I did a little alchemy with some teas I had on hand that I thought would blend nicely—the unknown green tea I’ve spent a few notes on figuring out, an unknown white tea that was quite subtle with a light stonefruit note, and a few buds of Yabao from Whispering Pines. It turns out that the Yabao dominates, even though I only put two buds in this cup. The tea has that very fresh, light pine quality, with a bit of juicy vegetal sweetness. The green tea adds a very faint bitterness to the background, actually a good thing in this case. Overall it was fairly interesting, more full-bodied than Yabao by itself, with the fruitiness of the other teas somewhat tempered.
I also tried a sample that was Whittard English Rose Black Tea, but it was unlike the ones listed on Steepster—it specifically was stated to contain no petals. The tea was not marketed on the main Whittard site but sold by an authorized distributor overseas. This was a mellow black tea with a light floral note, but it did not smell or taste sharply of rose. There was also a touch of fresh apple in the aroma. It was a pretty enjoyable, gentle blend that was not overly perfumed, something I appreciate.
In conclusion…I need to get more teas soon.
