I have been blending, packing & selling real leaf tea at markets in the Cairns region since 2009. The drinking of real leaf tea (not supermarket teabags!) is an age old tradition & I love the opportunity to help people discover or rediscover the satisfaction & joy of a good cuppa! Tea tastes great hot or cold & makes a healthy, low calorie alternative to soft drinks or juices.
The first Australian tea plantation was established up here in Tropical North Queensland in 1882. The tradition continues today and I source black tea from nearby plantations in the Palmerston & Daintree. I use this Locally Grown tea to produce unique local blends such as "Cairns Brekkie Tea" and "Mareeba Mango Medley" by mixing with Ceylon black tea, dried fruits and organic herbs and spices.
My Australian Green Tea comes from the Alpine district of Victoria, which is one of the few areas in Australia to successfully produce green tea. My green tea blends also use 100% Australian grown ingredients. Lemon Myrtle is grown at Wongabel, just near Atherton and I use real dried Mango pieces from Mareeba in Tropical North Queensland.
Rosella Hibiscus grows wild & cultivated in Cape York & across Northern Australia. It is an "adopted" species that thrives in this environment. It produces a brilliant natural red, tangy tea which is especially good chilled. You can purchase this plain or I use it as a base for some 100% natural healthy ice tea blends.
I am very proud of my Mixed Organic Herbal Blends. I use high quality Australian Certified Organic Herbs and mix them in small batches and they are much fresher than you will find with larger producers. These herbs are grown with Australian Organic standards in various parts of the world. I source Australian grown when possible but many are simply not available locally grown.
I also stock Darjeeling, Assam, Gunpowder Green, Oolong, Buddha Tears and other wonderful imported teas. Australian tea production of Camellia Sinensis does not have the tradition, expertise, varieties, climate, hand picking etc to produce these teas.
If you are wondering about the name ... I was originally going to open a Bookshop Cafe specialising in Teas and Books and was an early fan of the old BBC TV Series which is now popular on Netflix. However changes in the book industry and Cairns steered me in the online direction instead of opening a shopfront and I have kept the name even though I do not sell books any more! (I do still stock a few special ones for gifts
You are welcome to contact me with any questions on 0419 701 426 or email info@blackbookstea.com.au