My mom picked some of this up at one of Le Palais des Thes’ NYC shops. This is my first time trying one of their teas, and I’m quite intrigued by the description of this blend in particular. I’ve never had tea flavored with either dates or orange blossom, and I’m quite curious to see how they’ll translate. Plus I love fruity and floral greens, especially iced in the summer.
This tea is quite fruity, in a rather generic way. I’m getting berries more than anything else, I think. I’m not tasting the rose, which is surprising since I usually find rose to be a strong flavor in teas. There’s a faint floral undertone, but it’s one I associate more with the orange blossom than with rose. I don’t taste anything I’d especially identify as date either, although there is a sweetness that is not unreminiscent of dates. I’m also noticing a faint vanilla undertone.
The base is nice – it’s quite light and neutral (in that it’s not too vegetal, seaweed-y, etc.), which is how I like my green bases. I’m not averse to stronger greens on their own, but when combined with fruits or florals (which are the profiles I go for in flavored greens) I find there’s too much of a sweet-savory flavor clash.
This tea reminds me a bit of Mariage Frères’ Bouddha Bleu, although I like this one quite a bit better. Both have strong, somewhat generic fruit flavors and hint at vanilla, but fortunately this combination isn’t translating to bubblegum here the way it does in MF BB.
I’m drinking this iced (brewed hot, then chilled), since it’s too hot to do otherwise at the moment. I’ll certainly be trying it hot when the weather allows though. I’m also thinking this might be a good candidate for cold-brewing.
