooled slightly from the boil — around 80°C is ideal. Use one heaped teaspoon per cup and steep for two to three minutes, though those who enjoy a bolder, spicier cup can push to four minutes without bitterness becoming an issue, thanks to the structure of the leaf. The open-rolled leaf unfurls readily, so a roomy infuser or teapot gives the best results. This tea also works well brewed cold: steep in room-temperature water for four to six hours in the fridge for a clean, refreshing iced green tea with all the fruity character intact.