The ingredients on this one seem a little perplexing, so I got a sample size only in my Try Me pack. I mean, a green walnut tea I can get behind, but with coconut and pineapple?! Uhh it sounds good, but very tropical and not at all like walnut brittle or reminiscent of English forests as the description claims. So I ordered this with skepticism, hoping for the best but expecting something… weird. Holy cow, I was wrong! I opened up the bag and the dry leaves smell like walnut candy. No tropical scent to be found, though there’s a good bit of coconut and pineapple in my sample. Curious!
There was one huuuge walnut in my bag, but I broke it up into little pieces just to evenly distribute the nutty goodness. The whole time I was preparing this tea (cooling the water, adding the leaves to the teapot, brewing it, etc) I was blown away by the smell. I want to eat these leaves, it’s just SO good! And the flavor… it’s even better. I honestly think some kind of magic must have gone into this tea, it is so very much walnut candy in a cup. Rich, buttery walnut! I think the green tea was a really good choice, it adds a flowery lightness and a buttery quality without overpowering the walnut: I think as a black tea this would be very different and not nearly as good.
Now, about the pineapple and coconut… I can’t taste them! Well, not as individual elements. There’s an almost-fruitiness, a creaminess possibly from the coconut, and a honey-sweetness I suppose is also coming from them. But damn, I would never in a million years guess the ingredients here! The more I drink, the more I am so in love with this. It really has almost cake-y notes, a strong vanilla taste and it really is like a baked cake with walnut brittle on top. Like… a vanilla cupcake, with a creamy frosting and then sprinkled with walnut brittle! It might seem crazy but I swear it is JUST what this tea tastes like. It’s so addictive, I am already on my second cup and think I can get 3 brews out of these leaves easy.
Thankfully my sample has enough for about 3 goes, but I know I need more of this in my life. It is SO good, I really want to try it iced now! Or make ice cream out of it… or buttercream frosting. Real, 6 stick of butter style buttercream, not wussy 1-stick frosting with tons of powdered sugar. Oh god the idea of baking with this tea is making my mouth water… if you are wondering what teas to start with from Della Terra (since they have a huge selection!) I would say this and Mother of Pearl: both are very, very special teas that I must always have on hand!
