Name: Green Tea with Thai Flavors (formerly known as “Bangkok”)

Brand: Harney & Sons

Type: Green tea, flavored

Form: Silken tea bag

Review: Spring is here, and so is my taste for lighter teas. Green teas really hit the spot this time of year, and when they are lightly flavored with a hint of tropical fruit, they are even better. The good folks at Harney & Sons have done a fine job in the development of Bangkok, a green tea that is sure to please both tea novices and tea lovers (at least those who don’t turn their noses up at the occasional flavored tea).

“Green Tea with Thai Flavors” is made with a base of green tea, flavored with coconut, lemongrass, and ginger. The dry leaf is dominated with a nose of coconut (not surprising), with a slight backnote of ginger. Once the tea is infused to a lovely pale green, the coconut nose continues to dominate, yet the green tea begins to make itself known. On the palate, the flavor is a lovely fusion of both coconut and green tea, with the ginger and lemongrass rounding out the tropical theme of the coconut, rather than standing on their own.

The overall profile of this tea is very soft, yet flavorful. With careful preparation, the grassiness of the green tea shouldn’t be too noticeable (go with a short steep time). On the other hand, if you want more aggressive green tea notes, let it steep a bit longer. It can get slightly astringent in the finish, though I personally don’t find this to be a bad thing. If you do, again, watch your steep time.

Preparation Tips: This is a tricky tea to make, as the boiling water needed to extract the flavor of the botanicals will scorch the green tea. Keep the water temperature down to about 185F to avoid a bitter and disagreeable brew. The tea can stand up to a couple of infusions, so keep the first one relatively short (2 minutes). This is a lovely iced tea, by the way, and might work really well in a tea cocktail. Buy some rum and see what you can come up with!

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