Tea Review: Rhododendron Tea

Thirsty Thursday #27

Rhododendron Tea from Nepal

Hey, Kaya! What's up?
Time for a tea review.

What are we trying today?
The rhododendron tea Xyra received from her boss.

That's the one he brought back from Nepal, right.
Yep!
I love the bag!
I know, right!? It's super cool and has all our favorite colors in it.
So the front of the pouch has a label on it that says the blend ingredients are "tea plant and rhododendron flower."

Looks like the label will be easy to remove.
Bonus!
Inside the woven zipper pouch is a foil pouch holding the tea.
Check out the label! It's in English. Yay! 

It also has brewing and serving instructions. The photo is a little blurry, but you get it.
this feels like loose leaf.

Yes, it is. Look at how pretty!

Smells nice too.

Oooo, yeah! Floral, but not too flowery, if you know what I mean.

Yeah, I do. (giggles)
I'll set the timer for 4 minutes.

I'm glad she chose the rhododendron.

Yeah, It's unique. I just hope we can adequately describe the taste.
[Timer beeps]
It smells really nice, a light floral aroma. A little sweet too. But we can't see it very well.

I think we should pour it into our clear pot.

Sure!
Oh, look at how lovely that color is?

Wow! A warm amber brown.
Let's taste it!

(sips) Oh! I don't know what I expected, but this is really nice! You get the warm, malty notes of the black tea and a lightly sweet floral from the rhododendron. Not bitter or perfumey.
My turn. (sips) It's almost fruity. Light.

The instructions suggest adding a bit of sugar and milk or honey.

So we go through our regular routine. (giggles)
This time we've added regular sugar. (sips) Very nice. Kind of enhances the flavors in a good way.

(sips) You're right. Brings everything together.

With milk and sugar. (sips) I like this too.

(sips) I don't think there is a bad way to enjoy this tea.

(giggles) My cup is empty.
Perfect! Mine too. Now we can start over and try with honey. (giggles)
(sips) Even the honey tastes good. A bit more rich.

(sips) Yeah! I still can't figure out which way I like it best.

There's plenty to take it a different way each time.
This rhododendron tea is really a pleasant cup of tea. We are enjoying it. It's not something you will find easily around here and you don't want to go trying to make your own. 

Apparently, some rhododendrons are toxic or some parts of the plant are.

Xyra's Notes

• I found a link to the tea my boss and his wife brought back from Nepal. If you are interested, you can learn more or or order here - Nepal Dream Tea. Other tea blends are here.
• The blend is unique in a good way. Light, delicate, but hearty enough to stand sweetened with milk.
• In Nepal, tea is automatically served sweet with milk.
• I have re-steeped the leaves Kaya and Lea used twice. Both times resulted in a nice cup, but this last (or third) time was definitely weaker than the previous two.
• The rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal.

 Happy sipping!

Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliated with American Girl or Nepal Dream tea. The tea reviewed was a gift. the unsolicited review is comprised of our own opinions, thoughts, and words. Links are provided should you want to learn more; however, no purchase is required to enjoy the review.