Mango Mango. Yum yum. Mangoes, (Latin: Mangifera indica), the world’s third largest food crop, are also one of the world’s most delicious and oldest fruits. The first known mention of mangoes is found in ancient Hindu scriptures dating back to roughly 4000 BC. The wild version of the fruit was found growing in the foothills of the Himalayas in India and Burma not far from Assam where some of the world’s finest teas would be grown almost 6000 years later!

The ancient texts contain many tales about the power of mangoes as a force of love. In one such story, an evil sorceress hunted the daughter of the sun Surya Bai. To evade capture, Surya hid in the forest and turned herself into a golden lotus. The next day her husband set out to look for her. Coming across the lotus he became transfixed and fell in love with its beauty without understanding why. The sorceress became enraged at his discovery and burnt the lotus until it was no more than a pile of ash. Luckily for the man, powerful spirits that lived in the forest overcame the sorceress’ evil and within moments, a mango tree sprouted from the ashes of the lotus, and Surya stepped out of the ripe fruit that dropped to the ground.

To this day, mangoes are revered as potent symbols of luck and love in many parts of the Eastern world. We thought we’d do our part to honor this wonderful fruit by blending it with an exceptionally pure organic tea from the Uva highlands of Sri Lanka, considered by many to be one of the finest teas available. This tea captures the pulpy sweetness of mango amazingly with subtle notes of musk and a pleasing astringency. Brew yourself a pot today and wish for true love!