I tried bird’s nest for first time in my life & now understand why it’s so expensive

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would ring in the new year by consuming bird’s spit.

To be more exact, I was going to try bird’s nest from a brand new homegrown brand, Nest Colorêe.

Their aim is to make the delicacy, and its health benefits, more accessible to the masses by pricing their bottled bird’s nest affordably.

When I received Nest Colorêe’s package, I was impressed by the minimalist and classy packaging, which encased a set of bottled bird’s nest within a solid pink-and-white rectangular box.

I was surprised to see four vibrantly coloured bottles, unlike the usual clear products that you see on the market.

I later learnt the colours were due to the different pigments produced naturally from flower teas, which are used to flavour the bird’s nest.

Bird’s nest comes in four flower tea flavours

Nest Colorêe bird’s nest was flavoured with four different flower teas – osmanthus, snow chrysanthemum, hibiscus and rose, as well as jasmine and butterfly pea.

The flower teas are derived from a 12-hour cold brew – immersing the flowers in cold water, instead of hot water, to extract their flavour.

This method is said to yield a smoother and cleaner tasting tea, and each flower tea has unique health benefits.

Osmanthus

Osmanthus tea is said to have the following benefits:

• Rich in antioxidants
• Improves and revitalise skin
• Aids digestion
• Alleviates feelings of fatigue
• Eases menstrual-related ailments

Nest Colorêe osmanthus bird’s nest was pale yellow, almost gold.

Colour-wise, the osmanthus flavour perhaps resembles the other bottled bird’s nest products available on the market the most.

While it is a flower, the osmanthus flavoured bird’s nest had a delicate fruity taste, similar to a peach or apricot and some honey notes.

The osmanthus flower taste is almost like a perfume, as it’s light and does not linger in the mouth.

I imagine that this would be well-received by the parentals, where it could be a light after-meal dessert, or a mid-day perk-me-up.

Snow Chrysanthemum

Unlike the osmanthus flavour, the snow chrysanthemum is more amber-orange than yellow.

Those who drink herbal teas regularly might be familiar with snow chrysanthemum, which is said to have the following benefits:

• Rich in vitamin A and C
• Relieves cold and insomnia
• Prevents high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar
• Relieves inflammation, swelling, pain and allergies
• Boosts respiratory health

The snow chrysanthemum flavour is similar to regular chrysanthemum tea, except it’s sweeter and has none of the latter’s bitterness.

I found the snow chrysanthemum flavour stronger than the osmanthus flavour, almost like what you would expect from a rooibos tea.

The sweetness from the flowers resemble brown sugar or a light caramel, and I foresee that this flavour would be an extremely enjoyable thirst quencher on a swelteringly hot day.

Jasmine and Butterfly Pea

This bottle was definitely the most intriguing and visually striking of the lot because of its pandan green colour, which is 100 per cent au naturel by the way.

Besides its slightly disarming hue, butterfly pea flower and jasmine is said to have the following benefits:

• Rich in antioxidants
• Regulates blood sugar levels
• Reduces anxiety and relieves stress
• Improves blood circulation
• Prevents heart diseases

I was expecting the jasmine taste to stand out, similar to the commercial canned jasmine flavoured beverages since butterfly pea flower tea does not really have a distinct flavour on its own.

However, the butterfly pea and jasmine taste was subtle, unlike its colour, with only the sweetness from the rock sugar detectable.

While the most out-of-the ordinary bottled bird’s nest tasted the most ordinary, this flavour will suit those who would want a more generic and clean flavour perfectly.

Hibiscus and Rose

Hibiscus and rose tea is said to have the following benefits:

• Rich in Vitamin A and C
• Relieves cold and insomnia
• Prevents high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar
• Relieves inflammation, swelling, pain and allergies
• Boosts respiratory health

I expected the hibiscus and rose flavour to taste either cloyingly sweet, overly acidic, or similar to bandung, which I am not a fan of.

However, I was pleasantly surprised, and relieved, to find that it tasted like neither.

While the rose flavour stood out, it was still light on the palate. The addition of hibiscus helped to add some acidity, fruitiness and depth, and complemented the rose tea.

This flavour was definitely the dark horse of the four Nest Colorêe flavours.

Overall verdict

My favourite out of the lot has got to be the osmanthus flavoured bottled bird’s nest, as it was light and refreshing, yet really atas and tasted really expensive at the same time.

While bird’s nest may not have any distinct flavour on its own, for something so luxurious, I felt like it would be best served as simply as possible to not sully the experience.

This explains why the osmanthus flavoured bottled bird’s nest was my top pick, as it was not too heavy on the palate and balanced with just the right amount of sweetness.

The sugar level was also just right for the other flavours, all of which were truly enjoyable in their own right.

FYI, Nest Colorêe mixes rock sugar with flower teas to enhance the flavour of its bottled bird’s nest.

No preservatives, no artificial colouring

Each 100ml bottle of bird’s nest goodness comes sealed, and contains 50g of grade AAA bird’s nest from Indonesia, some of which adhered together in sizable chunks.

Just. Look. At. The. Chonks. In every bottle, no less.

Each bottle of bird’s nest is slow-cooked upon order.

This explains why orders have to be placed two days in advance, as Nest Colorêe also has to soak the bird’s nest overnight, remove impurities, if any, on top of cold brewing the flower tea for 12 hours.

An extensive and laborious process, surely.

The colours of the bottled bird’s nest are both beautiful to look at, and also safe for consumption, as they are derived purely from the respective flower tea.

Not to mention the individual health benefits that each flower tea could potentially bring.

Nest Colorêe’s bottled bird’s nest has to be refrigerated immediately, and is best consumed within one week.

This goes to show that the bird’s nest is not marred by added preservatives.

Free delivery for Mothership readers for Nest Colorêe orders

If you’re keen to try Nest Colorêe for yourself, here’s some good news.

Nest Colorêe is offering S$30 off for a box of four bottles of bird’s nest.

The box now goes at S$138, instead of S$168, and you can choose from any of the seven sets featuring a mix of the four flavours mentioned above.

On top of that, Nest Colorêe is also offering free delivery for one month with the promo code “Mothership”.

You can find out more about Nest Colorêe here and here.

This sponsored article by Nest Colorêe gave the author a taste of the finer things in life.

Top image by Fiona Tan