I feel that my opinion of this particular tea is highly influenced by my experience purchasing it. I was on a trip to Boston, dropping my brother off at his university. Since I was in the US, I HAD to stock up on tea, and that included my visit to Teavana. When I got there, I was surprised to find that they were just about to start discontinuing tea. The vendor told me that she couldn’t tell me which ones were going to be discontinued yet, but she could hint at it if I was buying one of the teas that would be discontinued so I could stock up (confusing… I know…).
I picked out my tea and when I decided to try this one, the vendor told me this one would be discontinued for sure, so I bought 4 oz just in case I really liked it and would never be able to get it again. I was so proud of myself for being smart and buying it and liking it and having it in my stash once it was “going to be discontinued”.
Once Teavana announced which teas were being discontinued, this one was not on the list. I liked it, not loved it, and was stuck with 4oz of it… Needless to say, I put it away and didn’t drink it for a while. I somehow had a thought of this tea while walking my dogs, and when we got back, I brewed some up.
The dry tea is a bright mix of fruits and tea leaves. The lemon grass is far more abundant than the green tea leaves. There are candied fruits and petals that make it a pretty blend to look at. The scent is very fruity and fresh. I smell apple and peach. Maybe a bit of papaya. Mostly just fruity.
Brewed it is a yellow-green golden color. The scent is just as fruity. Unsweetened it is tasty, but a bit bitter for my liking. Sweetened with brown sugar it is much tastier. The fruitiness covers up the green tea almost entirely, but it is still an enjoyable brew. I get apple and generic tropical flavor. It does remind me of a peachy papaya flavor. It is fruity and refreshing.
The first few times I had it, I really didn’t like it. But, in retrospect, I feel it was my experience purchasing it that was influencing my taste-buds. Now that more time has passed, I am able to enjoy it much more. Funny how emotions play a huge part in taste perception…
