Shanghai Orchid

Giving this another try using QuiltGuppy’s temp and time (93 rating, worth a try, right)? As an aside, I’m reading a collection of Alice Munro short stories which were assigned reading for my writing class. She’s a wonderful writer but I really want to strangle some of these characters.

In any case, I find this tea something I’d also like to strangle because I wasn’t able to get it to work for me the first time, though reading the descriptions from the people who really like it, I think I should like it.

It is much more to my taste using the lower temperature and steeping time. I get a sort of melony, dewy flavor along with the floral that takes it even farther away from the Adagio White Tropics similarities.

I still don’t like it as much as I think I should, though. And not enough to bump the rating….

It’s been a while since I had this tea, but I purchased more from Teavana today and figured I would use up what I had left (which wasn’t much).

I don’t know why I stopped drinking this – it’s so yummy. I know it’s not for everyone, but as I’m learning I don’t care for lots of white teas, I find I do really enjoy this one. It’s very fragrant and full-bodied. Love how it smells dry and while steeping. Now I need my order to get here fast, I’m back on the bandwagon!

Tea #13 from Traveling Tea Box C

Every once in a while, I feel like Teavana just nails something. This is that something to me.

It’s definitely perfumey and very floral. The floral is more delicate tasting than rose, but still has that same immersive property. The sweetness from the fruit is a welcome counterpoint. There’s a little juiciness too, and I’m not sure if that’s the base poking through or also from the fruit.

If I didn’t look at the ingredient list, I would never have guess there was hibiscus or rose hips in here. They don’t impart any noticeable flavor, and with the short steep the cup wasn’t terribly rose-hued either.

This cup actually reminds me a lot of American Tea Rooms La Vie en Blanc, because it’s just so floral and envelops you in the experience of drinking it.

I have really not felt like writing anything which is a problem when one has a final paper due Tuesday. I finally decided on a topic last night, and it all has to do with beer. I am AMAZED at the level of data one can find out there for this stuff. I’m going by political cultures of states to see if that affects the amount of beer consumed per person, the number of DUIs and underaged drinkers (both of these I figure will be lowest in moralistic states), and if restrictive alcohol laws stifle the economic impact of beer (which I figure will be higher in traditionalistic states). I think that I can make this 8-10 pages. YAY.

So I love orchids a lot but I don’t think I’ve ever had anything orchid flavored. It seems rather unusual. I was worried it might be too perfumey, but I was going to make it iced and take it with me to class so I wasn’t too worried.

It was actually really good. The floral notes are strong, but the apple and other fruit in here adds a welcome bit of sweetness.

This is another one of those where it really doesn’t even matter if there is white tea underneath it all. Super strong flavors and so much fruit just dominates. The hibiscus though is not there at all, I feel like the only thing it did was add a pretty rosy hue to the tea.

Every now and then I manage to make this tea perfectly, and last night was one of those times! I’m not certain what the difference is, but I’m sticking with these steeping parameters as they produced an absolutely wonderful tea drinking experience.

The dry tea smells amazingly sweet and fruity, with more than just a hint of floral notes. 165F (73C)/1 min. The tea’s aroma simply floats out of the teapot, pulling me in. I can smell it the moment I enter the kitchen. The sweetness of the scent is reproduced beautifully in the taste. The floral taste is quite pronounced, but it’s so lovely. The white tea, surprisingly, is not completely hidden. It’s there without bitterness. Each sip is a treat.

I’m glad to see that others like this tea as much as me! It definitely takes on a very floral almost perfume like quality. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for that.

Made a pot of this tonight as I hadn’t had it in awhile. Since it’s being discontinued I wanted to see if I needed to stock up before it’s gone.

I think this is great on its own – however, I’d really like to try blending it with something for fun…..

Any suggestions?

Awful. So fragrant it’s like drinking floral perfume. All other flavors are overwhelmed by the floral perfuminess. Will never drink this again.

The first time I had this, in-store, I loved it. It was blended with a bit of silver needles and rock sugar. But I can’t seem to get that flavor back. It’s always a little too astringent, or a little too weak, or a little too sweet. It’s not bad. It’s delicate, and the orchids and apples are great together, but it tastes a little bit too floral for my taste. I’ll up the rating if I can figure out how to brew it properly.

I absolutely loved this tea!! The smell was extremely floral with a sticky Turkish delight scent and what my co-worker described as “grandmas house”. This tasted like a cup of authentic Turkish delight with a big hit of rose and flowers, and slightly bitter at the end. The apple and melon is hinted a bit once you get past the heavy floral taste! Overall a fantastic tea!

14 down – 486 to go!

A really delicious combination of floral and fruit with neither overwhelming the other. Since actual orchids come in many fragrances—from oppressively floral to spicy or even no fragrance at all—it always irks me a bit when flavors or smells are described as “orchid.” I’ll forgive this one. I’m going to say that orchid in this case is floral without being specifically jasmine, rose or other easily recognized specific flower. It’s a lovely balance with a hint of tart sweetness from the fruit. There was a pleasant amount of astringency. Refreshing! Flavor was excellent through three infusions. I could definitely drink this on a regular basis.