White tea is one of the most delicate tea types and also one of my favourites. I was so amazed when I had a fine quality silver needle white tea for the first time and discovered delicious notes of melon and jasmine in the loose leaf. So, I am very excited to try this English Tea Shop White Tea Tropical Fruits blend! Sweet, fruity and juicy flavours can work so well with white tea, so long as it’s all high quality.
In this tea review, you’ll discover what this tea tastes like, what the ingredients are, and where you can buy it for yourself. I have added some affiliate links below to take you to Amazon to find this tea, if I manage to convince you that it’s worth it!
ETS White Tea Tropical Fruits at a Glance
- Blend: White tea with lemongrass, peppermint, hibiscus, mango, and soursop
- Flavour: Mellow and musty white tea with hints of grass and tropical fruits
You cannot deny that this is an enticing and pleasant tea to drink… however, I felt that it wasn’t as amazing as it could have been. The white tea base was the biggest let down, but the tropical elements save it.
Full Review – Tropical Fruits and White Tea Blend
- Type: Tagged pyramid sachet
- Tea: Organic white tea
- Additives: Lemongrass, peppermint, hibiscus, mango pieces, soursop pieces, natural flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Mellow, musty, white tea, green tea, grass, tropical fruit
- Aroma: Lemongrass, papaya, passionfruit, juicy, sour
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon (Christmas Tree Collection)
The aroma coming from the tea pyramid sachet was almost non-existent. I could see the flecks of lemongrass floating around in there, which may explain why. I’ve used dried lemongrass in cooking many times and always find the dried herb to not have much aroma at all. It’s only when it’s doused in boiling water that you find that gorgeous grassy and lemony herbaceous note.
I managed to detect a whiff of lemongrass and papaya before I attempted to brew this tea. You can find instructions for brewing white tea blends below.
This tea turns into a pale and very clear yellow liquid with a juicy and sour aroma. It’s certainly fruity and reminds me most of passionfruit, although there is more depth lingering just out of reach. You can tell there are multiple ingredients coming into play.
The flavour is unfortunately quite musty. This can happen when the tea is old or not stored correctly. As this tea is way before the ‘best before’ date and I store all my tea in airtight containers, I can only assume that it was packaged this way.
The tea base itself is quite generic. Unless you knew it was white tea, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for green tea. You can also find some light grassy notes and hints of tropical fruits, but nothing overly pronounced.
Overall, I finished my cup and would drink this tea again… but it certainly wasn’t anything special and I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it.
How to Brew White Tea with Flavouring
Treat white tea like a green tea and brew it at a slightly lower temperature. This prevents scalding the tea and creating unpleasant astringent notes. English Tea Shop provide great instructions for this tea – 80°C and a brewing time of 2-3 minutes.
This was perfect for me, and I’d recommend you do the same. The pyramid sachet holds 2g of loose leaf tea, which is enough for a large teacup or small mug. If you want to brew a teapot of this tea, use at least 2 pyramid sachets.
ETS White Tea Tropical Fruits is sweet enough without any added sweetener and I didn’t feel like it needed a slice of lemon either. The flavours are quite subtle, and you don’t want to risk overpowering them. Just enjoy it plain!
Why English Tea Shop?
Over the years, I have come to trust English Tea Shop enormously when it comes to their Christmas flavour blends in pyramid sachets. They are nearly always a huge hit with me and I love how they introduce me to flavour pairings I never thought would work.
This week, I’m excited to discover a new ingredient – soursop. This fruit is from the tropical regions of South America and the Caribbean, and it has a really strong tropical fruit flavour. Notes of coconut, pineapple, strawberry and banana are all included in this one fruit. Amazing!
You can see from my photos that the quality of this tea is great as well, although not as brilliant as loose leaf would be. And although English Tea Shop include a little natural flavouring, I didn’t feel like this tea was at all artificial tasting.
In fact, I felt that all the ingredients could have used an extra boost. Perhaps English Tea Shop should use less lemongrass, more white tea, and more soursop to get a better balance of flavours.
Summary
I am certainly glad I tried this tea and I will probably buy it again in the future… if it’s part of a larger set. English Tea Shop often create Christmas-themed boxes with multiple teas included within them. This is a common tea to find in sets like these. You can usually find them on Amazon when late November/early December hits.
Tea Recommendation
Did you spot the hibiscus tea in the ingredients list? If so, and you enjoy hibiscus flavours, then check out my guide to the best hibiscus teas next. With its strong berry flavour, this flowering plant is one of my favourites in fruity tea blends.