English Tea Shop White Wonderland Tea Review
Here we are, one of my final reviews from this years’ English Tea Shop Christmas collection. White Wonderland is a tea blend with a white tea base (naturally) which is a little unusual. My experience with white tea blends in the past hasn’t been that successful. With the exception of jasmine, very few flavours work well with white tea.
But I am keeping an open mind for this tea review! After all, English Tea Shop have created some of my favourite combinations in other festive teas.
In this review, find out what ETS White Wonderland tastes like, the best method for brewing it, and a little more info about the ingredients and origins.
ETS White Wonderland Tea Blend at a Glance
Izzy's Rating
2.6/5
- Blend: White tea with chamomile, liquorice, peppermint, cocoa and cinnamon
- Flavour: Chamomile and white tea with subtle spices in the aftertaste
The combination of white tea and chamomile (the two most dominant flavours) isn’t great and most of the other ingredients are missing entirely. This one is a let down!
Full Review – White Wonderland Tea
Izzy's Rating
2.6/5
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabag
- Tea: Ceylon white tea
- Additives: Cinnamon pieces, cocoa, peppermint leaves, liquorice, chamomile, natural flavourings
- Flavour Notes: Chamomile, white tea, sweet, spices
- Aroma: Chamomile, sweetness, fruity, perfume, light spices
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon (Holiday Collection box)
Ripping open the initial packaging, which is unfortunately plastic, the aromas coming from the teabag aren’t amazing. Chamomile dominates it all – those sweet hay honey notes are unmistakable – but there’s also an odd fruity scent that I can’t place. It’s almost tropical, like pineapple! Perhaps this is from the natural flavouring?
Once brewed into a murky, pale yellow colour (somewhere between mustard and sunflower) the chamomile scent only gets stronger! Thankfully, the cinnamon makes an appearance with light spice notes and there’s a perfume quality to it as well.
Then there’s the flavour. I can’t say I dislike it… it’s just not… quite right. The texture is thick and dusty as it coats your mouth but it’s neither drying nor hydrating. Notes of chamomile and white tea seem at odds, with hints of sweetness and spices in the aftertaste.
Overall, it’s an unusual combination of flavours and I can’t quite decide what this tea is best for. It’s certainly not festive. It’s neither energising nor relaxing.
How to Brew White Tea
White tea is usually a high-quality tea. As it’s so specialist, unlike black tea and green tea, you rarely find it in teabags. When you have a brilliant loose leaf white tea, it’s usually best to brew it at 90°C or slightly cooler.
I’d usually advise that you do the same for white tea in teabags as well, but not English Tea Shop. To get any kind of flavour from it, brew with 100°C water for 5 minutes.
Don’t forget, there’s only 1.5g of tea per teabag, so if you’re using a large mug try brewing 2 teabags at once.
Also, you won’t need any sugar or honey in this tea. The chamomile has a natural sweetness that’s already providing plenty for your sweet tooth.
Why English Tea Shop?
I like to review English Tea Shop blends around Christmas because they usually get me in the festive mood. I’m not sure about ETS White Wonderland, however.
Nonetheless, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients.
Thankfully, all of the ingredients are organically grown and processed, as certified by Control Union Certifications Ltd and the Soil Association. The white tea is organic too, from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) which is a sign of a good quality. There is some flavouring in this blend, but it is marked as natural.
Unfortunately, ETS are very skimpy on the amount of tea they include per teabag. Usually, 2g is the minimum leaf you should brew per cup. ETS only use 1g.
Summary
I am on the fence about recommending you try this tea. On the one hand, the ingredients are a good quality, and the flavour isn’t strictly bad. But on the other hand, it’s not a great tea either. Luckily, English Tea Shop sell White Wonderland as part of a festive collection, so if you don’t like this one, you may end up falling in love with one of their other blends. Check it out on Amazon using the button below.
Tea Recommendation
Speaking of other English Tea Shop blends that I do like, have you read my review of ETS Coffee Cream yet? Despite containing coffee, it’s actually a tea blend. This is one whacky tea flavour combination by English Tea Shop that works really well. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts!