Blue Raven Tea Company, Pomelicious Pomegranate

Blue Raven Tea Description:
An elegant and healthy blend of white tea, rose blossom leaves and pomegranate bits with pineapple added for a tropical twist.

My Review:

This is my first experience with Blue Raven Tea Company. Looking at the leaf in the package it appears much darker than most white teas. The resealable one ounce pouch has a product label on the front and a description with steeping instructions on the back. When I opened the pouch I was met by a lovely scent of rose and fruit. 

I used two heaping wooden spoons of leaf and 12 oz of water heated to steaming briskly in my press per instruction. The instructions say to steep this for two minutes. I went at least three as I got distracted. 

The wet leaf is large broken pieces and light green in color. I can see rose blossom pieces and small bits of pomegranate and pineapple. The brew is lightly orange in my cup. Smells nice. The nose is rose and pomegranate. 

The sip is similar to the scent. Rose predominates but not in an overwhelming way. This is supported by the pomegranate. I cannot single out the pineapple, which for my tastes is a good thing. There is a certain amount of bitterness here. I am thinking this is probably due to my over steeping and not the fault of the tea. I will check this in the re-steep. Once the cup cools, I can taste the white tea in the aftertaste.

For the second cup from the same leaf, I watched the time more carefully. The good news is there is no hint of bitterness. The bad news is the rose and fruit flavors are all but gone when the cup is hot. As it cools the rose and fruit come back but lightly so, there is also an additional peppery note that shows up in the cup.

I'm not convinced I should give up just yet. I am going to start fresh tomorrow with new leaf and an eye on the clock. The flavor of the first cup is very nice just bitter. I think this is just one of those teas that is a little temperamental and demands some attention. I think it will be worth it.

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Day two. I began this session with a little less leaf than yesterday. I used 1 full scoop that came with my press. I heated the water to 180F and timed the steep at two minutes. The results were visually the same as yesterday.

The sip is very lovely. Blue Raven calls this elegant. I can agree with that description. This is an altogether different cup than the previous day. There is not a hint of bitterness. The rose is still the centerpiece but it is less so today. The pomegranate is right beside and only a step behind. I can easily taste the white tea. There is a creaminess almost like vanilla. I am not sure where it is coming from, possibly it is the pineapple. This is an extremely pleasant cup.

For the second cup with the same leaf, I added 30 seconds to the steep.  The second cup like yesterday is less flavorful when hot. There is no bitterness. I do not notice the pepper note I experienced yesterday. The flavor of the second does pick up nicely as the cup cools - which is the way I prefer my tea so I am OK with it. If I were determined to drink this really hot and get two cups from the leaf, I believe I would steep the second another minute or so. A possible better option is to pour the first and second steeps into a teapot to mix them together.

This is a good example of the need to pay attention to what you are doing and take notes. Had I just blasted through the first cup and moved on, I would have missed the delightful cup this leaf can produce. I have at least one more Blue Raven tea to review in the near future and I am looking forward to it. Next time I will follow directions.

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