Thé des Légendes

I tried this tea ages ago, took notes and pictures, and never got around to uploading it! I've been busy job searching and have neglected my poor tea blog. I'm sorry!

This particular tea is another from the set that Shaunna got me from Dean & DeLuca. It is, as the post's title might suggest, called Thé des Légendes from the Mariage Frères brand. The description suggests this is a "sweet citrus green tea", and it couldn't be any more accurate.

For some reason, the flash on my camera makes everything come out much more yellow in hue than it truly is. The leaves of this blend are a beautiful rich green, similar to a dark forest color. The scent is one I'd love to have as a potpourri or spray for my apartment; the smell of citrus and green tea match wonderfully and create a pleasant hybrid smell. Just opening the can and taking a whiff, I am already anxious to try this tea.

I took a small scoop into my infuser - about a teaspoon worth. I steeped the tea for at least five minutes. Note: I'm terrible at timing these things accurately. Because my favorite mug is glass, I generally just use my eyesight and a quick taste test to determine if it's a good saturation. I promise to get better and more accurate with my times eventually!

Again, my camera is overly yellow. This tea is not yellow at all, but a muskier color like dry bamboo.

After the antagonizing wait, I was not disappointed. When tasting a tea for the first time, I generally do not sweeten them for that initial sip. It allows me to try and discern the nuances of the tea (I'm still training my palate on this), and decide if it needs sugar or not!

This tea's flavor was absolutely gorgeous. While the Earl Grey I tried before was decent, I was left slightly disappointed. I knew this brand had a great reputation, so I had high expectations. Thé des Légendes did not disappoint; rather, I was incredibly impressed!

The short and simple description on the tin could not be more accurate: sweet citrus green tea. It had the straw-like or grassy undertones most green teas have, but this was only in the background to the cheerful, bright citrus flavors that hit your tongue. The potential acidity or bitterness from the citrus was easily deterred by the slightly sweet aftertaste. The sweetness was hard to detect, but I found that to be even better than if it were too overbearing.

I highly recommend this tea. While black teas tend to be my go-to and favorites, this tea has definitely earned a spot on my "regulars" shelf.