My first DAVIDsTEA white tea purchase! White teas seem to be hit and miss with me, but I’m making more of an effort to try them so I can see what exactly I’m liking and disliking.
The dry leaf (although, this one really is more of the other stuff than leaf – but maybe I just got a batch with extra mulberries? There’s a TON of them, way more than anything else) doesn’t smell good. Well, that’s my opinion anyway. And, after reading different reviews it looks like most people have an opinion different than mine. I can smell the coconut, and that part of the aroma smells good to me, but the rest smells… I guess the best way I can put it is ‘alcoholic’. Like a BAD sort of fermented wine type of smell? I’m sure I’m getting that from the mulberries and, since I’ve never tried anything else with mulberries, I really have nothing to compare it to and no idea if mulberries are supposed to smell like this. Still, this tea was VERY highly recommended to me by a close friend because of the “caramel” taste it has (she knows that I am a die hard fan for almost all things caramel) so regardless of the fact I think the dry leaf smells icky I ended up buying some anyway.
I’m not sure how long is a good time to steep this one for my first time drinking it, but I’ve read a lot of the reviews on this tea and it seems like this one doesn’t really get bitter if you steep it for a long time, so I’m probably gonna lean towards the higher end of the recommended steeping time.
Steeping, the liquor on this one is a very pale yellow. I must say, as it steeps it’s smelling a whole lot better than it did as dry leaf. Very coconutty, and I’m totally understanding the caramel comparison too! Sneaking a few small sips while it steeps I taste pure caramel goodness.
Now fully steeped, Gold Rush taste delicious! I wish I’d made a pot of this instead of just a mug – I could spend all day drinking it. The flavour is very full, and even though I’m mostly just tasting ooey gooey caramel I can see how the coconut is contributing. A very creamy cup with no need for anything added to it! Everything about it is pleasant, including the aftertaste which lingers for a LONG time. Definitely a rebuy.
I’ve kept reading reviews and it looks like it can hold up to an even longer steep time, so I think I’ll try that next time. Anyone know how well this one resteeps?
I’m so glad my first impression was so wrong! Thankfully I have friends who know my taste, dare I say it, better than I do.
