I like to try sakura-flavoured treats because it is such a subtle and unique flavour, so I decided to try TWG Tea's limited edition spring season macaron. It is officially called "Sakura! Sakura! Tea and Cherry" flavour, probably a reference to the traditional Japanese "Sakura Sakura" song. In essence, I took it to mean that it is a macaron flavoured by their in-house sakura flavoured tea and some cherry.
I love pastels and pink, so visually I would give it a 10 out of 10. I love how the lighter pastel pink outside contrasts with the hot pink inside, and also how the whitish filling provides an extra streak of complementary colour. This is also an unusual macaron because in the middle of the curd-like cream, there is also a darker burgundy disc, which looks like a dark cherry colour. I'll explain what I think it is later, but visually, it is more striking than the normal macaron with homogenous filling, as the dark burgundy colour further contrasts with the whitish curd or jam-like spread. (Contrast it with the matcha macaron's plain green filling in the photo below.)
Taste-wise, it was a slight disappointment, as I was struggling to discern the sakura flavour. Macarons these days are usually enjoyed for the distinct way in which they bring out flavours, and to be fair, TWG's other macarons had distinct flavours. Which was why I was expecting something more distinct. But instead, it was a super mild, barely present slightly floral tinge, sitting on a bed of relatively neutral sweet cream-like taste. It was like a vaguely stone-fruit-like floral scent, possibly set within a white tea body. I'm guessing that sakura fragrance is already faint, so when you turn that into a tea form, then further turn that sakura tea into a macaron, each step loses out on some level of intensity.
The cherry flavour was mild as well, which is good so as not to drown out the usually-faint sakura taste. I think most of the cherry comes from the dark burgundy disc in the middle, which is like a little lump of mildly flavoured cherry jelly. It did not seem to contain any actual cherry flesh or pulp, as there was no cellulose vegetable like texture usually found in fruits.
The rest of the macaron was of standard good quality as can be expected of TWG - not too sweet, crisp on the outside, relatively moist but also crumbly on the inside, with a good amount of almond meal and taste. I've provided multiple pictures so you can see the texture of the filling and the macaron shell. (Click to enlarge texture details.)
I bought a few of this sakura flavoured one, so on another sitting, I had it with the Matcha Macaron. And I made the mistake of eating the matcha one first, thinking that I should have the bitter one before the sweet one. I also thought that the matcha flavour would help contrast with the sakura one so that I could better identify the sakura flavour. But it turned out that the matcha flavour was so much stronger, that the sakura macaron seemed even less flavourful than the first time trying it alone. My companion who had the sakura one first felt like she could better appreciate the sakura taste. So my recommendation is to eat this sakura flavoured macaron first before you have anything else, if you want to truly appreciate the flavour.
Also, just a note that they also have a similar pink one that is rose-flavoured. The pink is slightly different, although the sakura macaron shells are a bit inconsistent in colour. In the first photo above, all 3 macarons are sakura flavoured, yet you can see that the leftmost one is a bit more salmon-pink or yellowish compared to the rosy pink colour of the right 2 macarons. But in the photo below, the left one is the rose macaron (Bain de Roses Tea), which is more orangey and salmon-pink in hue, whereas the right one is the sakura macaron. The rose one has a darker coloured filling, so don't get the mixed up!
Finally, here are some shots of TWG's macaron menus (click to enlarge), where you can see the difference between the rose and sakura macarons.
And some pictures of the pretty box in which they came. The box allows 6 macarons. It's missing 1 because I ate one before taking a picture.
Discover more macarons and sakura- or cherry-inspired treats
- Bao's Pastry's Milk Skin Handmade Yoghurt - Sakura Flavour
- Sakura Tiramisu by Dulcet & Studio
- Authentic Sakura Mochi, Manju, Soba and Crepe
- Cherry & Amaretto Stollen Bites by Marks and Spencer
- Miso, Green Tea and Chestnut Plum Macarons by Patisserie G
- Large Pistachio and Caramel Macarons from the Original Ladurée
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