This is actually my second encounter with this tea. I first had it at the very first Dayre Tea Party and I liked it enough that I thought a tin of it would be nice.

On Whittard’s Website, Chelsea Garden is given the following write-up:

“We like to think that Walter Whittard dreamt up this blend while taking a stroll in Chelsea Physic Garden one summer evening. Or perhaps it was during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show? After all, the event was first held in Chelsea just two years after Walter Whittard set up shop. Youll find the base of our signature White Peony tea allows for a light and elegant brew, while the sweet suggestion of rose and flavours of ripe summer fruits add a delightfully characteristic twist. And the whole rosebuds? Well, allow Walter to express the more floral side to his personality. Its ideal infused in our glass Chelsea Teapot – the rosebuds make for quite the afternoon tea showpiece. As part of the beautiful Tea Discoveries range we’ve created a bespoke caddy for our Chelsea Garden, with a pattern inspired by garden trellises. Its a stunning addition to any kitchen – and makes a rather intriguing gift for a tea lover.”

In other words, this is a floral white tea. As the picture above shows, the white tea is what The Story of Tea would call a new-style white tea, since it’s made with the leaves of the tea plant instead of the buds. There are also a few rose buds in the tea.

Taste-wise, this is a very floral tea that’s on the sweet side. And I was a bit surprised, but this was quite obviously a flavoured tea. I didn’t think I would ever be able to recognise flavourings, but I did for this. I mean, I could tell for Twinning’s Cold Infusion because a normal tea will never infuse in five minutes if you use cold water, but I never thought “mmmm flavourings”. For this one, there was something in the tea that said: “mmm flavourings”. Perhaps it’s because the tea tastes very floral and sweet (though not sugar sweet) even though the ratio of tea leaves to rose isn’t that high. It’s still nice to drink, but I find that one cup is enough for me now.

I’ve got to say, though, the tea caddy is beautiful.