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January 27, 2005
Victorian Rose Tea
Name: Victorian Rose Tea
Kathy's Rating: 7.0/10.0
Company: Tealuxe
Origin of tea: China
Price: $5/50g (1.76oz)
Tea form: Loose China black tea with rose petals.
What they say: China black tea prepared by hand in the traditional 'Congou' method. [Kathy's note: 'Congou' tea is finer quality China black tea, according to this site.] The tea is then naturally flavored by repeated layering with fragrant rose petals. The resulting tea is quite pleasant, smooth drinking and fragrant.
Preparation method: Pour boiling water over tea leaves. Infuse for 4 minutes.
Review: I brewed this tea along with Republic of Tea's Rose Petal Tea. Both are China black teas scented with rose. I was careful to brew both teas with the same water source, and infused both for 3 minutes. I know that Tealuxe recommended 4 minutes, but I like to avoid the bitter taste of tannins by not brewing black teas too long. You can read my review of Rose Petal Tea here if you're interested.
As it turns out, I'm glad I didn't brew this tea for 4 minutes. It was plenty strong at just 3 minutes. So, if you really like strong tea, go ahead and infuse for longer than 3 minutes.
I really liked this tea. The infusion has just the right amount of strength that I expect from a black tea. As I mentioned in my review of Rose Petal Tea, it is important to distinguish clearly between black and green teas. Rose Petal Tea was a bit too lackluster for my tastes. This tea, however, has a bolder taste, which is why I gave it a higher rating than Rose Petal Tea.
Overall, if I'm looking for a rose-scented tea, I'd probably still gravitate to TenRen's Rose Pearl Green Tea. Read that review here. But this tea would be second on my list for when I'm thinking of a zestier rose blend.
Posted by Kathy at January 27, 2005 09:45 PM