Lalani & Co Silver buds 2021, Kapkoros Kenya

The Producer

 Kapkoros sits on the western edge of Kenya, in the Rift Valley province, at an elevation between 1,500ft and 2,100ft. We developed this style of white tea with Kangaita estate a few years ago, and it was a total surprise to us how well it worked at Kapkoros. The key to success seems to be the presence of particular tea varietals which work with this style of processing.

The Tea

A true white tea should be cool-processed. While other teas have a heating process to de-activate the enzymes, true white tea should be kept enzyme-active. The buds for the Silver Buds are picked and sun dried. As the name suggests, we only use the young fresh leaf buds for this tea, chosen from one particular varietal, and our process brings out the flavours beautifully. This batch was picked on the 23rd January 2021.  It’s naturally sweet. There are notes of almond milk, berries, and flowers. Later infusions introduce bright fruity notes similar to gummy sweets.

Storage and Ageing

As with most genuine white teas, the Silver Buds will age for many years. We would be confident of at least 5 years, and perhaps up to 10. If you’re into collecting teas, we recommend making use of the case discount by buying a case for your personal tea library and putting a few jars aside to age.