Quite a few years ago I remember not liking coconut very much, because my mom used to make coconut cake that was too sweet. Then I had macaroons at a Chinese buffet and loved them. Then I tried Thai food and loved the way coconut was a part of their delicious food. So now I, “Really digg coconut man!” Harney’s crafted this blend a few years ago, and I always wanted to try it…….so last year I bought a tin.
Surprisingly, I reecently found this and tried it today. I immediately smelled the coconut…it just hit me in the face! I inhaled the blend deeply and smelled lemongrass, and there was something else. What was it? The aroma was secondary to the other two but…SSNNIIFFFF….AHHHH, there it is—vanilla! Those were the three scents I detected, and I couldn’t detect any ginger. Amazing aroma, and I couldn’t wait to drink a cup. My mouth was watering!
In the wet leaf aroma I could actually smell the green tea now. This looked like a Bancha green and not a Sencha. Bancha is more mild than a Sencha, and it works really well in this blend. A yellow colored liqour greeted my eyes as I waited for the cup to cool.
At 3.5 minutes, the coconut, came through very well, and the lemongrass was quite noticeable and refreshing. What I really like is that the vanilla was well represented, but more of a background flavor. Sometimes vanilla can be overdone, but not here. I really like it when you can taste the TEA and the added flavors. The tea is really good bancha with no bitterness, but there is good flavor. A really good balance of the green tea, coconut, lemongrass & vanilla.
My second cup was steeped at 4.5 and around 200 degrees. Here the flavors come through well enough, and the longer steep made thee green tea pop, and made my mouth pucker. This was not bitterness at all. I enjoyed this cup too, but the green tea was more prominent than the flavors here. I think to achieve a good balance I would steep this blend at 3.5 minutes, but no more than four. I aso used more quantity “leaf” per cup, probably closer to 1 1/2 tsp.
This is one of my favorite blends and Bankok Blend would go perfect with Thai food. It is also a delicious dessert tea. I probably could drink this every day! It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. :)) I could see myself drinking this in the warmer months—this would make a great iced tea. Right now it is too cold here to drink anything iced though. In the Summer, when I ice this tea, I need to remember to buy some tiny umbrellas! :))
Cupped & Reviewed: Friday, January 13, 2012.
