White Tea Riesling from Vintage TeaWorks

by liberteas

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!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in White Tea