Tips of Gold
Telling a Ceylonese Story
Ceylon Black Tea is famous throughout the world, yet white tea still does not get the recognition it deserves. Realising this, our founders were inspired to find a way to bring Ceylon’s incredible white teas to the world in a unique and exciting way. One that would help to not only showcase Ceylon’s finest white teas, but also its unmatched decorative metalworking tradition, which is sadly in decline amidst a modernising world.
Their quest led them to create Tips of Gold; an elegant and sophisticated line of Ceylon White Teas packaged in gorgeous metal caddies, decorated in the traditional Ceylonese style. All made by hand using natural ingredients and the most sustainable techniques.
Our Commitment to
Sustainability
We believe that the pleasures and treasures of the world must and can be enjoyed responsibly. This core value is the driving force behind Tips of Gold, our
entire product range and all our business dealings. Thus, we work to ensure that every participant in this labour of love is treated fairly and compensated
properly, and that all our packaging material is sustainably sourced in an eco-friendly manner.
White Tea
Pure & Sustainable
While black tea is the second most popular beverage in the world after water and green tea is growing in popularity, white tea remains a niche product that does not receive much attention. Yet, it is probably the oldest and purest form of tea.
All types of tea come from the same plant, Camelia sinensis. However, their differences emerge in the techniques used to process them from raw green leaves into ‘tea’ that can be used to prepare a cuppa.
White tea is the least processed form of tea. In the case of silver and golden tips, which may also be referred to as needle tea, the tender buds of a special rare cultivar are delicately picked by hand and dried under diffused sunlight....
No further processing is carried out for silver tips, while golden tips enjoy the extra attention of being treated to a luxurious misting with the estate’s finest golden brews. Thus, white tea preserves the natural flavours and goodness of tea in a more purer form than other methods. This makes white tea highly sustainable and a true all-natural product.
Legend has it that, originally, silver and golden tips were harvested using golden scissors with the buds being carried away from the tea gardens in velvet-lined pouches. While there is no way to determine the accuracy of these legends, the fundamental ideas of care and delicate handling of the buds ring true to the present.
The defining characteristics of silver and golden tips, and white tea in general, is that the buds are not subject to any kind of maceration or physical damage. Thus, even today, the very delicate and tender buds used to produce silver and golden tips are harvested by gloved hands, often using sharp scissors, and are carried out of the tea gardens in soft cloth-lined bags.... This is because any physical damage to the bud will begin the process of oxidation, which will result in a change of flavour and a loss of the delicate aromatics that are fundamental to this variety of tea.
The delicately harvested buds are dried under diffused sunlight, supervised lovingly by an expert teamaker, on clean woven mats or metal trays until the desired colour, aroma and physical qualities are obtained. Then, these delicate treasures are carefully packaged and shipped off to delight and enchant palettes across the world.
Golden Scissors
& Velvet Pouches
A Spot of History &
A Silver Discovery
The story of Ceylon Tea began in 1867 with the young Scotsman James Taylor, who is credited with having introduced tea to
Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The original estate set up by him in Sri Lanka’s picturesque Central Highlands, Loolecondera, is still functioning today. Visitors to the estate are even able to examine some historically significant exhibits, including what is claimed to be his original tea garden at No. 07 Field, Loolecondera Estate.
In the early days of tea, planters encountered severe problems with a blight that had previously ravaged Ceylon’s coffee plantations.... Thus, there was a drive to selectively breed bushes that were more resistant to blight and, coincidently, some of
these bushes showed some very interesting characteristics.
Early on, planters discovered that the buds of some of these ‘new’ bushes displayed a purplish hue and contained significantly more silvery hair-like structures than the usual tea bushes. Subsequent experimentation is what gave way to the creation of silver tips and later golden tips, which soon earned legendary reputations for flavour, quality and as a status symbol.
This led to planters selectively cloning the variety of bushes that were suitable for producing silver and golden tips to meet the demands of a growing market. Today, the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka (TRI) has classified this particular rare cultivar as “TRI 2043”, and it is grown across the tea growing regions of Ceylon to produce these silver and golden treasures for the world.
The tender buds of the TRI 2043 cultivar, when prepared according to traditional methods as a white tea, contain higher levels of flavonoids and other antioxidants than regular tea.
