2238 Tasting Notes
My mum bought be the Whittard advent calender this year, and this was the tea for the 1st December. (I’m a day behind already!)
It smells really good. Sweeter and creamier than I’d expect given it’s name, but there are definite hints of whisky about it in a peaty, smoky kind of way. I added a splash of milk, because the Whittard base isn’t one I’m super keen on ordinarily. It was probably the right decision; it’s not subtle, so the flavouring wasn’t overpowered in the least.
I’m struggling with whisky a little in flavour terms. There’s maybe the very slightest hint, but I mostly get chocolate. Really nice, milky, creamy, chocolatey-chocolate, but chocolate all the same. If this one was called whisky chocolate, I’d be there, because that’s what it is.
It’s pretty delicious, though. I’d buy it because it tastes nice (but not if I were looking for whisky…) If I were looking for Whisky, though, honestly, I’d probably just buy whisky!
Preparation
Sipdown! Finished off my sample tin whisked into coconut milk; I was going for a kind of creamy-lemony-desserty kinda vibe. It almost succeeded. My main problem with this matcha is that it isn’t very lemony – and it’s not age; it just never was. It’s more vegetal in the way of plain matcha, with just a hint of lemon.
So – it was okay. Drinkable, but not as good as I’d hoped. I think I knew that, though. I might buy another sample in the future to see if anything’s changed – maybe it’s more lemony now than it used to be. I’ve read some reviews which make me think it might be. The best preparation method so far for me, though, has been as a lemonade – and I’ve added extra lemon juice every time. I’d be interested to experiment a bit more with this one in the future, though. It’s not one I’d rush out to buy, but it’ll probably make a return to my cupboard at some point.
I’ve decided I don’t like this. It’s just weird.
All I can really taste is oolong, and…vegetables? Not the freshest vegetables, either. I hesitate to say rotting, because that would be unfair. It’s not that bad, but it’s not good either.
The first time I tried this, I made a latte with coconut milk. At least, I think that’s what I did. It curdled a bit, but I didn’t hate it. I think the coconut milk hid a multitude of sins.
Today’s cup, at work, was straight. No additions. Nada. I feel like I experienced this one in it’s true form, and it just didn’t work. Oolong and fruit clearly don’t do it for me. The coconut held up well, but to be honest I probably wouldn’t have noticed if it hadn’t. This blend has bigger problems.
I’m definitely getting better at making Unicorn Fizz. I’ve had two decent cups on the trot now, which (when you consider my history with this tea) is a huge hallelujah moment.
It needs vanilla and honey, otherwise it just tastes funky. It needs lemonade, rather than sparkling water. It needs fussy picking to remove some of the butterfly pea flowers, because there are too many (at least in my bag, which is pretty old now) and to add in an extra piece of raspberry or two. Then, then, it’s halfway decent and I can see what the fuss is about. It’s pretty, for one, and the sour raspberry vibe it has going on is quite nice.
Unicorns wouldn’t drink it, though. I can tell you that much for free.
Tried some more of this today, again as a matcha lemonade. I’m not really a fan of matcha without milk; this is one of the only ways I find it even remotely palatable. It’s a Bird & Blend recipe, from their website. It basically involves mixing up 1/2 tsp of matcha in hot water as you usually would, then adding honey and lemon juice. You pour over ice and top off with lemonade.
It’s good. It’s probably the only way I’ll ever drink this particular flavour, so…
I feel like I have a new appreciation for this one – and that’s saying something, for me, because I don’t really like ginger.
But…
You can make this one taste like a ginger cream, and (perhaps perversely) they’re something I actually do quite like. All you have to do, it turns out, is brew as a latte and add 1 tsp of honey and 1/2 tsp vanilla essence. Then it tastes like biscuit, and that’s all right with me.
I might even buy more of this, and that’s something I thought I’d never say. I’ve increased my rating, because this shit’s good.
I wasn’t super-keen on this one last time I tried it (which was the first time) but I gave it another try today simply because I’m feeling the morning matcha lattes at the moment, and (for once) I didn’t fancy anything flavoured.
Maybe I just didn’t do very well last time, but today’s latte was pretty excellent. It struck a pleasing sweet-savoury balance and wasn’t too grassy or vegetal. It just hit the spot, really. I’d buy this again as an everyday, go-to, plain matcha. It’s decent.
I’ve increased my rating a little, because 65 seemed unfairly low. It’s good, kids!
Sipdown! I finished up the last of this by cold brewing in lemonade. It’s almost time to say goodbye to summer, after all. I have a feeling that anything cold brewed in lemonade is going to taste good, and this is no exception. The blueberry comes out really well, as does the dragonfruit (more so than when brewed hot). The cranberry is more muted, which is fine with me as I’m not a huge fan anyway. The goji berry? MIA, but again, I don’t mind.
The sweetness of the lemonade complements the fruit really nicely. I mean, of course it does. You can’t go wrong with this.
Preparation
This came as a sample with the Whittard gift box I received recently. I’m not a huge fan of Whittard’s green tea, so I wasn’t expecting a lot, but it’s actually pretty nice. There’s a lot of mango, and it’s nicely peppery. I didn’t really get passionfruit. The green base is probably gunpowder, and it was a touch dank for my tastes, at least in a blend that’s presumably supposed to be light and fruity. It was okay, though. I mean, I wouldn’t go out actively seeking this one, but it was perfectly drinkable.
