Orange Blossom White Tea from Republic of Tea

Scent in package: light and citrus-y
Brewed in: porcelain teacup (teabag)
Steeped: around 3 minutes at just under boiling
Cup: Porcelain teacup

I’m not ashamed of the fact that sometimes, I like teabags. And I fully admit that I love getting catalogs from Republic of Tea particularly for the samples they generally include. This teabag was a sample gotten with a catalog, and as I’d tried the bottled version (which I enjoyed), I looked forward to drinking a cup warm.

I don’t know all that much about white tea fannings. I’ve read that with black tea, often a teabag full of dust and fannings will release more caffeine than full-leaf tea (making it perfect for those mornings when you just can’t get moving). But I don’t know how it affects white tea or how it changes the brew.

I do know that this particular tea brews up as a lovely golden orange color, and yes, the bag does have a bit of foam in it from the flavoring. If you’re an “au naturale” kind of person, that’s not going to appeal much to you, but I’m okay with it for a tea like this. The scent of oranges wafted lightly through the air while it brewed, and while you might expect it to be a bit tart, the first sip confirms that natural sweet-orange flavor.

Here’s the cool thing though. The flavoring doesn’t completely overpower the tea, which I consider a good sign. It’s definitely there, and certainly enhances what might be a rather bland brew otherwise (they don’t say what kind of white tea is used, but all white tea is subtle anyways). You can still detect notes of the tea’s original flavor even through the orange taste, and I appreciate that aspect. It’s a very delicate and light brew, and it seems like it would be very suitable for an afternoon tea in spring or summer…maybe even a wedding tea. Quite lovely, no astringency at all, and very relaxing to sip.

Needless to say, I like it, and am considering buying a tin to have on hand. I think it’s something my mom might like – and it’s time to start thinking about stocking stuffers! Very enjoyable tea, especially for a “bagged” tea.