Know by Heart

I enjoy this blend best cold and sweetened. I get a bit of fruitiness and a bit of nuttiness. It’s pretty smooth and pleasant. I often don’t love white tea, and I can taste its presence, but it’s not too bad. This isn’t my favorite, but it does a good job.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge, April 2022: A tea paired with the weather

This tea feels like a close relative to “Walking on Sunshine” by 52Teas – although it’s more citrus bloom that citrus fruit, it carries those same bright, clean sunny vibes that are perfect for a heralding in a positive change in weather. It’s not quite an exact match for today’s weather though (I need to find a gusty, sea breeze tea).

I cold steeped mine over night and while it still contains notes of orange blossom and almond, the crisp honey is so dominant. While sipping the last of it, I think of (and crave) some of Humblebee Meadery’s fun and surprisingly light flavours, like Green Tea & Lime, or Saffron & Orange (http://www.humblebeemead.com/)

I was drinking this one during a relatively important meeting on Tuesday and I kept getting distracted in the meeting because this tea was so lovely. Good sign of the tea, less so for my meeting. It was just so flavourful though while having the softest and most gentle overall feel to it. I definitely got the orange blossom but there was this interesting quality that made me think of, like, artisan marshmallows!? Just this really light, fluffy creaminess. I also, at moments, thought of macarons with silky sweet fillings. I guess macarons makes some sense because macarons are made with almond flavour and have that sweetness of almond while note totally being “nutty” in the classic way.

Anyway. It was very nice. Very nice.

I’ve tried this one on two separate occasions, and I pretty strongly dislike it, despite consisting of flavors I generally love (orange blossom, honey, almond). The first time, it somehow tasted like pencil shavings. This time around, it has a strong alcohol flavor that overpowers everything else.

Usually I’m not a huge fan of white tea, as I feel it’s too subtle, causing me to oversteep it and then getting a less than desirable result. This is a flavored one, though, and that makes a big difference. The orange blossom floral note is quite pleasant, which is saying a lot because generally I’m not into floral teas. Somehow, the floral notes along with the almond flavor all wrapped up with hints of honey works really well. It’s surprisingly tasty for a white tea. It makes a very nice afternoon break cup of tea, especially with a little something sweet to snack on. This sugar addict is having a rough time giving up her sweets completely.

I had some chocolate with crisped rice before this cup and I keep getting toasted rice notes while drinking this. It’s nice, but distracting from the flavors of the tea. It smells like honeyed almonds and I get a little bit of that in the sip, but there is also a flat dough taste too. I can pick out the orange if I think hard. I’m not digging on this one so much, but I don’t often find white teas I like.

What I smell: toasted almonds, orange marmalade, barley

What I taste: orange rind

Notes: Amazing scent from the dry leaves, but quite a mellow tea when steeped. Reminds me a bit of an orange saison in tea form. Mild almond notes in the background too.

I mostly followed the instructions on this one.

What a lovely blend – all mauve pinks and moss greens with some earthy brown twigs thrown in for good measure. It reminds me of spring. The dry tea is fruity and candy sweet. One steeped, there is the slightest bitterness. I can taste the almonds. It reminds me of an herbal tea. My husband loves it so that must be right (he only drinks herbals these days). Overall, it’s good but not one I would reach for on a regular basis.

Thanks, amandastory516, for sending this one!