Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa, at 2,000 m above sea level. The orthodox black tea leaves from these small scale farmers produce a beautifully complex cup that can be enjoyed clear, or taken with milk if one prefers. A robust and malty cup with notes of berries.
Graded ‘BOP’, or ‘broken orange pekoe’ means the whole leaf is broken only slightly, allowing greater surface area to infuse a bold malty cup to get your morning going!  This BOP is also extremely versatile – feel free to get creative and blend with your own infusions by adding pieces of ginger, lemon, or gentle lavender.
Teas of Kenya are bright and robust for nice bold and malty cup, but also more forgiving than other black teas for the ‘lazy steeper’, delivering pleasant astringency with less tendency to grow bitter.  Since the terrior of Kenya is not prone to insects, pesticides are unnecessary. Our Kenyan teas are verified pesticide-free and Non-GMO. Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Alliance certified.
beTeas is extremely proud to be partners with JusTea,  direct importers from small scale farmers in Kenya. In contrast to the standard industry model, here farmers are actively involved in all aspects of creating and selling their product. This has a profound effect on resulting farmers wages, as well as the product in our cup: farmers earn approximately 2.5x more than in the traditional factory supply chain model. No longer forced to machine process quicker, cheaper bulk tea for tea bags, these farmers lovingly process a whole-leaf, hand-made product they are proud of and are invested in constant improvement of their craft (I was surprised to learn that under the traditional model, a majority of workers on conventional Kenyan farms, have never tasted the tea they labour to produce!).
I was honoured to meet and speak with one of JusTea’s Kenyan farmers, “Jacob”. A gentle soul with a broad smile, Jacob shared obvious pride and knowledge of what makes their artisan tea, exceptional. The quality in the cup rang through with the pride of craftsmanship that was shared with me in our conversation. This ethical trade model goes far beyond certified Fairtrade. All Kenyan teas we sell, are from these farms, and it’s with gratitude that we share this wonderful leaf!