Premium OPA Grade Loose Leaf Ceylon Black Tea
A great choice black tea for when making your own tea blends or savoring by itself. OPA grade black tea
Current price: $ 178.00
Vanilla Beans
Excellent Product! Excellent Service!
I'm a convert
I've been making my own vanilla extract for over a decade and used to buy my beans based on reviews at a Infamous Global seller. Was never sure what I would get. Then I found this company! The beans were beautiful! Fragrant, moist but not too moist, easy to cut open to expose the seeds and each Bean was six to seven inches long. I'm a happy extract maker! 💝💃🥳
High Quality Vanilla - excellent customer service.
Slo Food group team takes great care of their customers. Received a broken bottle of Vanilla and it was immediately handled. Received my replacement bottle within 3 days.
This extract is used to make our Tahitian Vanilla Cakes!
Great place to get your spices
SLO Food group is the best place I have found to buy my vanilla beans, great customer service, fast shipping and very competitive prices. Thank you for helping me with my project, Vanilla extract. Thank you don young
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Vanilla Beans
Excellent Product! Excellent Service!
I'm a convert
I've been making my own vanilla extract for over a decade and used to buy my beans based on reviews at a Infamous Global seller. Was never sure what I would get. Then I found this company! The beans were beautiful! Fragrant, moist but not too moist, easy to cut open to expose the seeds and each Bean was six to seven inches long. I'm a happy extract maker! 💝💃🥳
High Quality Vanilla - excellent customer service.
Slo Food group team takes great care of their customers. Received a broken bottle of Vanilla and it was immediately handled. Received my replacement bottle within 3 days.
This extract is used to make our Tahitian Vanilla Cakes!
Great place to get your spices
SLO Food group is the best place I have found to buy my vanilla beans, great customer service, fast shipping and very competitive prices. Thank you for helping me with my project, Vanilla extract. Thank you don young
A Whole-Leaf Black Tea, Not a Tea Bag
Genuine OPA Whole-Leaf Grade
A long, bold leaf grade, tightly wound to almost open, delivering a milder, more refined cup than the broken-leaf tea found in most grocery store tea bags.
The Base Behind Famous Blends
Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, and chai masala are all traditionally built on a Ceylon black tea foundation like this one.
Bold Flavor, Genuine Versatility
Notes of citrus, chocolate, and warm spice make this tea just as at home in an ice cream base or glaze as it is in a teacup.
Sold as True Loose Leaf
Not packaged in individual sachets, giving you full control over strength, steeping time, and how much you brew at once.
Technical Specifications
| Origin | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Camellia sinensis |
| Grade | OPA (Orange Pekoe A); Whole, Long-Leaf Grade |
| Form | Loose Leaf (Not Pre-Bagged) |
| Certifications | Kosher (EarthKosher), GMP |
| Aroma | Bold, Malty, with Hints of Citrus and Spice |
| Flavor Profile | Strong, Full-Bodied, Notes of Citrus, Chocolate, and Warm Spice |
| Caffeine Content | Naturally High (Exact Content Varies by Steep Time and Amount Used) |
| Traditional Base For | Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Chai Masala |
| Brewing Temperature | Approximately 212°F (Freshly Boiled) |
| Steeping Time | 3-5 Minutes |
| Ratio | 1-2 Teaspoons Loose Leaf per 8 oz Water |
| Uses | Hot or Iced Tea, Tea Blends, Ice Cream Bases, Doughnut Glazes, Compound Butters, Infused Stocks |
| Pairing | Milk, Sugar, Citrus, Warm Spices |
| Storage | Airtight Container, Cool, Dry Place, Away From Light |
| Shelf Life | 18-24 Months |
| Packaging | Food-Grade Pouch or Bag; Box with Liner for Bulk Orders |
Buy Premium OPA Grade Ceylon Black Tea Online
Strong and full-bodied in flavor, this black tea contains a good amount of natural caffeine and is loved by tea drinkers and chefs around the world. Ceylon tea can be served hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened, the choice is up to you. Enjoy a cup of Ceylon for your tea blends, tea tastings, iced tea, and afternoon tea with our high-quality Camellia sinensis. Looking for green tea instead? We carry that too.
>What Does OPA Grade Tea Actually Mean?
How to Brew and Use Ceylon Black Tea
Black Tea Caffeine Content
OPA stands for Orange Pekoe A, a genuine Ceylon tea leaf grade describing a long, bold leaf that ranges from tightly wound to almost open. Despite the name, "orange" has nothing to do with flavor or color, it traces back to the historic Dutch House of Orange. OPA produces a milder flavor and a lighter-colored liquor than smaller, broken-leaf grades, and it's a whole-leaf grade rather than the more common broken-leaf teas found in most grocery store tea bags. Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, chai masala, and many other famous blends are traditionally built on a Ceylon black tea base like this one.
Black tea is best steeped in freshly boiled water (about 212°F) for 3-5 minutes, using roughly 1-2 teaspoons of loose leaf per 8 ounces of liquid. It can be enjoyed with milk and sugar or on its own. Our OPA tea is sold as loose leaf, not packaged in individual sachets, giving you full control over strength and steeping time.
Beyond a simple cup, try infusing black tea into your next ice cream base, doughnut glaze, or other creative dessert. Sri Lankan black tea carries notes of citrus, chocolate, and warm spice, and works well in compound butters, infused stocks and broths, dry rubs, and just about anything else you can dream up in the kitchen.
Just like many other ingredients in our shop, Ceylon black tea is available by the ounce, the pound, and in bulk. Looking for something different? Give our silver tip white tea a try, a clean, crisp, and refreshing option for any time of day.
Ceylon black tea typically contains 50-70mg of caffeine per 8-ounce cup, moderate compared to coffee's 90-120mg, but enough for a genuine, sustained lift. Because this is a whole-leaf OPA grade rather than the finely broken leaf found in most tea bags, caffeine tends to release more gradually and evenly during steeping, resulting in a smoother, more balanced experience than the sharper jolt of a broken-leaf tea bag. Steeping time and leaf quantity both affect the final caffeine content, a shorter steep or less leaf will naturally produce a milder cup.
Sri Lanka's Diverse Tea-Growing Regions
Not all Ceylon tea tastes the same, and much of that comes down to where it's grown. Sri Lanka's tea regions each produce a distinct character: high-grown teas from regions like Nuwara Eliya are delicate and light with a golden hue, mid-grown teas from Kandy are more robust with a coppery tint, and low-grown teas from areas like Galle and Matara are bolder and richer, with a deep burgundy liquor. Uva, another prominent growing region, is known for its aromatic, full-bodied character with a distinctive floral sweetness and tangy finish. That regional diversity is part of why Ceylon tea has remained a foundational base for blends like Earl Grey and English Breakfast for well over a century, there's a Ceylon character to suit nearly any blend.
Frequently Asked Questions
- OPA stands for Orange Pekoe A, a genuine Ceylon tea leaf grade describing a long, bold leaf ranging from tightly wound to almost open. It's a whole-leaf grade, producing a milder flavor and lighter liquor than smaller, broken-leaf teas.
- The name traces back to the historic Dutch House of Orange, not the fruit or its flavor. "Orange Pekoe" is simply a traditional tea grading term used across Sri Lanka, India, and other tea-producing regions.
- Steep in freshly boiled water (about 212°F) for 3-5 minutes, using roughly 1-2 teaspoons of loose leaf per 8 ounces of water. It can be enjoyed with milk and sugar or on its own.
- Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, and chai masala are all traditionally built on a Ceylon black tea base.
- You can buy Ceylon black tea online in bulk, by the ounce, or by the pound at Slofoodgroup.