SMOOTH - GRACEFUL - WAKENING

First Light

$4.50

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Made for sipping at First Light, this blend of certified organic 'Special' grade Chinese and FBOP Indian black teas with green maté kicks off your day with deep strength of character and smooth texture. Taste is smooth and slightly malty with honey and bright herbal notes. The yerba maté adds to the texture on your palate with a light and pleasant fuzziness. Feel happy, energized, and ready to strike out into the world and make your mark!

Questions about this tea? Check out our Q&A, below, or drop us a note to tea@islandelixirtea.ca and let's see if we can't shine some (First) Light on it.

Q&A with Bree, founder and tea artist

Q: How much caffeine is there in black tea and maté? What are the expected effects on energy and focus?

A: The amount of caffeine is strongly affected by the leaf, water temperature and how long you steep it. In terms of the black tea leaves, the FBOP (flowery broken orange pekoe) designation means that the surface area is greater and both flavour and caffeine will extract faster into the water. So if you steep a shorter length of time, say 2 minutes, and use a lower tea to water ratio, the caffeine content is likely down toward the 20 to 40 mg range whereas steeping longer, say 5 minutes, and using a higher tea to water ratio, the caffeine content is likely in the 40 to 70 mg range. The green maté also has a wide range depending on steeping conditions except that it has the opposite trend in caffeine with temperature so that you will actually get less caffeine at boiling than you would at green tea temperature (70 C to 85C). Since First Light contains only about 25% maté, you could expect the black tea to dominate the caffeine content. For reference, a drip coffee is typically quoted in the 125 to 150 mg range. Caffeine being a brain stimulant, you may notice increased alertness and higher energy as it takes up space on your adenosine receptors, keeping that soporific chemical from settling you into a sleepy state. In addition to caffeine, there are many other amino acids and polyphenols that may leave you feeling lively and wakened. Focus is often increased when your energy is boosted, so you may feel that you are more able to concentrate on tasks at hand. Try matching it up with your chronotype (your body's natural inclination for the timing of sleep and wakefulness throughout the day) and using it to boost your peak productivity.

Q: How does the yerba maté contribute to the overall texture and taste experience of the tea?

A: This blend contains green maté grown in the Parana region of Brazil. Taken on its own, it produces a light green liquor with a robust flavour evoking oak, light grassiness akin to green tea, and a beautiful fuzzy texture. Combined with the certified organic black teas in this blend, you get an enhancement of the teas' natural tannins and the grassiness complements and adds additional balance to the floral and malty notes of the teas. We have also noticed that the presence of the maté keeps the infusion from going bitter with longer steeping so you can experiment well into the 6 to 10 minute range for an even stronger cup.

Q: Is this tea suitable for multiple infusions, and how does the flavour change with subsequent brews?

A: As long as your first steep is in the 2 to 4 minute range, you can absolutely get a second infusion out of these leaves. The second time, expect to increase the steeping time to 10 to 15 minutes; the liquor will be lighter and more floral than the first infusion. For a third steeping, top the tea with fresh leaves using half as much teas as for the first infusion; the maté will be a little more pronounced and you will add back in the gorgeous aromatics and the maltiness of the Indian teas.