Cheap Tea of the Month: Rabea Tea « Kasora.com’s World of Tea

Each month, World of Tea will highlight a selection from the world of low cost tea that we think is worthy of consideration. We’ll tell you where you’re likely to find it, and exactly what we think of it.

Name: Rabea Tea

Where to find: The tea aisle of your local middle-eastern grocery.

Price: About $9.99 for a two pound box.

Pick up a box of Rabea tea, and you’ll find this written on the side:

“The story of Rabea Tea began decades ago when brothers Ahmed and Abdul Qader Mohamed Saleh Baeshen prepared a special blend of Ceylon teas that they shared only with family and friends. This special blend gained popularity due to its distinctive mix of fine long leaves and the pure gold colour of its liquor. The blend eventually became widely sold under the name “Rabea Tea”, initially in wooden chests. This unique blend formula remains a closely guarded secret to this day.

Ever since it began, Rabea Tea has always maintained the quality and heritage that the Baeshen brothers envisioned for past and future generations to enjoy.”

We picked up a box of this tea (intrigued by its colorful package and the claims of excellence on its labeling), took it back to the Kasora office, and opened up the box.

The first thing we noticed was the quality of the leaves. Long, wiry, and slightly glossy, they had all the visual signs of quality in a good Ceylon tea. We scooped the standard amount into an all glass teapot, added filtered water that had been freshly boiled, and started on our way to cheap tea nirvana. The smell while the tea steeped was nice, but had us a little worried because of its unusual softness. There was none of the customary “tannic tang” we’ve come to expect from Sri Lankan black teas, no “bite to the nose”, just a whisper of creamy caramel and the faintest whiff of leather.

While the tea steeped we also noticed that it was the standard coppery red of all Indian and Sri Lankan black teas. The promised “pure gold color” was nowhere to be found. By now, we were reasonably convinced that we had purchased yet another box of cheap tea that was destined for the rubbish bin. We could not have been more wrong.

Our first sips were a revelation. This tea was a nearly perfect blend, achieving quality usually found in teas of much higher grade, and demonstrating clearly that it could stand alone with neither milk nor sugar being necessary additions. Moreover, the flavor was rich and bright and full, without being overpowering in any particular direction. Several of us noticed the faintest hint of chocolate and fruit in the finish, bringing to mind the flavor of a good Keemun. When milk was added, the tea stood up well enough, but lost a lot of its uniqueness and its more tannic notes were completely buried in the creaminess. Sugar however, was a different story, and with a lump or two this tea practically sings! Flavors previously hidden emerge, a certain herbaceous quality presents itself, and one starts to suspect that the Baeshen brothers could charge a bit more for this tea if they felt so inclined. Perhaps they’ve never tried it with sugar?