45

First tea sampled from TTB-C.

I usually sample new teas in small 4oz cups, but I was about to sit down to watch a show with my husband and I wanted a full cup of tea. I thought Harney & Sons would be a safe choice. Unfortunately, not this time. The tea base and the flavor were extremely weak. Not only weak, but also somewhat cardboard-ish (I used two ‘perfect’ teaspoons for a 12oz mug). At least I baked brownies before the show too, as a back up, lol.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec
Dinosara

Wow, I wonder if this sample is really old or something, because the flavor of this tea is anything but weak normally!

Shelley_Lorraine

yeah, I was wondering the same thing. The other teas I’ve had from Harney & Sons were good, so I was thrown off by this one.

Dr Jim

The tea was purchased January of this year, so it is less than a year old. I wouldn’t think that it lost flavor that quickly. I tried a cup (1.5 gm/3 min) and agree that it was weak, though I liked the flavor, though that of course is a matter of taste. I steeped for another 2 minutes (Harney recommends 4-5 minutes, and it was stronger, but not what I would call strong.

Dr Jim

I tried again using Harney’s exact directions. The main difference was that the water was a full boil rather than 200 F. This made a big difference. There is much more flavor. Interesting.

Shelley_Lorraine

I cant get water to a full boil here. I’m lucky if it gets above 195 at all because of the elevation. So I guess I’ll never know . . .

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Comments

Dinosara

Wow, I wonder if this sample is really old or something, because the flavor of this tea is anything but weak normally!

Shelley_Lorraine

yeah, I was wondering the same thing. The other teas I’ve had from Harney & Sons were good, so I was thrown off by this one.

Dr Jim

The tea was purchased January of this year, so it is less than a year old. I wouldn’t think that it lost flavor that quickly. I tried a cup (1.5 gm/3 min) and agree that it was weak, though I liked the flavor, though that of course is a matter of taste. I steeped for another 2 minutes (Harney recommends 4-5 minutes, and it was stronger, but not what I would call strong.

Dr Jim

I tried again using Harney’s exact directions. The main difference was that the water was a full boil rather than 200 F. This made a big difference. There is much more flavor. Interesting.

Shelley_Lorraine

I cant get water to a full boil here. I’m lucky if it gets above 195 at all because of the elevation. So I guess I’ll never know . . .

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Bio

Name: Shelley Lorraine Limegrover
Location: Livingston, MT

Hobbies: Learning, reading books, math, physics (have a degree in it), literature (have a degree in it too), anthropology, traveling, piano, and drinking TEA, of course (^o^)

Favorite teas: Kukicha, Green teas in general, aged oolongs, charcoal roasted oolong, taiwanese oolongs, Assam . . .

Don’t like: Genmaicha, Earl Grey, Darjeelings, ginger, coconut, smokey teas (even mild ones), nut flavors, overwhelmingly strong floral flavor (esp. Jasmine), most della derra and adagio teas. . .

My Rating System

100 My happiness absolutely depends on it

95 Will definitely repurchase

85: Might repurchase (teas that depend on my mood)

75 Won’t repurchase (but I would drink it again if offered).

65: meh

45: I reluctantly finished a cup.

15: Couldn’t finish a cup.

I simplified my ratings to single numbers rather than ranges because I can’t precisely compare so many teas with a system more detailed than this.

An unrated tea is most often one that I recognize as having significant notable quality, but that does not suit me personally. Sometimes, I leave teas unrated for other reasons, such as I am undecided or I brewed it wrong, etc.

Note: Boiling temp. barely reaches 200 where I am (and a few times it sticks at 195, I assume due to unexplainable shifts in altitude or the position of the moon. . .aliens?. . .).

Location

Colorado

Website

https://shelleyintherain.word...

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