Sipdown, 187. Yet another of the selection of rose teas that I got in my swap with ToiToi. Thanks!
I brewed this one both cooler and shorter than I normally would because I saw immediately that it is a CTC leaf, and I am scared of CTC. Steeped, it smells primarily of rose in a somewhat perfumy way. You guys know that I love strong rose and rarely associate it with perfume, but for whatever reason this one is perfumy. The rose flavor is powerful, but again it kind of like perfume or soap. I don’t taste the vanilla as a distinct note but rather it lends a creaminess to the tea. Unfortunately, the main problem here is not the perfumy rose but the sharp spike of bitterness and astringency from the CTC base is too much for me. I knew I was right to be afraid! :P
