Cucumber White

Looking back on what I wrote about this tea, I’m constrained to dock it some points. I’d originally given it a 63. Lately I’ve been drinking it a lot more, as I’m now down to just a few of my original “starter tea” tea bag boxes.

One of the problems I’m having is that I really did not like Om, which was another Tazo mixed tea blend with cucumber flavor. I drank a lot of Om trying to get through my stash at both work and home, and it never got any better tasting, in fact it got worse and worse.

Om may have ruined cucumber flavor in tea for me, or perhaps just cucumber flavor in Tazo tea. Though this one doesn’t have the same ingredients as Om, its cucumber flavor is close enough to the same that my sense memory is superimposing a spiciness on the cucumber that gives me that same pickle feel as I had with Om. Pickles being, well, pickled, that flavor undercuts the feeling of freshness I had the first few times I had this. In a big way.

Also, I had forgotten that Cucumber White, as this is actually named, also has black darjeeling in it, which makes it one of those “what temp do I use, and for how long” conundrums that I’d rather skip and just get to the drinking.

As I’m sitting with these white Tazos for longer, the Vanilla Apricot is emerging as a frontrunner, and the Berryblossom is growing on me. The cucumber, sadly, has fallen from favor.

Second-last tea I have yet to sample from Amanda! This can only be better than the yuck from Adagio I just tasted (and spit back out).

Steeped, there is almost no smell. I had smelled a bit of mintiness in the teabag itself, but either the cup has cooled off too much to emit an aroma, or there isn’t really one.

I steeped this one for a conservative 2 minutes, considering that it was a white. The predominant flavour I’m getting is mintiness, which is a bit bleh to me, and then I can almost imagine I taste cucumber after the mint fades a touch. … Ooh! There’s actually a really lovely aftertaste here. Almost caramelly, probably a bit of white tea.

So this one’s definitely a bust because of the mint, which I hoped would be a little more subdued in favour of cucumber and/or lime, but I’m pleasantly surprised at the lingering taste this one leaves! So if I gulp a bit down while holding my nose, this is actually not so bad!! Hahaha :D

Thanks for passing some of this along, Amanda! My only regret is that I didn’t read the ingredient list fully before requesting it… sigh! Mint and I just aren’t best buds.

My friend threw a bag of this tea in a humongous mug filled with ice for me the other day…a short cold-steep. It was quite refreshing. The mint was there, but not overpowering, and I could taste the cucumber too. It kind of reminded me of tea they serve when you go to a spa. Definitely good for a hot day!

I’m really not a huge white tea fan, nor a huge Tazo fan. But I had the chance to try a new-to-me tea so I took it. This was that tea.

I’m really not expecting much, so my lack of disappointment probably reflects more on that than the tea, but it really isn’t bad. I mean, it’s not great, but it’s quite drinkable. It has a fairly uneventful taste. I don’t really taste any cucumber (but really, what does cucumber taste like but wet, cold, crisp and fresh which, now that I’ve said that, I guess I do kinda taste). I don’t really taste any white tea either. No wait, I take that back. There might be some white tea vegetal-ness in the very back of the taste. Most of the taste is lime-ish citrus with a little warm spice tingle at the end. It gives it a kind of fresh, lively taste. Sort of summery, though weirdly bland at the same time. (I’m guessing that is from the teabag-ness? Or maybe the fact that I just steeped for one minute.)

Anyway, this honestly doesn’t taste all that white tea (or any kind of tea, actually) to me and I think if you go into this expecting white tea, you’ll probably be disappointed. But it’s a decently respectable (and unusual) teabag herbal.

I’m a fan of flavored teas. While my big sister Terri Harplady appreciates the variety and subtleties of fine teas, the blacks, greens, and whites, the oolongs, assams, puers and golden fleeces, I take a more ham handed approach. Though it’s beginning to occur to me that those teas in the background often have their own kind of charm, I’m mostly interested in the spices, herbs, and extracts with which they are mixed. My cupboard abounds with warm cozy fragrances of chais, berries and flowers.

There are cool flavors as well. Lavender for instance, which I love in teas though I’ll be the first to admit it smells exactly like the laundry detergent aisle at the store. Earl Grey, whose bergamot and black tea fragrances always evoke the idea of clean crisp linens, is also a favorite. I have a huge sweet tooth but sometimes it’s nice to give it a break and have something to cleanse my palate.

This tea falls in that category. Crisp and clean with no need for sweetness, it reminds me of the cucumber-lime water I sometimes make in the summer. This is really good. I’ve sampled most of Tazo’s brews in the past and only one has found a regular place in my cupboard, but it looks like it’s about to be joined by a second variety.

I’m having this cold brewed with no urge to try it hot, but have certainly decided to add this to my summer favorites. It was a gift from my sister in law and an awesome one at that. I’ll no doubt pick up some more when it runs out.

So there was a free box of this in the kitchen area at work so I took a couple of bags to try, although white tea is usually not my preference.

I can taste the lime in this but the rest of the flavour is pretty unpleasant. Bitter and sour. And I don’t think it’s just because white is not my normal cup of tea (pun intended). It’s possible I steeped it for too long, but I don’t know that that would have helped very much. I steeped it at as low a temperature as my water heater goes so it can’t be that. I don’t know. I don’t like this tea and I will not be having it again. I’m contemplating pouring out this mug.

ETA: Added another spoonful of sugar and that cut down the bitterness. Still, there’s now so much sugar in this blend that it’s basically unrecognizable now so I’ll not up the rating too much.

Blog: http://amazonv.teatra.de/2013/01/23/tazo-teabag-white-tea-cucumber-white/

Steep Information:
Water: ~500ml at 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chemical, cucumber
Steeped Tea Smell: lime, cool, vegetal
Flavor: lime, cool cucumber, tangy
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent yellow green

It’s a mojito in need of alcohol.
Nice and refreshing, seems like it would be great iced.

Rating: 2/4 leaves

An unusual, interesting blend, but I’m not sure it’s an improvement on plain white tea. You see, I find plain white tea to be anything but plain. Of course, teabag-grade tea could be expected to be less flavorful than its full-leaf forbears. Maybe it’s the lime zest. Unlike lemon, which accentuates the floral notes, the lime seems to bring out something more earthy. And then there’s cucumber. If you omit the skin, what flavor is cucumber? It has a vegetal freshness, I think, but it’s a shy, retiring essence, overwhelmed by the lime. I wanted the lime to surprise me, to wake me up, but it wasn’t punchy enough to do that. It adds a savory dimension, but I think the lime would give a better effect when paired with a base other than white tea. Plus, I kept wanting to add a dash of salt!

This tea is light and refreshing. I’ve had it both hot and iced, but I think I prefer it iced. If hot, I prefer it a little on the weaker side. The cucumber flavor is subtle and blends nicely with the white tea and other herbal flavors.

Yet another tea I got for Christmas. I’m very happy with the taste, although I do think it’d be better as a cold brew, for a nice refreshing sweet tea in the summer. The taste is an interesting one, and not something I’m much used to, but it’s good nonetheless. The steam and aroma from this tea seems to help with this horrible stuffy nose I’m suffering from lol. My mother gave some of this tea in a little tea sampler that she and my aunt had made. I do like it, but not as much as others. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this about a 7.5 :)