Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Vintage TeaWorks
Tea Description:
Inspired by Riesling, we blended natural ingredients to create a white tea blend that is light, aromatic and playful. Honeysuckle, jasmine, apricot and lemon combine to celebrate a few of the unique characteristics of Riesling.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m no connoisseur of wine. I could not tell you the difference between a Riesling and a Merlot, except that I think that the Merlot is a red wine and a Riesling is a white wine. But even that I’m not certain about! I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a Riesling wine … because I don’t even know if I ever have!
But I am enjoying this White Tea Riesling from Vintage TeaWorks. It’s very light and crisp and flavorful, just as I would expect a white wine to be. It has a very enjoyable fruity foreground note of apricot that marries very nicely with the floral background notes of honeysuckle and jasmine.
The fruit notes are complex here. The apricot is the strongest flavor, and it’s noticed not just in the taste but also in the delightful aroma of the brewed tea (as well as the beautiful dry leaf!) I taste notes of lemon as well as hints of crisp apple in the fruit notes, as well as the subtlest whisper of sweet grape. As I continue to sip, my palate tingles slightly from the sweet-tart notes of the fruit in this cup.
I think I’m enjoying the fragrance of this tea as much as I’m enjoying the taste, the apricot notes remind me of a homey, comforting apricot cobbler. But examine the bouquet even further and I notice a beautiful airy, floral background that brings out the fresh notes of the fruit in a really lovely way.
The white tea marries very well with the other flavors, and becomes almost a seamless part of the wine-like tastes. I think that is what makes these blends by Vintage TeaWorks so inspired – the tea bases that they select to blend with the flavors work so harmoniously with the concept of the wines they’re attempting to “reinterpret” through tea. Here, the white tea becomes part of the wine flavor … just as it seemed to happen with the Chardonnay and the Merlot varieties… and the others!
As the tea cools slightly, I begin to really taste the wine-like connection with this tea. This is really a beautiful tea, as are the others in the Vintage TeaWorks collection. I have truly enjoyed tasting each of these teas … I recommend them highly!
