Black from Kenya

[disillusioned]

I bought mostly as a curiosity some black teas from Kenya from Mabroukie Estate and Malaika Estate anyone heard anything about them?[/i]

[Chip]

Even estate Kenyan teas have never impressed me as self drinkers which I suppose is why the vast majority of Kenyan export ends up as blenders. I believe I have tried Mabroukie.

Nothing wrong with them, and I liken them to a blend of Ceylon and Assam.

[silverneedles]

no specific info, from reading RFDT (Nigel @ nbtea.co.uk who is involved in tea farming there)

most kenyan tea is for teabags

some of the tea plants are made to have higher caffeine content

[disillusioned]

Interesting stuff well they are just samples so I figured it was worth a try

[shardy53]

I find that kenyan teas and Ceylon teas are both great for blending. To me, they both have sort of a neutral flavor that is not unpleasant, but a bit bland. I would drink them mainly in the afternoon or in iced tea with a bit of lemon. I find that I have a hard time describing the taste of these teas, other than they taste like old fashion tea bag tea. Below is a chart that I made. (Yes I have too much time on my hands right now.

Steve


....................................Sweet, Floral Darjeeling................................................
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Malty Assam.....................Neutral Kenyan, Ceylon......................Smokey Keemun
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....................................Rich, Peppery, Buttery, Yunnan.......................................

[Intuit]

My few experiences with Kenyan teas left the impression that they're unremarkable.

High grown Ceylon teas aren't bland, but low-grown Sri Lankan teas harvest year-round are, and these are most often used in blends.

I suspect that Javanese teas are also predominantly used in blends. Depends on the flavor attributes, seasonal availability and pricing, I guess.