Numi White Nectar Osmanthus White Tea Review

A Decent Organic Tea That Has Kind of a Bland Flavor

Summary : This white tea from Numi Teas isn't bad, not by a mile. But it lacks any sort of a distinctive flavor. And what flavor there is I found to be quite weak. Definitely falls short of other Osmanthus teas I've tried.

Review : White tea is great. Admittedly, the more subtle taste of white tea can take a while to get used to. But, quite simply, the more white tea I drink...the more I like it. This is especially so if the white tea has been infused with various "flowery" things, such as rose.

Since I really do enjoy "flowery teas," I was very much looking forward to trying Numi's latest creation, with the rather long name of White Nectar Osmanthus Spring, an organic white tea.

Here is how Numi describes this tea on their website : "Numi's organic White Nectar features Osmanthus, a rare Chinese flower rich in antioxidants. An ancient Chinese poet wrote that it comes from the moon; a bit of the lingering fragrance, makes all the flowers blossom. Its fruity scent enhances the smooth delicacy of Fair Trade Certified Spring White Tea, the tender bud of the tea plant. This radiant blend forms a harmony of luscious sweetness charmed by apricots. Balanced and light, White Nectar nurtures the spirit and mind with its abundant health benefits and divine taste."

This tea contains the following ingredients : Organic White Tea, Organic Osmanthus Flowers.

As is usually the case with the descriptions Numi uses for their tea, once again this tea comes off somehow mysterious, rare and exotic all at the same time...not to mention as perhaps being a cure for just about anything beyond athletes foot.

Generally, despite the wordy description, I've found Numi Teas to be heads and shoulders above other bagged brands...particularly those brands found in the supermarket. Unfortunately, in this case, the description of the tea soars far above the flavor of the tea...rather sadly.

The aroma of this tea is surprisingly weak. While Osmanthus flowers aren't as powerful as Jasmine, they still can provide a pretty good aroma all on their own. Unfortunately, when you take a sniff of the tea bag, you'll be greeted by a little bit of flowery aroma...but not really that much. In no way does the aroma compare to that found in Numi's Velvet Rose White Tea.

And more sadly, the flavor of the tea pretty much matches the aroma of the tea...not bad, but hardly awe inspiring. The flavor, really, is quite subdued. Almost boring, truthfully. The osmanthus flower flavor is mysteriously absent. Instead, really...what this tea tastes like is a weak "straight white tea." I personally like straight white teas...but since this one is weak, and has no flavor from the osmanthus flowers, I'll confess...I was rather disappointed with this tea.

Overall, there are many better white teas around than this one. This tea isn't bad. But I didn't find anything "memorable" or special about this tea either. In the end, it was simply another "bagged grocery store tea" that, in this case, happened to be put out by Numi Teas...whom normally have better tea creations than this one.

Recommendation : Maybe. I didn't especially love this tea simply because it tastes like a white tea, with the flowery flavor of osmanthus flowers essentially absent. But the tea has an ok flavor, if somewhat forgettable. For a flowery white tea, try Numi's Velvet Rose. Or for a good white tea, in loose-leaf form, try Adagio Teas White Pear tea.

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