Cactus Fig

Loose
Aroma when Dry: fruity, notes of cactus, orange, fig
After water is first poured: fig and orange
At end of steep: cloying fruity, malowy
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: meadow green
Staple? No
Preferred time of day: unsure, first tasting
Taste:
At first: drying sandalwood notes, followed by orange, closing faint fig note
As it cools ? Notes open up into layered bitter, sour, grassy
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, astringent, bitter, grassy, soured fig close

I am a sucker for group-buying deals related to tea, and so bought a Groupon a while ago for Teaopia that wasn’t a remarkably good deal and that I didn’t really know what to do with. I finally wandered into a Teopia for the first time on the weekend to use it. Entering new tea stores is so overwhelming!

I asked for some popular blends and most didn’t really jump out at me, but this seemed interesting. The title ingredients are pretty unusual and I’ve been on a fresh fig kick lately, so I went for it. I couldn’t tell what I should expect as it just smelled pretty unabashedly sweet. And, the taste pretty much follows suit. I can taste the sencha base, though, which is nice. It did come out a touch bitter at 3 minutes, so I wouldn’t go that long next time. Apart from that, I mostly just get sweet and unexpected flavours. I don’t think I can identify any fig in there, nor the earthiness mentioned in the description. I guess the “cactus” is the lead here, but I don’t know what cactus is supposed to taste like. It does taste like a cactus candy I had a few weeks ago, though. That’s all I’ve got to go on.

Not bad, would probably be great iced.

Am I the only person on Steepster who just adores this tea? I grew up drinking gunpowder green tea from our local Asian supermarket and earl gray. To me, this was tea. I was unaware that there was a whole world of flavored teas out there. When I did finally discover flavored green teas, they were either overbearingly sweet or too tart for my tastes. Not this one. This one is delicate on the palate. I love the hint of sweetness from the fig chunks (my bag has quite a few) but depending on how many pieces you put in your cup, the taste slightly changes. Sometimes it’s more green tea, sometimes it’s more fruity, and I’m not complaining. If I’m not really in the mood for something so sweet, I scoop out some tea without big chunks, and this makes those times when I am in the mood for fruity sweetness all the better. This tea is fantastic iced! I tend to prefer it as such over freshly brewed and hot.
My one complaint about this tea would be the size of the fruit pieces. Some are remarkably huge while others are tiny. A more uniform blend would be more suitable for me, like the Green Seduction from DavidsTea (absolutely love that tea!)

Yawn. Teaopia often has this as one of their sample teas, and I can’t imagine why. It’s bland. I’m not getting anything like the delightful sweetness of Pomegranate Green. It is wholly unremarkable. Pass!

Hmmm. Certainly was not a fan my first try or two. However, drank this with a spot of rock sugar when I was home with a cold, and suddenly the previously off putting aloe vera was wonderfully medicinal and soothing.

I bought the remnants of this from Teaopia while visiting a store just before it became Teavana; it was very much a ‘well, why not’ purchase, and I haven’t been disappointed with it.

It is, like others have said, a very typical, sweet green tea. I think I may have steeped this just a bit too long because there’s a slight bitter undertone, but other than that, I’m happy with it. It’s not something I’m heartbroken over never being able to have again once I run out of the 50g I bought, but it is a nice green blend for those who like sweet teas.

Well the scent is very nice, both of the dry leaves and the steeped tea. It smells fruity. But the taste is very different. Hmmm, first I thought, very sweet… then pow something kind of bitter and dull and vegetal emerges! I’ve never eaten cactus, but this tea does somehow make me think of one. At least this is certainly something I’ve never tasted before. Very strange but not something I would buy again. Maybe for summer though.
Okay… I just poured a second cup and this time put agave in it. It’s much better! The weird bitterness is gone and it’s transformed into a nice sort of melony taste. Maybe there is hope for this tea after all.

I usually only like plain green teas, but this one surprised me. A very interesting, unique and fresh flavor. I recommend a squirt of agave. Not something I’d have all the time, but it’s nice for a change.

i think i totally have a crush on this tea le sigh

I am absoultely addicted to Cactus Fig!! Sadly, its being discontinued in Teavana stores. :(

After bringing the water to a boil, I let it cool for 1 minute before steeping. If you steep this tea for any longer than 1 minute, you’ll get really bitter tea.

Anyone know where else I can find this tea?!

Got this in a sampler from Teaopia. It’s not bad overall, but it’s really just a slightly sweet green tea, nothing really special.

I’m done the tin now, but I suspect it may have made a pretty good iced tea. I won’t be buying it to test the theory.

I will say the bits of fig in the loose tea were tasty.

I wanted to wait to drink this tea until I had a sore throat. I thought it would make me feel tough if I drank cactus while my throat was sore. Well maybe it was my sickness, or maybe it was just the tea but this stuff is gross. I wasn’t a fan at all. Too bad too, I like teas with fun names.