Ceylon Highgrown Special OP1 Loose Leaf Black Tea

🍵 The Leaf — Long, wiry Orange Pekoe 1 grade leaf with a slightly reddish cast, blended from highgrown Uva and Nuwara Eliya gardens at elevations between 1,000 and 2,500 metres

🍵 The Colour — A warm copper infusion, clear and inviting, with the brightness characteristic of well-crafted highgrown Ceylon black tea

🍵 The Character — Smooth and medium in strength, with a poised balance between Uva's mellow aromatic depth and Nuwara Eliya's brisk, lightly spiced elegance

🍵 The Occasion — Composed enough for quiet mornings, refined enough for the afternoon — a versatile Ceylon that suits any hour without milk or with a little

Ceylon Highgrown Special OP1 is a beautifully considered loose leaf black tea, blending selected Orange Pekoe 1 leaves from two of Sri Lanka's most celebrated highgrown regions — Uva and Nuwara Eliya. Grown at elevations between 1,000 and 2,500 metres above sea level, this highgrown Ceylon brings together two distinct regional characters to produce a cup that is smooth, medium-bodied, and genuinely elegant.

The story of Ceylon tea begins in the 1870s, when a fungal blight devastated the island's coffee plantations and Scottish planters turned to tea as an alternative. What followed was one of the great agricultural transformations of the 19th century. Sri Lanka — still known in the tea trade by its former colonial name, Ceylon — went on to become one of the world's most respected tea-producing nations. The name has stayed not merely out of tradition, but because Ceylon tea earned it.

Uva and Nuwara Eliya each bring something different to this blend. Uva, situated on the eastern slopes of the central highlands and exposed to both monsoon winds, produces a tea with a distinctly aromatic, slightly spicy character — mellow and smooth, with a depth that has made it famous since Thomas Lipton chose it to introduce Ceylon tea to America. Nuwara Eliya, sitting at over 1,800 metres on the highest plateau in Sri Lanka, contributes the region's signature brightness and briskness, a clean, fragrant note that lifts the blend and gives it lightness and refinement.

The leaf itself speaks to the quality of this tea. OP1 is one of Ceylon's finest whole-leaf grades — long, wiry, and carefully processed from fully unfurled leaves rather than broken fragments. The slightly reddish cast of the dry leaf is characteristic of well-made highgrown Ceylon, and in the cup it opens into a warm copper infusion with a gently invigorating, lightly spiced character and a clean, satisfying finish.

This is a pure black tea with no added flavourings, which makes it an especially honest and rewarding cup — one that delivers the natural depth of two exceptional growing regions in a single brew. It is equally agreeable with a splash of milk or taken without.

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 — the focus has always been on sourcing teas that offer something genuinely worth drinking, and this Ceylon is a fine example of that commitment.

Ingredients: Black tea (Uva and Nuwara Eliya highgrown Ceylon).

Brewing Note: Ceylon Highgrown Special OP1 brews best with freshly boiled water poured directly over the leaf — aim for around 95 to 100°C and allow 3 to 4 minutes for a smooth, medium-strength cup. Use approximately one heaped teaspoon per mug. Shorter steeping times will give a lighter, more delicate result that suits drinking without milk; a minute or two longer will deepen the colour and body for those who prefer their Ceylon with a dash. This tea does not require multiple infusions — it is at its best in a single, well-timed brew.