The name of this tea has The White Stripes’s “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” on repeat in my head. “Like a summer rose needs the sun and rain, I need your sweet love to beat love away…” The lyrics don’t make sense, but I enjoy Jack White just the same.
The first thing I want to say about this tea is how it doesn’t look exactly like the photo. Rose petals naturally fade when they dry, so they’re not the bright magenta you see here. They’re faintly pink, but mostly a sort of cream color. That said, there is a very generous amount of them in my sample. Lovely!
The smell of the dry leaf is very floral, but not exclusively rose. I’m getting hints of lemon, pepper, and magnolia. Mmm, magnolia! The smell poignantly reminds me of the beginning of summer here in the deep south. I wonder if there are magnolia teas out there… that’s something to research for sure.
The brewed tea also smells of rose and magnolia. So summery, so nostalgic. Upon the first sip I notice that it’s not an overwhelmingly floral tea. It certainly doesn’t beat you over the head with the rose. The black tea base is mild and without bitterness or astringency. Much like a yunnan tip or something. Very smooth. Though that might have something to do with the preparation. On the package, it said to brew for three minutes, so I did. Anyway, it’s very gentle and I look forward to finishing the sample.
Flavors: Floral, Flowers, Lemon, Rose
