Thanks to Rachel for providing me with this very generous sample!
First, a backlog – I tried this cold brewed yesterday. It was my first time ever doing that, but it’s also the first time I’ve had a white tea in a while that the cold brew would ostensibly work for. So I tried it using a 750 ml insulated water bottle that had a mesh strainer in it (perfect how that worked out).
8 hours later and the tea was ice cold and tasted faintly of honey and vanilla in the sip. A little watery, which I then figured out had to be because you measure white teas by weight and not teaspoons or tablespoons, so the fault was entirely mine. But it was still good. Still really good. And I sensed it’s potential. :)
Today I used those leaves and then the rest of my sample to make about 16 oz of tea in my Breville using the parameters below. The liquor was a little dark for white teas, a medium yellowish color. It smelled very honeyish, which was very pleasant and new, as I didn’t get much of a scent the first time around with the cold brew.
This time the mouthfeel was just what I imagined it to be from the name – thick (not cloying or unpleasantly so) with both honey and vanilla laced delicately above the white tea flavor. It is not bitter at all, even with such a long steep time.
As it cools (and the last of it has gotten quite cold because I am SO SLOW when I drink tea) THIS is what I imagined the iced tea would taste like, and I can see where a lot of people were over the moon for it.
Sigh. I’m so glad I got to try it- and sad I missed buying it when it was still available…if anyone ever gets wind of that supposed liquidation sale I will be in the throng of people snapping this up.
I am so glad you enjoyed it. It really is wonderful.