I am normally not much of a teabag person, but sometimes you gotta make some sacrifices… I wanted to have a tea on the go that I could brew and sip during classes/breaks and loose leaf just isn’t as quick and practical. So I decided to grab this cheap-ish box from the store and hope for the best.
First, the smell. It smells very strongly of the same artificial perfume-y cherry blossom flavoring that seems omnipresent in many Japanese snacks, candy and drinks during the Hanami season. So while it definitely reminds me of Japan, it was not exactly in the way I’d hoped. I usually don’t mind the taste but in this case there is just too much of it, even when brewed with twice the recommended amount of water (200ml/teabag). It tastes exactly how it smells, although the maltodextrin (sweetener) in this tea gives off a nauseous end note that lingers in your mouth for a surprisingly long amount of time. I haven’t tasted any cherry or tea notes either, which leaves this blend really flat tasting and one-dimensional.
Speaking of which, the tea (aka. the dust) itself wasn’t the absolute worst there could have been. Well, probably. It barely tasted like anything so I am unable to comment on it. The flavorings are overpowering any other nuance that could have even slightly redeemed this tea, and the sickeningly sweetness of the maltodextrin present in the blend unpleasantly reminds you hours after drinking that buying this tea was a horrible mistake.
I will, however, still finish the box. I mean, it’s not so revolting that I had to throw it out on the spot, hence why it got such a high rating, but still vile enough that I will be sure to never buy this again. I’m sure some people who really like the Japanese cherry blossom flavoring could still like it somewhat. With milk, it tastes similarly to a less watery KOCHAKADEN Cherry Royal Milk Tea with less emphasis on the cherry and I found it more bearable that way.
Flavors: Artificial, Cherry Blossom, Perfume, Sweet
