Review: The Exotic Teapot Marigold Meadow Blooming Tea

Nov 24

Review: The Exotic Teapot Marigold Meadow Blooming Tea

Katie’s Teaview Snapshot

"I'm not feeling the need to dance for joy while drinking this, but it's a step above flowering teas created merely for show."

Katie’s Teaview:	7.2/10
Other Teaviews:	Troy gave it 8/10
Your Reviews:	Add your review »

Blooming teas are probably my favourite teas for when company is over. They look impressive, brew up by the pot-full, and are usually easy to work with, allowing me to concentrate more on my guests than on steeping. The sacrifice you often make is that they are rarely top notch teas, but occasionally you find tea with good presentation and good flavour. Flowering teas are The Exotic Teapot's specialty, so if anyone would be able to get it right, it's these guys.

The website says to steep three minutes (or until the bundle unfurls) at 85 degrees, which I assume is Celsius, so that'd be 185 Fahrenheit. The presentation was pretty, but not divine. For whatever reason, my bloom couldn't figure out which direction was down, and the beautiful flowers spent much of the time blooming against the topside of my clear teapot. No matter though, since it was still pretty enough, and I certainly don't blame the company for my misfortune.

I didn't find the flavour of this first steep particularly compelling. It was smooth and good, but a little too light to jump out of the cup. I decided to wait on writing numbers down until I tried again with less water. On this first infusion, I completely filled my 24 ounces teapot, so for try number two, I added only 14 ounces and left it for 3 1/2 minutes. While the other attempt was good, I found this one significantly more appealing. If you're looking for quantity, and decide to steep it with three cups of water, you won't be disappointed, but today I'm digging the stronger version. I managed to get two more steeps in this manor, so I still got a pleasantly full bladder by the end of it all.

Long story short: The overall flavour is good. I'm not feeling the need to dance for joy while drinking this, but it's a step above flowering teas created merely for show. You can buy 10 of these large blooms for £9, which is a reasonable price for a good bundle, even after converting to US or even (gasp) Canadian dollars. I can't say I recommend this with unwavering enthusiasm, but I recommend it.

— To purchase The Exotic Teapot Marigold Meadow Blooming Tea, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.