Do you like dark chocolate? Trust me, it’s a very relevant question for this Basilur Uva tea review! I love trying single origin teas as you really capture the natural flavour notes of the tea from that specific region.
The Uva region of Sri Lanka (also known as Ceylon) is extremely distinct and rather tasty. In my full review below, I’ll give you an idea of what to expect from this hearty black tea and my favourite way to brew it.
Basilur Uva Black Tea at a Glance
- Tea: Single origin black tea from the Uva region of Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
- Flavour: A full-bodied and hearty black tea with bitter, dark and rich notes
This is a very bitter tea, but that’s sort of the charm of it! I’ve dubbed it the dark chocolate of tea as it’s so rich, dark and full-bodied. You’ll love this tea with a splash of milk.
Full Review – Single Origin Ceylon Uva Tea
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Tea: Black tea
- Origin: Uva, Sri Lanka
- Flavour Notes: Bitter, dark chocolate, hearty, warming, rich, full-bodied
- Aroma: Rich, tannins, earthy, bark, autumn leaves, slightly malty
- Milk or Lemon: Milk and sugar, if desired
- Where to Buy: Amazon (Leaf of Ceylon box)
The initial aroma of this tea is a real treat. Breathing in the aroma of the dried leaves brings up rich tannin notes with an almost earthy aroma. Tree bark and freshly fallen leaves swirl around too. It’s like inhaling a long walk on an autumn day.
It brews into a very dark chocolate brown tea colour and intensifies in aroma, taking on a slightly malty edge.
And the flavour. Oh my. The flavour is something else.
It’s undeniably bitter from the first sip to the last, but this is one of those rare teas where the bitterness is perfect! The bitter darkness combined with the richness, full-bodied, hearty and warm notes just feels right.
The best way I have of explaining how the bitterness works is to compare Basilur Uva tea to dark chocolate. It’s decadent and flavourful as much as it is bitter and overpowering.
I enjoyed drinking this tea immensely.
How to Brew Uva Tea
I brewed this tea for just 3 minutes in water just off the boil (around 95°C) although Basilur recommend 3 to 5 minutes.
At 3 minutes, it was plenty dark enough to add milk – so only brew for 5 minutes if you really want to blow your socks off!
I tasted this tea without milk for the purposes of this review, then went back later and tried it with milk. Ultimately, I prefer it with a small amount of milk to curb the bitterness a little. You could add a spoonful of sugar too, if desired.
This is one of those teas that goes perfectly with a few biscuits in the afternoon.
Why Basilur Sri Lanka Leaf of Ceylon?
I’ve been drinking Basilur teas for years now – I love the quality and packaging of their teas. Their blends have become legendary on my blog and now that I’m delving into their single origin offerings, I’m equally impressed.
Basilur Uva is part of the ‘Leaf of Ceylon’ collection box of 4 different teas. It is available to buy separately, but you’ll need to go to Basilur directly for that.
What’s really interesting about this single origin is how different it is to other single origin teas I’ve tried from the Uva region. Mlesna’s Uva tea offering springs to mind. I’ve yet to review that one on the blog but here’s a spoiler: it’s quite floral and even has a citrusy bergamot edge! The only thing the Uva teas have in common is that interesting darkness and unmistakable bitterness.
Tea merchants often describe teas from this region as distinctive, characterful, bold, and pungent – so Basilur Uva certainly fits in.
Summary
I highly recommend trying this tea – I’ve found it available on Amazon as part of the Leaf of Ceylon box. It gives you three other Ceylon teas to try alongside Uva so you’re bound to love at least one of them. You can also find these teas available to buy directly from Basilur (I believe they have international shipping).
Tea Recommendation
For another black tea but with added flavourings from spices and fruit, I recommend reading my review of English Tea Shop Christmas Night Tea. Or, if you’re set on finding a single origin tea to try, head over to my Tea Review Index in the menu to browse all the teas I have reviewed.