Tea Adventure: Citron Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:


Citron Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

We were all abuzz about trying this tea, and selecting which member of the Tea Gang would get to steep it was an act that required all my little teapot brain’s capacity to decide. The little red and white teapot won out with his cheerful seasonal design on his exterior. Libre Tea Mug was standing close by, though, since he would have been my second choice for steeping this tea.

The label says this is a premium green tea, but doesn’t specify which. Based on the appearance and size of the leaf pieces, this little teapot is thinking it’s Dragonwell. Whatever the case, the aroma was like dry grass or hay but light and with the added fragrance of the dried lemon and lime. That little red and white teapot did three steepings (what a trooper!), using water heated to just below boiling.

The first steeping was for only 2 minutes and resulted in a yellowish liquid that had a wonderful citrusy aroma, a smooth feel in the mouth, and a flavor that was a balance of green tea and subtle citrus that gave a tangy aftertaste. The second steeping was for 3 minutes, still had some green tea flavor (grass/hay) with plenty of citrus presence in both the flavor and taste. The third steeping was for 4 minutes, with the green tea flavor definitely fading but the citrus still evident, and overall still smooth and refreshing.

One key to this and in fact many teas is to let them cool just a bit before tasting so that the flavors will be fuller and you won’t scald your tongue. Don’t let them cool too much, though, or they could grow bitter or the taste might flatten.

The Boston Tea Company gains another round of kudos from me (“Toot!”), from that red and white teapot, and from my humans. Their flavored teas are making us warm up to the whole idea of flavored teas. Next time, we promised Libre Tea Mug he could steep this tea — I could swear I saw him grin with delight at that.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, any opinions concerning this tea and the company are always strictly objective.

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.