I’m a huge fan of white tea. I am not a huge fan of Celestial Seasonings. I should have known better, but the idea of pear white tea (now that Republic of Tea no longer has one) was irresistible. Like most, I was disappointed. White tea has to be steeped in a different way, but this still didn’t make a great cup. The pear flavor was too subtle and it seems they tried to compensate for that with vanilla. Vanilla overpowers the pear and isn’t terribly strong itself.
The idea was a good one, but is hardly perfect. I’d like to see a redone version with more pear, no vanilla, and higher quality tea leaves. You usually get what you pay for. $2 tea is still $2 tea. Anyone who had a bitter cup, make sure you use less than boiling water and only steep for a minute or two. Better white teas will still be good if you steep them longer, but this one gets quite bitter.
