Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

The first time I tried this tea, I thought it tasted like floor cleaner. Unfortunately, this result was a direct result of my own hubris. I’d been researching and learning about tea for a year. And everything I’d read about white tea dictated a very low steeping temperature, and a brew time around 3 minutes. But this package said hot water, just cooled from boiling, and a very very short steep time. And this wasn’t too long after I had a horrible experience with another tea where I’d followed the directions on the package and gotten something that could strip paint (http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1370/tea-review-samovar-tea-lounge-royal-garland/). So I decided I knew better. I brewed low and slow.

And it tasted like floor cleaner. Blea.

I whined about it on Steepster, especially since I’d just tried their Tangerine Red, which is like manna from heaven. And someone told me to try it again, but follow the instructions. I ignored it, thinking I could be very happy without this tea.

Then, I went to their brick and mortar storefront. They explained a lot of their processes to me, and gave me samples of almost every tea they carry. This one included. Wow! What a difference following the instructions made! This was a really interesting, really good tea.

This tea is a big tea. The white tea leaves are big. The pieces of orange blossom are big. And the taste is big. It’s not a sweet taste. It’s on the bitter side. The orange blossom petals remind me slightly of the pith of the orange. (It’s supposedly got lots of vitamin C as well.) It’s an acquired taste, but I like it a lot. I don’t get a lot of the hay or grass tones on this one, just the orange peel and a mellowness imparted by the white tea. The astringency is very low, but it does leave just a hint of pucker after the initial flavors, the kind that leaves you wanting to drink more. And with the short steeps recommended, you can get quite a few cups out of this tea!

Try this tea if you want something original and bold but make sure you follow the directions on the packet!

You can purchase the Orange Blossom White directly from the Shang Tea website.

Written by Gretchen Its All About the Leaf Reviewer - Read more about this author on Gretchen's profile page - View recent posts by Gretchen