My primary goal when I go vacationing is to find something new and exotic. Like most explorers, items that cannot be purchased or found in the United States, unique treasures created locally that express the local culture are something that I often look for while on trips.
I can say for certain that I found something very much like that during my travel in the Eastern Caribbean.
During a stop in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I found a box of locally-based Butter Rhum tea bags in a shop in St. Thomas’ downtown. I was surprised that I even found something this local in such a busy port-of-call. There where tourists every which way I went in this city.
St. Thomas is hailed as the shopping capital if the Caribbean by Holland America, the cruise line I traveled with.
This pure premium Ceylon tea is distributed by the Down Island Traders, a company so local that it doesn’t even have a web-presence. It has a hint of butter, but also tastes of spiced rum, something the Caribbean produces in mass. I suspect that the tea is black Ceylon tea, even though the box says nothing about which type it might be.
The tea actually tells a story about the history of the country, something I love. According to the box, the artwork on it is an “etching of Charlotte Amalie harbor as it was in the mid-1800s when the Virgin Islands played an integral part in pirate history.”
Both pirates and merchants came to the Caribbean to sell off loot and merchandise.
If you would like to order this tea, you can visit Palm Traders, a group that seems to sell many Caribbean-based products. Or you can call 1-800-524-2937.
Thx for posting this. The Butter Rhum tea is delicious and it is a hit with my family.
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