A while back, when I was visiting my family, I stopped by a shop on the town square that carries Adagio teas. It had been a while since I got anything new, so I figured it was a great opportunity.
White tea has always been a unique challenge for me. I either love or hate them, and unfortunately most of them fall closer to the hate spectrum. A lot of the time the flavor is a little too overpowering, or else doesn’t complement the mild taste of the white tea well enough to stand out. Still, the sample of this one smelled so good, and I’m a sucker for berry flavors, so I decided to give it a go. I’m glad I tried.
I was a little startled by how pale this tea brewed. It’s normal for white teas to brew light, of course, but I drank out of a white cup and the liquid inside had just the faintest blush of a cool purple-gold that’s hard to describe, but was remarkably pretty. The fragrance was mild, too—enough so that at first I thought maybe I had mismeasured the amount of tea I put in my cast-iron teapot. I sampled it anyway, and it was delightful.
The very light and subtle flavor of the tea worked beautifully with the flavor of blueberry, which adds its own hint of sweetness. I didn’t add any sugar to my cup at all, which is unusual for me—it was delicious on its own. As to be expected with blueberries, it bore a hint of a tart aftertaste, which I personally found very clean and refreshing, but I recognize it may not be for everyone.
My favorite part of the tea was that the blueberry taste increased with a second brewing, as the whole berries in the mix had time to soften during the first brew. As a result, my second cup had a bit more punch.
Overall, it was delightful—as long as you take care not to overbrew, which is easy to do with white teas. While the packet recommended brewing at 180 degrees, I opted for a cooler 160, as I might use for green teas, and found it preserved much more of the white tea flavor without turning bitter.
This one’s quite a treat, and I’m glad I went ahead and got two ounces while I was there.