This is the Mystery Tea that DAVIDs had for their naming contest a while back. I don’t recall it being available to buy when I sampled it during the contest, but then a few weeks ago I was in one of my local DAVIDs and there was a big container of “Mystery Tea” on the shelf. I figured I’d pick some up and this is the name it rang up as.
The dry leaf is heavy on the fruit pieces, though still has a good amount of white tea in it, unlike some other white fruit blends. It smells very light, summery and fruity, with melon, apple and hints of eucalyptus.
Steeped it smells somewhat medicinal, reminiscent of the distinctive melange of fragrances that you find in a shop that sells traditional Chinese medicine. It isn’t overpowering, but layered over the fragrance of melon.
On the palate, the finish is sweet, but the rest of the sip is surprisingly not. There’s a touch of woodiness, with lots of melon and apple notes. Very mild astringency, and a bit of back of the tongue bitterness, that’s subtle, but also slightly off putting.
It’s not bad but I’m feeling kind of ambivalent about this tea. There’s not a lot of actual tea flavour to it, at least not in a really pleasant way, and I kind of wish the fruit was juicier tasting. I’ll probably finish my sample, but I doubt I’ll rebuy.
Flavors: Apple, Bitter, Eucalyptus, Fruity, Medicinal, Melon, Sweet, Wood