This enables silver and golden tips to have many potential health benefits for regular drinkers including reduced inflammation, improved immunity, reduced... risk of heart disease, improved weight loss, better dental health, anticarcinogenic properties, improved insulin sensitivity, antiaging properties and protection against degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
A Healthy
Elixir
White Tea
Pure & Sustainable
While black tea is the second most popular beverage in the world after water and green tea is growing in popularity, white tea remains a niche product that does not receive much attention. Yet, it is probably the oldest and purest form of tea.
All types of tea come from the same plant, Camelia sinensis. However, their differences emerge in the techniques used to process them from raw green leaves into ‘tea’ that can be used to prepare a cuppa.
White tea is the least processed form of tea. In the case of silver and golden tips, which may also be referred to as needle tea, the tender buds of a special rare cultivar are delicately picked by hand and dried under diffused sunlight. No further processing is carried out for silver tips, while golden tips enjoy the extra attention of being treated to a luxurious misting with the estate’s finest golden brews. Thus, white tea preserves the natural flavours and goodness of tea in a more purer form than other methods. This makes white tea highly sustainable and a true all-natural product.
Golden Scissors
& Velvet Pouches
Legend has it that, originally, silver and golden tips were harvested using golden scissors with the buds being carried away from the tea gardens in velvet-lined pouches. While there is no way to determine the accuracy of these legends, the fundamental ideas of care and delicate handling of the buds ring true to the present.
The defining characteristics of silver and golden tips, and white tea in general, is that the buds are not subject to any kind of maceration or physical damage. Thus, even today, the very delicate and tender buds used to produce silver and golden tips are harvested by gloved hands, often using sharp scissors, and are carried out of the tea gardens in soft cloth-lined bags. This is because any physical damage to the bud will begin the process of oxidation, which will result in a change of flavour and a loss of the delicate aromatics that are fundamental to this variety of tea.
The delicately harvested buds are dried under diffused sunlight, supervised lovingly by an expert teamaker, on clean woven mats or metal trays until the desired colour, aroma and physical qualities are obtained. Then, these delicate treasures are carefully packaged and shipped off to delight and enchant palettes across the world.
A Spot of History &
A Silver Discovery
The story of Ceylon Tea began in 1867 with the young Scotsman James Taylor, who is credited with having introduced tea to Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The original estate set up by him in Sri Lanka’s picturesque Central Highlands, Loolecondera, is still functioning today. Visitors to the estate are even able to examine some historically significant exhibits, including what is claimed to be his original tea garden at No. 07 Field, Loolecondera Estate.
In the early days of tea, planters encountered severe problems with a blight that had previously ravaged Ceylon’s coffee plantations. Thus, there was a drive to selectively breed bushes that were more resistant to blight and, coincidently, some of these bushes showed some very interesting characteristics.
Early on, planters discovered that the buds of some of these ‘new’ bushes displayed a purplish hue and contained significantly more silvery hair-like structures than the usual tea bushes. Subsequent experimentation is what gave way to the creation of silver tips and later golden tips, which soon earned legendary reputations for flavour, quality and as a status symbol.
This led to planters selectively cloning the variety of bushes that were suitable for producing silver and golden tips to meet the demands of a growing market. Today, the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka (TRI) has classified this particular rare cultivar as “TRI 2043”, and it is grown across the tea growing regions of Ceylon to produce these silver and golden treasures for the world.
A Healthy
Elixir
The tender buds of the TRI 2043 cultivar, when prepared according to traditional methods as a white tea, contain higher levels of flavonoids and other antioxidants than regular tea. This enables silver and golden tips to have many potential health benefits for regular drinkers including reduced inflammation, improved immunity, reduced risk of heart disease, improved weight loss, better dental health, anticarcinogenic properties, improved insulin sensitivity, antiaging properties and protection against degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Rare, Fine & All-Natural
Light & Aromatic
Light & Aromatic
Exceptional Quality
Healthy Elixir
Testimonials
Tips of Gold Silver Tips:
Light, refreshing, and gentle.
Beautiful, sliver, downy buds deliver translucent, bright clarity in the cup.
The liquor is light, green, and crisp with subtle notes of cut grass and jasmine. Suggestions of lychee, green grape, and papaya.
Tips of Gold Golden Tips:
Elegant and pleasantly complex, with a long smooth finish.
Slightly mixed rose-gold buds produce a clear, rich, amber liquor.
The infusion is velvety and honeyed, with barley sugar, caramel, and lingering hints of rose petals, magnolia, plum and fig
Tutor at UK Tea Academy. Tea Taster, Tea Blender.
Food & Beverages Professional with 18 years’ experience in tasting, blending, competitor analysis & NPD.
