The weather is still sunny but as the temperature drops into Autumn 2020, I find myself looking for richer and warmer teas like Basilur Ruhunu Tea.
This single origin offering from Basilur showcases the unique flavour notes of black tea from the Ruhunu region of Sri Lanka. Read my full review of this Ceylon tea, including tasting notes, brewing instructions, and a few places to buy this tea, below.
Basilur Ruhunu Black Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Single origin black tea from Ruhunu, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
- Flavour: Rich, smooth and malty black tea with hints of caramel and nuts
A brilliantly bold black tea from Ceylon that feels rich and smooth in your mouth. It’s great to drink black, but even better with a splash of milk.
Full Review – Ruhunu Black Tea Bags
- Type: Tagged paper filter tea bag
- Tea: Black tea
- Origin: Ruhunu, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
- Flavour Notes: Rich, smooth, full-bodied, slightly bitter, nutty hints
- Aroma: Smooth, malty, rich, tannins, malted milk biscuits, caramel
- Milk or Lemon: Milk
- Where to Buy: Amazon (Leaf of Ceylon Collection Box) or Basilur Official Site
Opening the foil packet (which is excellent for freshness, by the way) I’m met with some classic black tea aromas. The rich tannins and malty black tea notes meet my nose first. From the start, I know that this tea is going to be the smooth and deep type, perfect for drinking with a splash of milk. One unusual aspect I noted was that this tea is neither bright nor dull, instead, it sits somewhere in-between.
It brews into a dull mud brown colour with a hint of amber red. Bubbles hold their shape on the surface, giving you an idea of how thick the texture will be.
The aroma is super yummy!
Rich, smooth notes of malted milk and a hint of caramel sweetness swirl around. It reminds me of an Assam tea… but the flavour doesn’t quite live up to my favourite Assams. There’s no sweetness in the flavour, just rich, smooth, and full-bodied black tea with a hint of nuttiness.
Overall, a very pleasant and easy to drink tea.
How to Brew Ceylon Black Tea
I brewed one tea bag for 3 minutes, but I felt like I could have brewed it for longer, especially when I plan to drink it with milk. Use freshly boiled water from the kettle, no matter how long you choose to brew it for.
The rich malty and caramel-like notes go extremely well with milk. I’m going through a soy milk faze, which plays nicely with this tea. Regular dairy milk will be fine as well, however.
If you want to be extra lavish, you can add a teaspoon of honey instead of sugar to bring out the natural rich sweetness. Basilur Ruhunu is a good tea for breakfast time or just an afternoon tea to have with a slice of cake.
Why Basilur International Teas?
This is one of the delicious teas in the Basilur Leaf of Ceylon tea box, which contains 4 teas from different regions of Ceylon. While the quality isn’t amazing within the tea bag (loose leaf is available directly from Basilur) I do feel like buying single origin tea gives you a clearer flavour than mixed leaf tea bags. The more subtle notes, like the caramel in the aroma and hint of bitterness in the taste, would be lost if it was blended with other black teas to create a breakfast blend.
Basilur describes this tea as:
“Southern Sri Lanka known as “Ruhunu District” is surrounded by the beautiful Indian Ocean and extending into rain forests which provides its soils a unique combination offered by the surrounding of this region. Hidden amidst the world’s most sought after beaches and tourist destinations are green silk spreads of tea gardens where some of the most preferred teas are grown, nurtured and plucked with utmost care. These low grown OP/BOP1 tea brews to a fair coloured, sweet liquor with a distinct low grown taste and a hint of caramel fragrance.”
If you can excuse the poor English, this is a good description of the tea flavours I noted.
Summary
This is a tea I can recommend wholeheartedly. I loved the flavour and while the distinct notes that Ruhunu tea has are quite subtle, it still stood out from my usual English Breakfast and Everyday black tea blends. The Leaf of Ceylon box set is the best way to taste this tea, as getting three tea types in one box makes it excellent value for money. I’ve linked to it on Amazon (use the button below), or you can find Ruhunu loose leaf and tea bags separately on Basilur’s official website.
Tea Recommendation
I’ve compared Basilur Ruhunu Tea to breakfast teas a few times throughout my review, so I would be amiss to not recommend a hearty English Breakfast tea as an alternative! My review of Ahmad English Tea No 1 is a great place to start.