35

I wasn’t intending to write about this one yet since I tried it for the first time this morning during a rush to get the kids ready for swimming lessons, but I had to change my mind because of the comments coming from the breakfast table after I poured the water over the mixture.

Picture the mixture (there’s a photo at the top of the page of the black tea leaves, white coconut strips, chocolate chips). In the packet it has a v. strong scent of “lime,” a really acrid smell that borders on chlorine, with some not sweet chocolate underneath and some sweetness that may be the coconut in the corner. It’s on the kitchen counter having just had water poured over it.

Now picture the scene. Two boys, ages 4 and almost 6, eating microwave French toast from Trader Joe’s and drinking orange juice, and the boyfriend about to sit down with them while I am puttering making my own breakfast.

Boyfriend: “What’s that smell?”

Me: “Tea.”

Boyfriend walks over to cup and sniffs. “Caramel?”

Me: “No. Lime, chocolate and coconut.”

Boyfriend: “Ahhhh. It’s the coconut.” He starts to sing: “Put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up, put the lime in the coconut and call me in the morning. Wasn’t that Harry Nilsson, the same guy who did The Point?” He sits down.

Boyfriend: “God, that smells awful.”

6 Year old: “I can smell it from here. I don’t like it.”

Me: “Really? I don’t think it’s so bad.”

4 Year old (Mama’s boy, bless him): “I don’t think it’s so bad either.”

Boyfriend: “Who thinks it smells bad, raise your hand.” Raises hand. 6 year old raises hand.

I take a sip. It’s identifiably lime, coconut, and chocolate, but mostly the acrid lime that tastes a lot like it smells and is throwing the mixture off kilter. I put some milk in it and try again. Slightly better, still way too heavy on the lime. I look at the packet. Chocolate Coconut Lime. I am wondering why it isn’t called Lime Chocolate Coconut?

Me: “It doesn’t taste that good.”

4 year old: “Can I taste it?”

Me: “No.”

4 year old: “Is it tea?”

Me: Pause. Is it tea? Answer. “Yes.”

Sort of.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
malomorgen

love the story :)

Doulton

Great scenario—too bad the tea was disappointing. I cannot really think of a flavor with which lime could be mixed successfully aside from another citrus…but maybe I am a lime purist.

Jillian

LOL, you don’t want to put the littles off tea at such a young age. ;)

__Morgana__

It sounded like it would work, and it might have if the lime hadn’t been so strong. The coconut really could have balanced it, I think. Denouement: I walked back into the house after the swimming class and a birthday party the four year old attended and I can still smell this, but it smells better. I think the volatile oils in the lime must have evaporated, there’s more of a coconut smell now. Too bad it wasn’t that way when I first made it.

Ewa

I’m with you on the Lime, Doulton. It’s such a distinctive, weird taste. It belongs with other citrus and gin. Note: Everything that I just wrote is invalidated by the fact that I drink Diet Coke with Lime of my own volition.

Jillian

Lime is good with Coronas…and not a heck of a lot else IMO. :D

Rabs

LOL! That was an absolutely wonderful note! :D

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Comments

malomorgen

love the story :)

Doulton

Great scenario—too bad the tea was disappointing. I cannot really think of a flavor with which lime could be mixed successfully aside from another citrus…but maybe I am a lime purist.

Jillian

LOL, you don’t want to put the littles off tea at such a young age. ;)

__Morgana__

It sounded like it would work, and it might have if the lime hadn’t been so strong. The coconut really could have balanced it, I think. Denouement: I walked back into the house after the swimming class and a birthday party the four year old attended and I can still smell this, but it smells better. I think the volatile oils in the lime must have evaporated, there’s more of a coconut smell now. Too bad it wasn’t that way when I first made it.

Ewa

I’m with you on the Lime, Doulton. It’s such a distinctive, weird taste. It belongs with other citrus and gin. Note: Everything that I just wrote is invalidated by the fact that I drink Diet Coke with Lime of my own volition.

Jillian

Lime is good with Coronas…and not a heck of a lot else IMO. :D

Rabs

LOL! That was an absolutely wonderful note! :D

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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