Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
What’s the matter? You never heard of Granana?
Well, okay, me either. But it sounded like fun and so here it is. Premium shou mei white tea blended with freeze-dried grapes and bananas, and organic flavors. A little sweet, a little tart; a little smooth, a little piquant… One thing I can almost guarantee is that you won’t find this blend any where else. It’s up for you to tell me whether that’s a good thing or not. =)
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
When I first opened the package of this Banana Grape Flavored Shou Mei White Tea from 52Teas, my first thought was this smells like candy. It was the scent I might experience if I were to open a package of chewy Runts or a package of Nerds. It smells sweet – sugary sweet – and fruity.
And my first thought after my first sip was very much the same experience. It tastes a lot like fruit flavored candy. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with my two least favorite candy flavors. Sure … I like bananas and some of the banana flavored teas that I’ve tasted are some of my favorite teas of all time! I even like grape, although here I’m a lot more particular. I like grapes – as in the fruit. I’m not always so wild over grape flavored beverages, although I have tried a few grape flavored teas and really enjoyed them. But … I don’t like banana or grape flavored candies. Especially grape flavored candies. They taste too much like sweet candy and not enough like the fruit.
But here we are, dealing with one of my least anticipated tea flavors that 52Teas has ever produced. (Sorry, Frank!)
All that said … this isn’t too bad. It certainly isn’t my favorite tea that 52Teas has ever created, so I’m not about to tell you that it is. However, I don’t hate it either. The Shou Mei lends a certain earthy quality to the cup that helps “ground” the sweet, fruity flavor of the banana and grape. As I continue to sip, I start to notice the sweeter tones begin to subside and I notice more of the true fruit notes. Surprisingly, what I’m liking best about this is the way the grape notes and the natural flavors of the Shou Mei meld together.
Overall, this is a fair representation of both banana and grape flavors, and the white tea is not overpowered by the sweetness of the fruit notes. It’s a decent tasting tea that is better served iced than hot. Not bad, but not great either. It’s alright, but I don’t think I’ll be chomping at the bit to order more.
