I was in Seattle a couple months ago, and the hotel I stayed at had a water dispenser near the front desk, with lots of cucumber slices floating in the water, visible through the glass. That water was very refreshing for someone who had just arrived after a cross-country flight. This cucumber tea is even more refreshing than water, because along with the delicate taste of cucumber, we have the white tea, mild and yet adding a bit more of a strong note to the sum of the flavors.
Cucumber is one of my favorite vegetables, and the taste of cucumber, to me, says healthiness – eating refreshing cold salads, nibbling on fresh garden produce as a snack, making summer pickles, a/k/a bread-and-butter pickles. In this tea, the cucumber taste still conveys to me “healthy!” and of course, the tea itself has antioxidants which are probably good for us.
The leaves of this tea are nice and long – you’ll need a larger-than-one-teaspoon infuser or T-sac. They expand quite a bit in the brewing, so if you are saving them for a second steeping, you’ll need a small bowl or container, not just the infuser.
Adagio says about this tea:
Stay cool with this refreshing, spa-inspired blend of cucumber and premium Chinese white tea. Excellent over ice, this unexpected pairing will leave you relaxed and centered; a lot more convenient than placing cucumber slices on your eyelids.
This tea is refreshing hot or iced – hot, it’s very mild but full of flavor. Remember to brew it in cooler water – they recommend 180 degrees F, for 7 minutes. The long steeping time really brings out the cucumber flavor. Hot, I didn’t feel this tea needed any sugar or anything else added to it; iced, it still doesn’t need sugar, but a sprig of mint or a slice of lime goes really well with it, as long as you don’t use so much that you overpower the delicate flavor.
One thing to keep in mind is that white tea is not low-caffeine; in fact, white tea usually has as much caffeine as green, or even more. Even though the taste is delicate, this tea will keep you awake. Great choice for an afternoon break at work, when you just want to pretend for a few minutes that you’re at a spa!
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Recent Comments
"When I was a kid, in the middle of winter, my friend Penny and I eachbought a quart of ice cream, skated to the island in the middle of our lake and ate them. Soooo good and soooo naughty. It keeps us young to be naughty sometimes. I would just go for it an enjoy!"
marlena said, in reply to Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud on August 30, 2010 at 12:35 pm
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Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud
"Well, as someone who has tasted a lot of chai tea, I can attest that this really is not very similar in taste to Chai. Chai tends to focus on the spices, whereas this tea’s focus is on the orange, with the spices being very gentle and more of an accent to the orange."
liber-teas said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:00 pm
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Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"How fun! I love drinking tea so I love that you have a whole blog related to reviewing them. One brand that I really love that I don’t see on your list is the Portsmouth Tea Company. When I lived in Boston I used to buy lots of their teas and they were oh so unique. They had some really great fruity and floral blends. It’s interesting that..."
Kelly said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:25 am
Kelly on:
Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"Haha!! My co-worker told me that she purchased this tea after having purchased the Matcha Latte at Seattle’s Best, and her and another co-worker purchased this because they believed it was what was served there. She stated to me today that “it didn’t seem the same exactly…it felt like their was something..."
The Tea Guru said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:55 pm
The Tea Guru on:
Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe that this is the concentrate that Seattle’s Best coffee shops use to make their matcha latte. The lattes I’ve enjoyed there were sweet with a definite melon flavor… and I have noticed that they sell other Tazo teas there. If it IS the concentrate that they use… I am..."
liber-teas said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:47 pm
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Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I Love this tea!! This flavor is my favorite. I am so addicted to it! Thanks
"
Betsy said, in reply to Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea on August 20, 2010 at 4:55 pm
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Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
"Steph: Thank you for your information about the naranquilla. I didn’t find the flavor to be very tart at all – which is what I would have expected from the combination of lime and rhubarb. Perhaps the maraschino sweetened it up a bit and made it much more peach-like. It reminded me a bit of candied apricots or peaches."
liber-teas said, in reply to Easter Tea from Dammann Frères on August 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm
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Easter Tea from Dammann Frères