2 Tasting Notes
Flavour: Moderately intense and somewhat complex. Hard to put a name on many of the flavour notes here. Notes of kale initially greet the palate with a finish hinting of sage. Vegetal and not floral. Clean, non-astringent, refreshing. I rather enjoyed this once the mug cooled off, too.
Aroma: Rather weak bouquet. Notes of freshly-mowed hay with, again, a hint of sage—but steamy more than anything. Not floral at all.
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly substantial for a decaffeinated tea, let alone a green tea.
Appearance of brewed tea: A turbid, saddle tan brew that deposited some sediment on the bottom of my mug.
Virtues: Flavour and mouthfeel unexpectedly satisfying.
Faults: Not much of a treat for the nose. Well, I guess you can’t have everything…
The Verdict: Very well done for a supermarket decaf green tea, and convincing evidence that cheap tea can be decent. A great value. Worth keeping around for a bedtime cuppa.
Preparation
Flavour: Mild black tea in the American idiom. Not complex. When served sweetened, notes of date and carrot cake are the order of the day.
Aroma: Moderately aromatic. Notes of date, sweet spice, pastry, and snapdragon blossoms greet the nose.
Mouthfeel: Moderate in body. Just barely stout enough to satisfy.
Appearance of brewed tea: Rich caramel brown tea topped by an appealing thin oily lacing. A good looking cuppa, I’d say.
Caffeine: Below average caffeination for black tea.
Virtues: I find the aroma and appearance of this tea to be quite inviting. Moderately intense flavour lacks distracting off-notes. Inexpensive and readily available in US supermarkets.
Faults: Intolerant of indifferent preparation—tastes soapy and grassy if brew water is insufficiently hot. Flavour and aromatic intensity of this tea seems to vary from year to year; the American-market Red Rose I recall from the 1980s was a more robust tea than the Red Rose of today.
The Verdict: This is my favourite inexpensive and widely available tea sold in US supermarkets. Careful brewing will reveal some unexpected rewards. I find American-market Red Rose entirely serviceable for drinking when I’ve run out of finer teas. Cheap and cheerful.
