Crime of Passion Green Tea

A playful tropical green tea bursting with papaya and passion fruit character, finished with a bright citrusy lift and colorful flower petals. Light, juicy, and especially irresistible over ice.

The Experience

Crime of Passion Green Tea is a tropical escape in a cup. A light Sencha-style green tea provides the fresh foundation, while papaya pieces and natural flavoring create juicy passion fruit and tropical fruit notes. Marigold and calendula petals add flashes of color throughout the loose leaf, making this tea almost as cheerful to look at as it is to drink.

The flavor is refreshingly fruity rather than heavy: ripe papaya, tangy passion fruit character, a sweet citrus-like punch, and a smooth green-tea finish. And while Crime of Passion is lovely hot, this is one tea we particularly recommend over ice, where its tropical fruit character becomes even brighter and more refreshing.

Tasting Notes

Top: Passion fruit • Bright citrus
Mid: Papaya • Tropical fruit
Finish: Smooth green tea • Juicy sweetness
Body: Light

Why You’ll Love It

• Juicy papaya and passion fruit character
• Bright, tropical, and refreshingly citrusy
• Light Sencha-style green-tea foundation
• Real papaya pieces in the blend
• Marigold and calendula petals add beautiful color
• Light-bodied and approachable for newer green-tea drinkers
• Particularly delicious as iced tea
• A great choice for customers who enjoy fruity tea but want something more tropical than berry or peach

Tea, Grade & Ingredients

Tea Type: Flavored Green Tea
Style: Sencha-Japan Spec
Origins: India, China, Thailand & Poland
Elevation: Approximately 1,000–1,500 m (~3,300–5,000 ft)
Processing: Small-batch blended, non-fermented, traditionally steamed, pan-dried, and polished
Ingredients: Green tea, papaya pieces, marigold and calendula petals, natural flavors
Flavor Profile: Papaya • Passion Fruit • Citrus
Caffeine: Caffeinated
Body: Light

How to Brew

Use 1 heaping teaspoon with The Perfect Measure Spoon per 8 oz / 237 ml of water at 185°F / 85°C.

Mild: 1–2 minutes
Medium: 2–3 minutes
Strong: 3–5 minutes

For your first cup, we recommend approximately 2–3 minutes. This brings out the tropical fruit while preserving the smooth character of the green-tea base. Avoid boiling water. Green tea responds beautifully to gentler temperatures, which help keep the cup fresh rather than excessively bitter or astringent.

Perfect For

Crime of Passion is particularly suited to summer afternoons, iced-tea pitchers, poolside sipping, picnics, brunch, tropical-themed gatherings, or anytime Cincinnati could use a little imaginary sunshine. Pair it with fresh fruit, mango desserts, coconut pastries, citrus cake, macarons, light salads, grilled seafood, or mildly spicy dishes.

Why Tropical Fruit Works So Well with Green Tea

Green tea provides a very different foundation for tropical fruit than black tea. Black tea can push fruit toward deeper, richer flavors. A lighter green-tea base allows bright acidity, tropical aromatics, and fresh fruit character to remain prominent.

Here, the components work together:

• Papaya → soft tropical fruitiness
  
• Passion fruit flavor → tangy, aromatic intensity
  
• Citrus-like notes → brightness and lift
  
• Green tea → fresh structure
  
• Marigold & calendula → visual color and botanical character

The finished tea feels juicy without requiring a heavy tea base underneath it.

Hot vs. Iced

• Hot: The green tea becomes more noticeable, with papaya creating a softer tropical sweetness and the passion-fruit character adding brightness.
• Iced: The tea becomes crisper, juicier, and more refreshing. Passion fruit and citrus-like notes move forward while the green tea provides a clean finish.

If you're buying Crime of Passion for the first time, we strongly recommend making at least one glass iced. It is one of those blends whose personality seems particularly at home over ice.

A Simple Iced-Tea Experiment

Try brewing Crime of Passion two ways. 

• First, make a cup hot and allow it to cool naturally. Taste how the tropical aromas change as the temperature drops.
• Then brew a slightly stronger batch and pour it over plenty of ice.

You'll often find that temperature changes which elements you notice first. Hot tea emphasizes aroma and the underlying tea, while iced tea can make bright fruit and refreshing acidity seem more prominent. It's an easy way to discover that brewing isn't simply preparation—it is part of how you shape the final flavor.

Packaging: Our loose teas are sold by the ounce and packaged in food-grade resealable bags.

Explore Our Fruit-Forward Green Teas

Crime of Passion Green Tea (This Tea)
Passion Fruit • Papaya • Citrus
→ Best for: a bright tropical green tea that's particularly delicious iced

Champagne & Berries Green Tea
Strawberry • Goji • Açaí • Champagne-Inspired
→ Try next if: you want a more sophisticated berry-forward fruit blend

African Sunrise Green Tea
Raspberry • Lemon • Rose
→ Try next if: you prefer bright berry and citrus with a floral touch

Peach Apricot Green Tea
Peach • Apricot • Smooth
→ Try next if: you want a softer, sweeter-tasting fruit profile

Bangkok Blend Green Tea
Coconut • Lemongrass • Ginger
→ Try next if: you want to explore the savory-sweet side of tropical green tea