I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t too sure about this one on first sip. I used 1 tsp of leaf, and gave it three minutes in water cooled to approximately 180 degrees. Looking at the dry leaf, there doesn’t appear to be a huge quantity of green tea leaves. It’s mostly lemon verbena, and stevia, as far as I can tell. Perhaps accordingly, the liquor is a pale lemon-yellow. The scent of both the dry leaf and brewed cup is deeply lemony – like lemon zest.
To taste, I was initially disappointed to find the flavour very mild. Lemon sherbets are a strong flavour, with a kick of sharp/sour alongside the boiled sweet sugariness. This tea is much, much more delicate than I was expecting. There is a distinctive lemon flavour; very much like lemon squeezed into water. It’s mildly sour, with a hint of sweetness from the stevia. There’s nothing that’s really making me think “sherbet” though. Not enough of a tang!
I like this one as a gentle, fresh lemon-tasting tea. I feel a little disappointed that it doesn’t live up to its name, but I imagine it would be good iced as well as hot. I’ll happily drink up the rest of my bag, but it’s not one I’d repurchase.
