comes out of hiding once more

So, guess what. I just started drinking tea again. COVID has hit me hard, guys. I’m not saying I have or had it personally. I don’t know one way or another on that. I had a possible exposure this past Monday and have been self quarantining ever since, and have taken the chance to dig back into my tea stash!

Anyway, this one here I wish I could give you better info on. All I know is that my darling mother has been leaving me jugs of this at my door (which I then come down and retrieve once she leaves) that she brewed in one of those old 90’s (?) Ice Tea Maker machines. You know, the ones that brew Ice Tea sort of like Coffee? Anyway, I believe her bag allotment is 8 bags per batch, but I don’t know any measurements past that. I do know it’s technically brewed hot, but you brew it into a jug of ice which then cools it down.

Anyway, enough about the method, on to the tea!

This tea is… well it’s not the best. It’s not even what I would call good. But it is passable. Once upon a time I would have relished this tea, but my tastes have grown more complex since then. First of all, I have to add 2 splenda packets per glass to make it drinkable (for me). Once that’s accomplished, it is refreshing, but only bears a passing resemblance to tea. I can almost taste a ting bit of green there, and the lemon… well, I know the lemon is there but it’s more like an essence of lemon than any actual lemon flavor. Like there’s the tiniest bit of tart on your tongue, but it’s only a whisp, and you can’t quite pin it down as actual lemon. I personally like a bold Citrus Green, but this ain’t it.

All that said, I’ve had worse Bigelows. The Pomegranate Green that my father chugs is far worse than this, but I adore their EG. It seems that you have to judge each of these teas individually. None of them are remarkable, I’d have to say. But each has it’s merits. The Pom Green’s biggest merit is it’s liquid. This one is that it’s actually refreshing.

I’ll keep drinking it as long as I can. Someday, I’ll get the patience and resources to cold brew my own tea. But for now, this works.

Martin Bednář

Welcome back. It’s completely okay to take breaks from tea. It is not mandatory to drink tea. Sad it isn’t that great tea as it could be, but it is nice that someone else is thinking of you :)

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Martin Bednář

Welcome back. It’s completely okay to take breaks from tea. It is not mandatory to drink tea. Sad it isn’t that great tea as it could be, but it is nice that someone else is thinking of you :)

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HELLO! My name is Shanie and I love tea!

While I have always loved various types of tea, for a very long time it came exclusively from a grocery store. It’s only been a year or so now that I’ve gotten into loose leaf. As such, there will likely be tasting notes I do for bagged tea as well as good quality (and not so good quality) loose leaf teas. I’m still learning as I go so have patience please!

Right now, I am on a massive Earl Grey kick. So if a ton of my notes are just various varieties of EG, that’s why!

Some of my favorite flavors include: Cocoa, Malt, Bread, Honey, Earthy, Sweet Citrus, Caramel, Apple, Spices, and Cinnamon.

Some flavors I don’t like: Licorice, Coconut, Bitey Citrus (like Citric Acid), Licorice, Sour, Smoke, Overpowering Fake Vanilla, Stevia, and did I mention Licorice?

NOTE: I am Type 2 Diabetic. As such, I can really not have sugar added to tea without suffering problems. This prohibits me from using either plain sugar or honey. Instead, I use Splenda as I found my system can handle it well and I like the flavor. I try to avoid stevia as I’ve found it often ruins the flavor of tea. However, not all teas require sweetener, and some are better without. Because of this, if I add sweetener to a tea, I will mention it in the tasting note and say what kind and how much. Usually, I sweeten flavored and herbal teas but leave true teas unsweetened. There are exceptions, but this is a general rule of thumb to go by.

Almost all of the tea I brew is western style. I occasionally do grandpa, but pretty much never Gong-fu. I do own a Gaiwan, but it never gets used. Considering I don’t have a “sip setting” when it comes to beverages, it’s really hard for me to get into any sized amount less than 8oz at a time. I know that probably makes me a tea-heathen, but so be it. I like my mugs.

I have decided to try and make a scale for my ratings. So here goes.

As of January 2020.

100-91: These are my go-to favorites. I will likely go out of my way to always keep these on hand, including going on third party websites to obtain out of season.
90-81: This is a tea I really did enjoy, and I will likely purchase again. However, I wouldn’t go to the ends of the earth for it, and it isn’t my all-time favorite.
80-71 This is a tea that, while I may have somewhat enjoyed, something is holding me back from making it a mainstay. Maybe the flavor profile isn’t the best. Maybe there is an offputting aftertaste. It varies. But while I did like it and will continue to drink it, I don’t absolutely need it in my life, and while I will likely finish what I have, I may or may not get more.
70-61: This is a tea which I drank, but I didn’t like it. However, I didn’t hate it either. It wasn’t bad enough to dump, and if it is the only thing available to drink, I would likely drink it instead of plain water. But in the end, this is just not my literal cup of tea and I will likely not get this again.
60-51: This is something that I didn’t like much at all, but for one reason or another, refused to dump. If I squint hard enough and use my imagination, I can almost BS myself into thinking they are decent, and I suppose I can choke it down and not waste it. These are teas that I will not be buying again, and may not even finish what I have.
50-41: Yeah, whatever this is, I there’s a good chance I dumped it. At this level, it’s pretty bad stuff with either weak flavor, nasty flavor, or all the wrong flavors, It has few redeeming qualities, and I likely won’t reach for this one again. On the bright side, it isn’t sewage water, so there’s that.
40-31. On it’s best day this tea has no redeeming qualities. This not only got dumped but the package it came in either got thrown away, traded, or shoved to the back of the cupboard to never be touched again. Not the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, but darn sure close.
30-Under: The worst thing I’ve ever tasted. This not only has no redeeming qualities, but it is gag-inducing. “Teas” in this range are so bad I not only will never drink them again, I really don’t feel like offloading them onto anyone else because they are just that bad. Actual sewage water.

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Pennsylvania, US

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