Sample cube 5/18
I haven’t found many fruit-blended white teas enjoyable—more often than not, they end up tasting like fruit in slightly dusty water. But when I try a new one I always hope it will surprise me in a good way. That said, I picked this one out of the cube using a random number generator. Hah.
The sachet was covered with a yellow dust, as if some kind of flavoring or coloring had gotten applied a little too liberally. The aroma of the dry tea is vanilla, caramel, and dried citrus fruit—sweet, but slightly musty. Once brewed, the tea is a light orange color. Many little hairs from the leaves escaped into the brew, but with some white teas that is to be expected. I tried to be cautious with water temperature and steep time, but the tea base was still rather astringent. It is sweet, but it’s hard to tell whether that is from the flavoring or the tea itself. The citrus flavor is, again, slightly musty and not too robust, and hard to identify as grapefruit. As the tea cooled, it took on a juicier and more pleasant note. Overall it’s just okay, not particularly memorable for good or bad qualities, though it might be much better as a summer iced tea.