White Temple – White Tea, 10 bags

White Temple by A.C. Perch's Thehandel as a small greeting

White Temple by Perch's Thehandel is a light white tea with candied pineapple, mango, papaya, and orange peel, packaged in a box of ten. Passion fruit and jasmine give the blend a sweetness that is more reminiscent of compote than citrus.

White Temple is the fruit blend from the Copenhagen tea house Perch's Thehandel, here in a flat box containing ten pyramid bags. Nestled among the light leaves are pieces of apricot, sour cherry, and redcurrant, along with granules of concentrated passion fruit juice.

Passion fruit, apricot, and light tea

The aroma from the opened wrapper is warm and tropical, smelling of pineapple and mango, followed only then by the subtle bitterness of orange peel. In the cup, the infusion remains almost water-clear, which contrasts sharply with the richness that arrives on the tongue.

The passion fruit granules dissolve in the hot water, providing a perfumed acidity that gives the candied fruits definition. Apricot and sour cherry balance this out, redcurrants add a final tart point, and the white tea carries it all without ever becoming overpowering.

Because there are few tannins in the light leaf, the infusion does not become harsh even if steeped longer. Those who usually find tea too astringent will find this most approachable, which explains why this blend so often leaves the shop as the first purchase. The apricot pieces are dusted with a little rice flour so they do not stick together in the bag.

A small gift for tea drinkers

Water heated to eighty degrees and a six-minute steeping time; boiling water strips the delicate leaf of its finesse. This tea needs no sugar—the candied pieces provide enough sweetness—and milk would simply mask the bright fruit.

Each bag is individually sealed in an airtight wrapper made of cellulose and wood fibers, which looks like plastic but is compostable. With so much fruit, this is no luxury, as candied pieces attract moisture and become sticky as soon as a pack is left open in the cupboard for too long.

Ten bags are the perfect amount for a casual greeting, for a small package to a friend, or for a box that still has room for a cup. The box is flat enough to travel in a small parcel and sturdy enough to ensure nothing gets crushed in transit.

Those who drink the blend every day can opt for the box of twenty-five bags, or it is available loose as White Temple Tea in a tin. Both can be found on our shelf of loose-leaf tea and tea bags.

How the jasmine gets into the tea

The green jasmine tea in this blend carries its scent from the blossoms themselves. Freshly opened jasmine flowers are layered over the leaves at night so they can absorb the fragrance, after which the flowers are removed. In high-quality versions, this process is repeated over several nights.

White Temple contains only a small portion of this, which is exactly what binds the tropical sweetness together and gives it a floral direction. Perch's Thehandel thus uses jasmine as a spice, not as the main note. If you smell the used bag afterward, you will find the floral scent more clearly than in the cup. More from Copenhagen can be found in the Perch's Thehandel collection.