Teatulia's Earl of Bengal Tea

I received this in the mail as a free sample. When I first opened the plastic wrapping it smelled reminiscent of dryer sheets but not in a bad way...it was a very clean and almost floral type smell. On 2nd sniff you could start smelling the tea a bit more. It steeps fairly quickly. The coloring is a dark brown - common for the black teas. The scent after steeping is also typical black tea type smell. The taste is very nice. It's a black tea, indeed, but with hints of other elements...just a tad of Bergamot and a bit peppery taste. It's really quite delightful! In addition, the website and blog are great and their causes are good ones! This seems to be one company that does things right! Thumbs up!

A new take on an old classic. Bold yet unapologetically flavorful with a dash of Organic Oil of Bergamot to start your day.

Our version of an Earl Grey, but with that exquisite freshness of our organic black tea.

Earl of Bengal tea is available as loose leaf tea. It is also available in our biodegradable pyramid bags, housed in our compostable containers, full size and sampler size.

The above is taken from their website which is located here: http://www.teatulia.com/
And their Blog: http://www.teatuliablog.com/

Also from their website - more about the company and efforts:

Teatulia is named for the region in Northern Bangladesh where our tea is grown*. Teatulia organic teas reflect the pristine and delicate environment from which they hail. The Teatulia Organic Tea Garden sprang forth from virgin land nestled against the Himalayas to the North and the Brahmaputra and Ganges Rivers to the South. Into this perfect tea-growing land, we introduced strong, vibrant saplings, which were planted with care in the new millennium. Since then, the tea plants have been encouraged and nurtured by Mother Nature’s own hand. The result: exquisite, organic teas unlike any you’ve experienced before. Fresh. Clean. Smooth.

Fresher than Fresh. Single-Garden Direct
Teatulia organic tea comes directly to you from our organic tea garden. There is no middle man, no long-term warehouse storage and no waiting around to be put into just the right blend as defined by a third-party blender. What does this mean for you? You get to enjoy some of the freshest certified organic tea in the world, and you know exactly where it came from.

Social Responsibility
Teatulia is no ordinary tea garden. Started in 2000 to give back to our community, we sought an enterprise that would give the most people a living wage while protecting/strengthening our environment. Not content with the social programs already in place, our Teatulia Cooperative has established revolutionary education, health and cattle-lending programs for the people working in the garden and surrounding areas. All sales of Teatulia Organic Teas contribute to this mission, helping to better the lives of Bangladeshi men, women & children while rebuilding the local ecosystem.

“From its inception, Teatulia has been eager to engage with the community in a mutually beneficial manner. This is why Teatulia started a Cooperative that is open both to its workers, and to neighbors in surrounding villages. Teatulia’s Cooperative began with an innovative method focused on dairy. Co-op members receive a milking cow, for which they pay back not in cash, but with milk and cow dung. Members pay only one liter of milk per day, keeping the rest for their children and the calves. They pay 10 to 20 kgs of cow dungs per day, keeping a measure for their own use. This easy “barter” form of payback takes off the pressure of cash payments, making the co-op a practical alternative even to the micro-credit operations for which Bangladesh is now famous. Most members manage to pay off their cow within two to three years. Best of all, they keep any calves that the cow bears, doubling or trebling their cattle wealth!

After a nascent experimental period, Teatulia has stepped up its Co-op efforts in the last two years, and members now exceed one thousand in number. Teatulia expects this number to cross quadruple within the next two to three years, if not sooner.

Teatulia is now also bringing other areas of work, like growing tea, within the ambit of the Co-op. In places like Satmera, Co-op members have come together to start a one-room school built from bamboo donated by the community. When I go the garden, visiting that school and hearing the children sing, or watch them play on the sea-saw or the swing - also made of bamboo - by the little river where they are located is one of the greatest pleasures.” - Dr. Kazi Anis Ahmed, CEO