This is a fairly complex tea. I got a sample of it the other day, and it was fairly meh, but my friend had it for her tea to go, and she said it was better, so tonight I made that my tea to go. It steeped for quite a long time actually, as we got it as we were leaving the mall, and it is about a 15 minute ride home. I was told that this tea could hold up to a longer brew time. I didn’t actually taste it til I got home, because we had a box of doughnuts from Timmy’s, and a tray with 4 teas (my Gold Rush, my friend’s Pink Flamingo, and her daughters’ Mango Madness and Movie Night) all on my lap on the way home. Plus, those cups are hot for a long time…and I can never sip right away without burning my tongue.
Anyhow, in the store, this tea definitely smells sweet and caramel-y, with a hint of the coconut. It looks lovely with the golden mulberries and coconut shavings. Steeped, and after 15-20 minutes, it is a little bitter. I shouldn’t really be surprised since it is a white base after all, and for this, I can’t fault anyone but myself for letting it steep for so long. I should have taken the bag out before getting into the car, but I didn’t.
But I can’t say that it is overly bitter. It isn’t bad bitter. It’s only a tad bitter. And the taste, as I said before, is pretty complex. I can taste a nutty sweetness from the mulberries and coconut. I think I lost any caramel flavours due to the steeping, but it might be layered in with the overall nutty sweetness. I think that it is interesting to see DAVIDs using white tea and coconut in this blend as they do so in Checkmate. In fact, I sorta feel like this is Checkmate’s younger sister. Both teas are mild, yet somehow complex.
I’m on the fence whether I’ll get this or not. I think I’d like to see how it is when I brew it, but also, as it cools, the sweetness is intensifying, and I think this might make a rockin’ iced tea.
