I’m really not sure how to feel about this tea. I got a sample on a whim, because I was curious to find out if I like coconut. I hate the texture of actual coconut, and I’ve never really had coconut-flavored anything. But I do like tea, ginger and lemongrass, so I figured there was a decent chance I would like Bangkok.
Scent-wise, I don’t care for the dry leaves. There’s just enough vanilla to be able to smell it, and I loathe the smell of vanilla. Once the water hits the leaves, though, the scent of everything mellows and I mostly smell the lemongrass, coconut and the tea, so it’s not bad.
I can taste lemongrass, grassy green tea notes, and a sort of rich, almost heavy sweetness I am assuming is the coconut. The vanilla is not very strong; it mostly seems to mellow the other flavors. I’m not tasting any ginger, but I have yet to drink a tea from Harney and Sons where you can actually detect the ginger, so that’s not surprising.
It’s a pretty interesting tea. I’m not really sure that I personally like the flavors. The vanilla is sort of ruining it for me, but again, I hate vanilla. However, it’s a complex tea and it would definitely go really well with some pad thai, so I’m going to rate it well anyway. And as much as I’m unsure about the flavor, I have to admit I’m more than willing to give it another go.