I’m not rating this tea highly, but it kind of doesn’t matter, as a) Capital is no longer selling this blend, or so I assume because the link from their White Teas page to this tea is broken, and b) Teavana is now selling Youthberry in plastic containers of 15 sachets at places like Target. So the original need for a fake Youthberry, which became acute when Teavana closed their stores a couple of years ago, isn’t as pressing now. (Oh believe me: I’ve stocked up).
Comparing this tea to Youthberry, it’s not as sweet, not as drinkable, more sour (even with honey/sugar added), and just tastes lower-quality. You can tell YB has a proprietary artificial flavor that this tea lacks; not sure if they use a different artificial flavor, or none at all. I suspect none. About the same amount of caffeine, not that I am always the best judge. It brews up a deeper color, reddish-brown, than YB, making me wonder when I first got it whether it’s actually a green tea, but no, it’s still linked from Capital Teas’ white tea page, even if the link leads to an error page!
We all know this was developed/sold as a Youthberry replacement, and yet it’s not really fair to evaluate it solely as an imitation of YB. So judging it on its own: this is a darkish white tea with fruit pieces (I can see papaya and pineapple, can’t recall what the red berries are). It brews up darkish red/brown at 5.5 minutes, which was admittedly an over-brew; the package recommends 3-4 min. but I set it at 4.5 and then let it go an additional minute by accident. It didn’t become bitter though, which is in its favor. Still it lacks the delicacy of most white teas and white blends. It’s fruity, but also a bit sour, and sugar improves it, but still I don’t find it very smooth or drinkable, which is what I look for in white teas. So I have to say: not really a great tea in my opinion.
Flavors: Berries, Fruity, Sour, Vanilla
