Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Eteaket
Company Description:
The production of our Bouteaque Blue Mist tea from India is unique and therefore top secret. The resulting cup has complex and competing flavours that pull together to produce a refined and distinguished tea unlike anything else we have tasted. Like a private members club in Mayfair or an invite to the Playboy Mansion to party with Hugh Hefner, this tea is uber-exclusive and uber-good. Strictly for the A-list fashionista.
Taster’s Review:
Now, I don’t know that I would consider myself a fashionista, nor am I an A-lister, for that matter. But, what I do know is that this is an exquisite black tea – certainly one of my favorite unflavored black teas.
The flavor is so unique and complex. I do not brew it according to Eteaket’s brewing parameters (5 minutes in boiling water); however, because I found that this made the tea just a little too bitter for my liking. But when I reduce the brewing time to just 2 to 2 ½ minutes, this reduced the bitterness to a pleasing level and produced a beautiful cup of tea that is full of flavor.
There is sweetness to this tea that is almost honey-esque, and to counteract that sweetness, there is a slight bitter note. This bitterness is not off-putting – in fact, it’s actually a good bitterness because without it, I think that the tea might be so sweet that it overwhelms some of the more delicate features of this tea. But because the bitterness cuts through some of the sweetness, it creates a sense of interest for the palate and allows the palate the opportunity to explore the many flavors that are at play in this tea.
In one sip, I can taste a deep, fruity note to this tea that intermingles with a faint, savory chocolate-y note. There are also whispers of flower in the sip, as well as the honey-nectar note. A hint of chewy, baked flavor also presents itself on the tongue, followed by astringency that seems to clear the palate to ready it for another taste.
Drinking this tea is truly a delightful experience. I highly recommend it.
