I’ve been an avid tea drinker for many years now, and have come to appreciate the variety of flavors present in tea leaves itself – from malty Assams to buttery Gyokuros. There are a number of delicious flavored black teas that I enjoy, but finding a flavored green tea whose flavors enhance, not mask, the natural green tea flavor has been a challenge. In Pekoe Sip House’s Sunny Green blend, I’ve finally found the perfect balance between the tea itself and the added flavor elements.
I’m a huge fan of loose-leaf teas because they are a multi-sensory experience. The tea itself is visually beautiful. The long, folded leaves are a deep green, offset by large hunks of dried pineapple and papaya. Cobalt-colored corn flowers add a striking POP of color. The aroma of the dry leaves is at once earthen and sweet, and literally makes your mouth water.
I brewed the tea for 90 seconds in 170 degree water. The liquor was somewhere between peach and gold, with a very strong aroma of pineapple and papaya. But when I took a sip, I was amazed and pleased to find that the woody, warm flavor of green tea I’ve come to love was still the king of the broth. I could definitely taste the pineapple and papaya – it’s like the sweet and tart areas of my palate were tingling – but they did not overpower the tea. And underpinning it all was the tiniest hint of floral notes.
By the end of the cup, the tea tasted as if I’d added just the perfect amount of sugar (though I never add sugar). Since that first cup, I’ve since chilled the tea, mixed it into cocktails, mixed it with fruit juices, even added sliced cucumber – I’ve tried several permutations of it and have been delighted at how versatile it is, and how perfectly it maintains it’s balance between the tea and the fruit.
I think I may have found the perfect, flavored green tea!
