Punjana Tea

I have recently written about Thompson’s Tea while in Scotland, so I was pleased to find a shiny red packet of the stuff in my own cupboard. Whether I bought it and cannot recall, or whether someone gave me it (apologies if it was you and I never offered thanks) I do not know. I have been using it this past month and have enjoyed its rather malty flavour. Its peculiar name, Punjana, does not sound terribly Scottish, but then tea is not native to this misty isle. Its exotic syllables sound more like:

-a storybook magician's spell

-a supermarket's own brand of curry

-an illegal substance smoked by the criminal classes

-the name of my newsagent’s wife

Nevertheless, the company’s site waxes enthusiastically about its quality:

Only the finest leaves from Assam and Kenya are selected for the Thompson’s most popular blend, Punjana. This tea has been recognised and awarded by the prestigious Guild of Fine Foods for a record 12 consecutive years, also receiving their highest accolade of 3 Gold Stars in the Great Taste Awards. Thompson’s Punjana has a real depth of flavour which stems from the beautifully rounded, malty character of the leaves grown on Assam’s finest gardens and the light, bright flavour from leaves grown on the foothills of Mount Kenya and picked when the tea bushes are producing their best growth, when sunshine and rainfall are in perfect harmony. Perfect for those who yearn for tea with more taste and flavour.

12 consecutive years of awards! Three Gold Stars! Grown in perfect harmony! Do not judge a tea or a person by a strange name any more than you would a book by its cover. Yet I would advise that you do judge God by His name:

For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3

For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Psalm 25:11

And what is His name?

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21