Uva OP1 Dyraaba Estate Loose Leaf Black Tea

🍵 The Leaf — Long, wiry OP1 grade leaves from the Dyraaba Estate in Sri Lanka's high-grown Uva region, harvested during the prized July to September quality season

🍵 The Colour — A clear, bright amber liquor with warmth and depth, reflecting the character of high-altitude Ceylon at its seasonal best

🍵 The Character — Smooth and medium-bodied, with a mellow, gently wine-like quality, subtle floral lift, and a clean, refined finish that sets Uva apart

🍵 The Occasion — A versatile morning or afternoon cup, equally rewarding taken neat to appreciate its finesse or with a splash of milk for added body

The Uva region of Sri Lanka produces some of the most distinctive black teas in the world — and the quality season, running from July into early September, is when Dyraaba Estate is at its very finest. Grown at altitudes between 4,000 and 5,900 feet above sea level, this OP1 grade Ceylon black tea carries all the hallmarks of high-grown Uva: clarity in the cup, a smooth and composed character, and that quietly wine-like quality that has made the region famous among tea connoisseurs for well over a century.

The Dyraaba Estate was established in 1914 by the Stratheden Tea Syndicate and has been producing quality black Ceylon teas for export ever since. The estate sits in the eastern slopes of Sri Lanka's central highlands, a remote and dramatic landscape shaped by the seasonal cachan winds that blow in from the Bay of Bengal during the dry months. It is this combination — fierce seasonal winds, dramatic temperature shifts between day and night, and reduced rainfall during the peak season — that stresses the tea bushes and concentrates flavour into the leaf in a way few other regions can replicate.

OP1 grade denotes long, wiry, well-twisted leaves picked when the buds have fully opened. The result is a leaf that releases its character slowly and evenly during infusion, building a cup with genuine depth and refinement. In the cup, Uva OP1 Dyraaba brews to a clear, bright amber. The flavour is smooth and composed — mellow rather than brash, with a delicate floral note and a subtle wine-like quality on the finish that is the hallmark of a fine seasonal Uva. It takes milk well but rewards drinking without it, too.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists, building a collection of over 350 teas and infusions — one of the largest in the country. Sourcing a tea of this quality and provenance is exactly what we set out to do from the beginning.

Ingredients: Black tea (Camellia sinensis), Dyraaba Estate, Uva, Sri Lanka.

Brewing Note: Use freshly drawn water brought to a full rolling boil — Uva OP1 is a robust black tea that benefits from 100°C water to draw out its full character. Use approximately one teaspoon (2 to 3g) of leaf per cup and steep for 3 to 4 minutes. For a lighter, more floral result, lean towards 3 minutes; for something with a little more strength and depth, take it to 4. The long OP1 leaves release flavour more gradually than broken grades, so resist the temptation to rush. This tea takes milk comfortably, though drinking it without allows the wine-like finish and floral lift of a proper seasonal Uva to come through most clearly.