Another tea I didn’t ‘technically need’, yet another discount I wanted to use before leaving the country. This is a good one, though – I find it really original. It might be all about the carrot – I can’t remember if I’ve ever tried a carrot tea before.
Deconstructing the dry tea is a challenge; as it’s so unlike anything else I have a hard time finding something to compare it to. I think of stables, but not the light summer hay stable scent, but rather stables in winter – pieces of carrot forgotten in pockets, the deep, rich scent of dry grass piled high, molasses, leather that is meticulously cared for, and finally a light booziness – whatever the groom keeps in his pocket flask, I guess.
To me, ‘Miss Saigon’, with its Madame Butterfly pedigree, implies a certain measure of elegance and delicacy that has nothing to do with this tea at all. ‘Miss Saigon’ should be a spring tea, and this is all winter.
Flavour wise, it’s fairly complex and very nice. Sweetcarroty with vegetal notes and some little surprising hints I can’t quite define. With a more elegant green tea base, this would do quite well in competition with the best greens of, say, Mariage Frères.
[Purchased at Bönor & blad in Uppsala, September 2013.]
90 C, 1 min 30