35

Took these to work today to finish off. I’m not a fan. The dry leaf smells strongly of maple syrup, but with a slight edge to it that makes me think it’s artificial flavouring rather than the real thing. I might be wrong, but that’s what it smells like to me. I can also smell chamomile, a distinctive, sweet, apple-like scent that’s actually quite pleasant.

Upon first tasting this, I was pretty repulsed. It’s very sweet and rather cloying. The maple flavour comes out most clearly, and it’s hard to taste the chamomile at all. As it cools, though, this becomes infinetly more pleasant. Some of the initial sweetness fades, and the apple-like flavours of the chamomile start to come through. I think I might actually take these back home, and have them iced in the summer. It’s definetly better cool, and I’m no longer pulling my “ugh, I don’t like this face”.

This is no better and no worse than I expected from supermarket tea. The combination of flavours should have been a good one, but it falls a little short of my idealisation in its current form. I can just imagine what this might be like if it were made with whole chamomile flowers and generous amounts of maple syrup. Unfortunaely, this is one dream that ended in dust, quite literally.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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Bio

Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.

Location

Norfolk, UK

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