A recent tea swap introduced me to a new company, Pinky Up. Pinky Up has a great selection of unique sounding loose leaf teas such as Confetti Cake, Matcha Ice Cream, Green Gummy, Rosewater Basil, etc. In addition to their loose leaf variety, Pinky Up also has a bunch of different blooming teas to try including Honeydew Gelato, Pina Colada, Peaches and Cream, Creme Brulee and this tea, Candied Apple.
I find blooming teas are never amazing tastewise but they are always fun to watch bloom. They are the teas you want when you want a tea experience instead of just a quick cup to go. This Candied Apple blooming tea by Pinky Up is no exception. It’s really a fun tea to watch bloom.
One thing I will note is that a fair amount of the leaves were still bound up in the string after I steeped the tea for just under 4 minutes. I think my error was using water that was too cool. I used 175F water, my usual temperature for green teas, and I think it was not hot enough to force the leaves out of their binding which meant I don’t think this tea fully bloomed.
I was worried that the longer than usual steep might have made the tea bitter and once I realized the still bound leaves, I was worried the tea wouldn’t be that flavorful. I am happy to report both these concerns were not warranted as the tea is quite nice.
This tea has a bright red apple flavor. It is actually interesting because apple teas tend to have a generic sort of apple flavor but this is distinctively red apple. Actually more than just red apple, it has a pretty strong apple juice vibe to it. Sweeter than a typical apple but I don’t know if it is quite candied-level sweetness. I think that is where I am getting the idea of juice from since apple juice is always sweeter than the fruit itself. However, unlike juice, this still has the lightness of a green tea.
This tea actually tasted better than expected, even if it didn’t actually taste like a candied apple as the name would suggest. Despite my concerns about brewing mentioned above, my experience has been blooming teas have been more aesthetically oriented than taste focused. This is a nice combination of both looks and flavor and has me browsing the Pinky Up site looking for more!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Blooming Tea/Green
Where to Buy: Pinky Up
Description
This tea is no longer on the website but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Apple Delicious from Love Some Tea. . . .
The short of it: They weren’t lying!
This was a very pleasing, delicious cup of tea to enjoy on a rainy fall day! The green tea made the perfect pairing for the mild and smooth apple flavor. The apple was strong enough that I did not have to imagine it was there, but subtle enough that the smoothness of the green tea came through. There was a very mild tang at the end of each sip. The website (www.lovesometea.com) describes the tea as having ginger, strawberry, cherry and cranberry notes in addition to the apple. The after note of tartness I would contribute to the cranberry and ginger, but neither are overwhelming enough to overpower the apple and green tea flavors. The strawberry was a bit to subtle for my palate to pickup. The blend is a beautiful mix, with moderate sized fruit pieces visible within. It is very possible that my sample size didn’t contain strawberry pieces (I could see cranberry and apple easily), and I suspect that if you didn’t’ mix the blend before each cup, you’d have a slightly new adventure each go around.
All in all: I’d stock this as a good comfort tea, and name it as my favorite apple flavored tea yet.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Love Some Tea
Description
Green Tea Flavored with deep notes Ginger and Fruits including: strawberry, cherries, cranberry, and apple.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
