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Cameron B. drank Pearl of Fruits by The Whistling Kettle

4330 tasting notes

Another sample from The Whistling Kettle. I’m not normally a big fan of green and black blends, I just feel like the two things don’t go together and I’m not sure why tea shops blend them (I suppose Nina’s Japon would be the exception). But I picked up a sample of this anyway because it smelled good in the sniffing jar. Visually, the blend is fairly chaotic – a mix of medium green and black tea leaves with a bunch of other stuff like citrus peel and flower petals. In the packet, it just smells like almond extract, which is not how it smelled in the jar. The almond scent probably deteriorated over time.

The steeped tea smells quite fruity (peach?) with some sweetness from the almond. Hm… See, I don’t really see the point of the green tea here, I find that the faint flavor I get from it kind of clashes with the black tea. There’s a vague fruity flavor that tastes like artificial peach mixed with almond extract. And like another tea I had from them, the base is almost nonexistent, which is quite odd. Very slight rose aftertaste.

Flavors: Artificial, Candy, Floral, Marzipan, Peach

Preparation

175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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1 comments

Kittenna
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Also generally not a fan of green/black mixes. They do not come off as complementary, to me.

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Kittenna
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Also generally not a fan of green/black mixes. They do not come off as complementary, to me.

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- February sipdowns: 5
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 39

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia (or monkfruit, etc.).

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing