The noble beverage of tea has existed for over 5,000 years and whether you prefer caffeine free tea, herbal tea, green tea, earl grey or a good old-fashioned cup of regular black tea, our expertly crafted blends will mesmerize you and every sip of our tea takes you to the fascinating journey of some of the best tea growing regions in the world.
SUNFESST endeavours to bring to the palate of quality conscious customers the varying flavours of tea blended and packed fresh at the origin. This effort of bringing authenticity to every blend extends our speciality in sourcing and packing various origin teas like Indian, African, Chinese, Japanese and Ceylon.
SUNFESST also works closely with their packing partners to source high quality herbs & fruit infusions. These are sourced from origin countries, more often than not direct from farms in order to allow the grower to get higher price realisation.
Our herbs are sourced directly from regions like South Africa, Lithuania, Albania, Ukraine, Sudan & Egypt.
One thing you get when you buy a product from SUNFESST is that it will be as good as having it fresh at origin!
Have a look at some of the breathtaking and picturesque tea growing regions that SUNFESST sources its tea.
Darjeeling, on the southern slopes of the Himalayas in northeast India, is unquestionably the tea region par excellence.
The most precious of the world’s teas are cultivated in the breathtaking landscape around the small city of Darjeeling. Many of the tea gardens solicit the same respect as the top vineyards of France. Without the shadow of a doubt, this area, nestled high up in the Himalayas, produces the finest, most aromatic, most sought-after teas in the world.
Darjeeling teas are cultivated at splendid altitudes of 800–2000 meters, and it is the highest tea gardens that usually produce the best quality tea. Although the region has just the right climatic conditions for cultivating fine tea bushes, much depends on how the complex processing is managed.
In the southern region of India lie the Nilgiris ranges, a rich ecosystem of tea plantations and wild-life. This lush green belt is a poignant example of bio-diversity and also a cradle for some of the finest teas in the world. Nilgiris which means Blue Mountains is one of the 3 famous tea growing regions of India. In the South of India tea is cultivated in the hilly uplands of the provinces Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu at altitudes of 800 to 2000 meters. During the dry season, around the turn of the year, this tea takes on a fine, delicate lemon flavour. It has a flavour that is lively, fresh and mild – quite close to the “Ceylon” teas from the highlands of Nuwara- Eliya. Nilgiris tea, originally grown in the jungle, is mainly cultivated by small farmers.
Assam, a high plateau in northern India which straddles the Brahmaputra River, is the largest tea-growing region in the world. The first harvest of the year starts in February after a prolonged harvest break. This first flush harvest in Assam has a fragrant, fresh, flowery – and slightly spicier – character than its Darjeeling equivalent, and is a bright, golden yellow in the cup. But the very best, highest-grade, Assam teas are harvested in May-June, during the second flush harvest period. Then the leaves release that full, spicy, malty character that is so true to form. The colour is now a rich coppery red to deep brown in the cup.
The plucking during the rainy season is more productive from July to October, when the powerful monsoon rains from the Indian Ocean fall on the fertile ground. Then the quality decreases sharply; the leaves losing more and more of their spicy, malty flavour and strength.
Almost all Assam teas can be enjoyed with white candy sugar, preferably a “Kluntje” (a white rock candy sugar lump). Assam Second Flush can be enhanced with a dash of fresh cream. The Assam Second Flush Broken is used as the basis for many tea blends, especially the much-loved East Frisian blend.
The tea of present-day Sri Lanka is called traditionally by the old country name Ceylon. The most important tea-growing areas are located in the central highlands. Ceylon tea is divided into three categories: Low grown tea that grows under 650 meters, medium grown tea that grows between 650 and 1300 meters, and high grown tea that grows between 1300 and 2500 meters.
China is reputed to have the oldest tea traditions. Cultivated in China for circa 5000 years, Green tea was first mentioned in writing around 600 B.C. and later described fully in the works of the poet Lu Yü in 780 A.D. So, for many centuries, Green tea has been enjoyed by the Chinese as a healthy and vitalizing drink. Most Green teas and semi-fermented Oolong teas come from the provinces Anhui, Zhejiang, and Fujian. But for all its good qualities, Green tea takes some getting used to when it comes to the western palate. Preparation is critical to the flavour, as indeed to its beneficial effects.
Tea spread throughout Japan after a Buddhist monk brought it there in the 8th century from China. The first tea garden was located on Japan’s largest lake, Biwa-ko. The most important tea - growing district is Shizuoka, which lies in picturesque surroundings at the foot of the holy mountain Fuji. Almost half of Japan’s entire production is picked here, especially Sencha tea. Other important areas are Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu and Uji district of Kyoto. The latter supplied the famous “Emperor tea” centuries ago, and today provides the world market with the very best of Japanese Green teas, “Gyokuro”, as well as the best of the “Sencha” variety.
Rooibos or redbush tea in South Africa is made from a plant related to rooibos or redbush. Rooibos is grown only in a small area in the region of the Western Cape province of South Africa. Rooibush tea is a popular national drink in South Africa, drunk hot or cold, at any time of the day or evening. Unlike Black tea, Rooibush tea is low in tannin, has no hint of bitterness and is caffeine-free.