Sorry for not having posted for a while, it's been a busy few weeks! Also I needed to get some new teas so having been hunting for some quality loose leaf artisan blends. But all is sorted now so should be back to normal!
A fortnight or so ago I put a shout out on Tea Hour (#teahour 7pm on a Tuesday) a few weeks ago asking for some good recommendations for artisan loose leaf tea & got a message from MDTea saying they'd like me to try some of their blends. I obviously was keen to say yes as their branding looked pretty, very 20's style & their blends are very different from others I've tried before. When a selection of blends got sent to me I was very excited to try the one called 'Pink Pride' & the ingredients sounded delicious 'Chinese jasmine silver needle white tea, rose petals & hibiscus' TASTY! I don't think there is any history of this blend so I can't give a background on it but its definitely an interesting combination.
A fortnight or so ago I put a shout out on Tea Hour (#teahour 7pm on a Tuesday) a few weeks ago asking for some good recommendations for artisan loose leaf tea & got a message from MDTea saying they'd like me to try some of their blends. I obviously was keen to say yes as their branding looked pretty, very 20's style & their blends are very different from others I've tried before. When a selection of blends got sent to me I was very excited to try the one called 'Pink Pride' & the ingredients sounded delicious 'Chinese jasmine silver needle white tea, rose petals & hibiscus' TASTY! I don't think there is any history of this blend so I can't give a background on it but its definitely an interesting combination.
The leaves are long with the little white hairs on them so look quite dusty but clean & very delicate as if they'd just been left to dry out as white tea should be. There are also little pink rose buds as well as dried hibiscus. The dried leaves smell light & delicate of jasmine with hints of the rose & hibiscus. I can't smell the white tea distinctly but there aren't any chemically smells or off tea which sometimes happens when you get teas with additional flavours.
I brewed my water at 70 degrees though the instructions say it can be up to 75 & let the tea brew for 3 minutes. I put two teaspoons in my small glass teapot which made just over a medium sized teacup. It smells lovely & floral, you can really get the notes of the flowers & it has a lovely pale pink colour. The taste is quite 'pink' for want of another word- its florally, light, hints of fruit & subtly sweet. Delightful. The wet leaves look a lovely pale but bright & clean that does look quite wonderful with the pink flower petals. It's got the divine jasmine smell with a little hint of almost fruits of forest & red berries. I can't really get the flavour of the white tea but its such a delicate one that its not surprising you can't taste the tea on its own. I'm pleasantly surprised that there isn't any bitterness or harsh tastes on the tongue from the additional flavours. I'm not a massive fan of teas with lots of additives as I've had bad ones in the past that smell nice but taste very plastic. This blend smells delightful taste very naturally sweet.
The wet leaves are still just a pretty colour, with the leaves deepening in colour so they are more of a light mossy green rather than the silver & the petals have gone a deep pink. The jasmine smell seems to have come out even more & is such a beautiful scent with the silver needle & the rose which you can pick out at points. I've dried the leaves out so we'll see how a second infusion goes.
Part of the reason for the title of this post of this that I kept misreading the blend name as 'Pink Bride' but its such a pretty blend to both look at & drink I do think it would be great to have for a hen do or a wedding day drink. Its not overly sweet but whilst drinking it, I didn't feel I needed anything to go with it which is great as I so often want to have a slice of cake or biscuit with a pot of tea. I don't think I could drink this all the time but I think its definitely one for a special occasion or when I'm feeling particularly girly.
Part of the reason for the title of this post of this that I kept misreading the blend name as 'Pink Bride' but its such a pretty blend to both look at & drink I do think it would be great to have for a hen do or a wedding day drink. Its not overly sweet but whilst drinking it, I didn't feel I needed anything to go with it which is great as I so often want to have a slice of cake or biscuit with a pot of tea. I don't think I could drink this all the time but I think its definitely one for a special occasion or when I'm feeling particularly girly.
Hope you are all having a great week & come back towards the end of the week for another post about another MDTea!