crime of passion
memories of the copacabana beach in rio. papaya pieces, sunflower petals and criminally exotic passion fruit notes infuse superior green tea.

origin
china

infusion
bright, pale green to yellow, light colored cup

ingredients
green sencha tea
sunflowers
papaya pieces
natural flavors

information
what constitutes a crime of passion?  lovers driven wild with lust?  deception? being pushed by the heart to cross the line?  this blend, inspired by a visit to the sultry hot beaches of rio de janeiro captures all of this and more.  brazil is a land of lovers.  on the copacabana beach in Rio, time seems to stand still as brazilians recline in the heat of the equatorial sun.  strolling along one might notice sun worshippers and young couples feeding each other freshly cut pieces of papaya and passion fruit as they wallow in the sand.  the sweet profiles of both fruits perfectly compliment the heat, humidity, and the goings on at the beach perfectly.  we know it might sound cliché but that combination of heat, sand, water, and fresh fruit is so enticing; it should be a crime in itself.  with this in mind we created this refreshingly sweet tea with a sinfully citrus punch you’ll want to enjoy again and again.

the blend has as its base a sencha style green tea manufactured in hunan province in south eastern china. interestingly, green and black teas can be produced from the same plants.  green tea is produced by forgoing the fermentation process required to produce black tea.  instead, the leaves are steamed as soon as they are plucked, and then bruised either by machine or by hand.  the leaves are then pan-fried or basket fired - a process that gives the tea its distinctive glossy look and feel.  sencha green teas typically have dark green, needle shaped leaves and produce a pale green to yellow, very bright, smooth cup with a sweetish, honey like finish.  the natural sweetness of this green tea makes it perfectly suited for blending with our dried papaya pieces and natural passion fruit flavorings.  you’ll notice that we’ve also added sunflower petals to the to enhance the visual qualities of the tea – when you’re selling loose tea, looks are important too!  Brew a pot today and be transported to the sultry copacabana.  incidentally, this is one tea that can’t be beat over ice!

hot tea brewing method
bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. pour the boiling water into the teapot. cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). even though milk and a dash of sugar help enhance the flavor character on this tea, it is perfectly acceptable to consume this tea ‘straight-up’

ice tea brewing method
(to make 1 liter/quart):  place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. steep for 5 minutes. quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. garnish and sweeten to taste. [a rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water].