Today’s tea is an inspired one. I ordered new tea for work the other day, but silly me forgot to consider the delivery address. So now I’ve got a big package to pick up from the post office on wednesday (having given up on the stupid package pick up place that keeps displacing my parcels), all of which I’ll have to carry with me into work on thursday. Instead of just having the silly thing delivered directly to work! Oh well, I can steal a few samples of the leaves, I guess.
Anyway, the reason this one is inspired is because one of the new work teas is one that has nothing in common with this one except the brand, but I’m imagining it to have the same sort of creamy-sweet quality as this one does.
I’ve even managed to make it a pretty good cup today, which is good seeing as this seems to be one of those teas that I end up neglecting without meaning to. It’s so summerly and nice, I really ought to have it more often. It reminds me of visiting the boyfriend’s family and having rhubarb crumble with custard. In spite of the fact that the rhubarb is sort of not really coming out clearly in this cup. Which doesn’t really add up with it being a pretty good cup today, but there you are. I never claimed to be logical or consistent.
I just really like this. It tastes pink and girly, and I suspect that the boyfriend would dislike it on principle.
It’s been a long time since I last had any of this one. Even longer since I posted about it. Smelling the tin now I wonder why.
Oh, the sweet creamy aroma, accentuated by a sharp sting of acidic rhubarb! I can’t even begin to describe how awesome these leaves smell. Like a sinfully sweet dessert, but with tartness that makes you want to come back for more. And more. And more. And more. All of this in combination with the standard notes of sencha.
Once it has finished steeping and a cup has been poured, take a moment to revel in this aroma once more. It’s even better when it’s a ‘wet’ smell rather than a ‘dry’ smell. Everything seems to flow together more. (Weirdly though, the aroma of it is sort of purple-ish… Can’t really see the connection there, but the old brain is a strange place.)
Sadly though, the flavour of it doesn’t really live up to the aroma. It’s good and the flavouring is subtle, which I like. But the aroma leads me to believe that there should be so much more. It’s an aroma – flavour mismatch as far as the strength is concerned.
As far as the actual flavour however, it’s very close to the aroma. (Still somewhat purple-ish). Primarily sencha flavours, but rhubarb as a close second. Then at the bottom of the flavour there’s the creamyness along with something every so slightly floral. There are rose petals in the leaves, though, so that’s probably them making an appearance.
Very nice, but not one I feel like having often enough that I think it should have more points than this or that I think I might be restocking. It is, however, very much a flavoured green variant that I would encourage people to give a try.
Ah pink tea! The tea that almost wasn’t because I had a heck of a time getting the lid pried off the tin.
Actually this is inspired by the fact that A C Perch’s wrote in their newsletter today that they have a new rooibos which is flavoured with rhubarb. Now, admittedly I don’t much care for rooibos, as in not at all, but I can’t for the life of me imagine those two flavours together. I may have to push it on the boyfriend so that I can get an opinion on the matter. Although he may find the rhubarb flavour rather too girly…
Not that rhubarb is really a girly flavour in and off itself but in this green tea, it’s turned into something uber-girly. Pink and fluffy and reminding me of bubblegum.
I actually used too much leaf for this pot because I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, so here I don’t seem to have quite as much pinkness as I remembered it having, but there is a good deal of the green tea shining through. Which would have been nice if it hadn’t been for the fact that it’s also a little harsh from the fact that there is rather too much leaf in there. Oh well.
Anyway, it’s still a quite nice cup for those uber-girly moments. It’s just not one I really feel like having very often.
