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I’m generally pretty happy with the juice side of things and more critical of the tea side of things, but in this case, I didn’t find the juice very peachy at all. Still a refreshing beverage (gimme something cold and fizzy and I’m usually happy), but not satisfying. Also what’s up with Trader Joe’s cans? They’re like two gulps. It’s engrumbling.

This ready-to-drink, canned iced tea is marketed to folks trying to decrease the sugar in their diets. It’s sweetened with “sweet plant protein” that apparently breaks down differently in the body and consequently doesn’t raise blood glucose levels? I dunno, I saw an advert and thought it was worth a try.

My opinion of all three flavours is the same: the fruit juice bit is good (although I would’ve liked this more without yuzu), the level of sweetness is good, and the kind of sweetness is good (no strange aftertaste; my brain could easily get used to this). The problem is the iced tea bit, which is just … bad. It doesn’t taste like good quality tea. And I don’t know good quality tea, really, so if I’m saying it, well. (In fairness, this one’s a bit better than the ones with a black-tea base.)

They should improve the quality of their tea or they should make sparkling fruit juices or something.

This ready-to-drink, canned iced tea is marketed to folks trying to decrease the sugar in their diets. It’s sweetened with “sweet plant protein” that apparently breaks down differently in the body and consequently doesn’t raise blood glucose levels? I dunno, I saw an advert and thought it was worth a try.

My opinion of all three flavours is the same: the fruit juice bit is good, the level of sweetness is good, and the kind of sweetness is good (no strange aftertaste; my brain could easily get used to this). The problem is the iced tea bit, which is just … bad. It doesn’t taste like good quality tea. And I don’t know good quality tea, really, so if I’m saying it, well.

They should improve the quality of their tea or they should make sparkling fruit juices or something. This flavour gets a slightly better rating because I like peach more than lemon.

This ready-to-drink, canned iced tea is marketed to folks trying to decrease the sugar in their diets. It’s sweetened with “sweet plant protein” that apparently breaks down differently in the body and consequently doesn’t raise blood glucose levels? I dunno, I saw an advert and thought it was worth a try.

My opinion of all three flavours is the same: the fruit juice bit is good, the level of sweetness is good, and the kind of sweetness is good (no strange aftertaste; my brain could easily get used to this). The problem is the iced tea bit, which is just … bad. It doesn’t taste like good quality tea. And I don’t know good quality tea, really, so if I’m saying it, well.

They should improve the quality of their tea or they should make sparkling fruit juices or something.

I’m upping my rating from 68 to 75: not quite high enough to earn it permanent residency in my cupboard or anything, but definitely one level up in appreciation. I fell asleep for a few hours, so when I woke up my tea had cooled to the perfect drinking temperature (it was still hot—it’s one of those insulated travel mugs that keeps my tea hot for like 12 hours or so).

First, the not great: sliiiight bit of astringency. But honestly, nothing much to complain about.

Then, the great: It’s so much creamier than it was when it was boiling, almost milky! I really love the mouthfeel now. Since I’ve gone dairy-free and don’t even bother with plant-based milk in my tea anymore, it’s rare that I get that experience. Just lovely. The vanilla is still front and centre, but it’s now ensconced in other flavours, like the bergamot I was missing earlier. I would still like to taste more of the tea. My caffeine-sensitive body is telling me that I definitely used enough leaf, so I know it’s not that, but it’s fine, it’s okay. The bergamot lingers longer than the vanilla, solidly identifying this as an earl grey.

Overall, a huge improvement. You might be saying, Nik, a double cream earl grey is supposed to be vanilla-y. And you might be saying, Nik, I could’ve told you the flavours would form a group hug instead of sitting off in their own corners if you’d just give them a minute. And to that I say, well, I’m still learning and I’ve got a long way to go. =)

I was unpacking and chopping up boxes (recycling pickup tomorrow), when I found an order from Friday Afternoon Tea. It’s my first order from them, yay new tea! And yay for opening the box upon—or close to—arrival, instead of two years later.

Okay, anyway, so I opened the box and there was this little packet of Double Cream Earl Grey separate from my main order. It looks like they included a free sample, but wow, it’s a very generous sample. This has got to be at least 5-6 cups of tea. That’s so lovely of them!

I was so jonesing for earl grey. Just, like, simple black tea with a ka-pow of bergamot. Something delicious and safe, pretty much guaranteed to take me to my nyum-nyum place.

I wish this were that, but it’s not. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible. tea-sipper likened it to bug spray last year, which wow, that sounds awful and I’m grateful that wasn’t my experience. It’s just heavy on the vanilla and light on the bergamot for me. It’s a bit light on the actual tea, too. I’m just getting a whole lot of vanilla. Maybe that’s because I don’t like vanilla so I’m extra sensitive to it, or maybe it’s because I didn’t get a balanced scoop of leaf in my spoon, I don’t know. I definitely like it enough to keep drinking it, so I’ll probably have a better feel for it after another cup or two. One thing I appreciate is that I oversteeped it and it was very forgiving: no bitterness or astringency.

I love pineapple and coconut together, and thought this blend might make a lovely cold cup. Unfortunately, it smells and tastes awful to me. It’s the worst tea I’ve had in recent memory. I can’t give it another go or try different things with it, I can’t even open the packet again. Just posting this so I don’t accidentally try it again, because I will almost certainly forget about the reaction I had.

I’m upping my rating from 83 to 86; I find that the less of this leaf I use, the more I like it. I usually steep a bunch of dried lemongrass and drink it a few times a week—daily, if I remember. Yesterday, I added a bit of this blend to the lemongrass, and it was super lovely.

Take two.

Being the scientific type and a huge advocate of precision, I … changed every variable at once. :D Less tea (maybe .75 tsp instead of 1, but Steepster won’t let me submit .75), more water, lower temperature, shorter steep. And yay, so much better! This time, the violet candy fragrance I detected in the dry leaf was absent. Nothing in the leaf’s changed since yesterday, so I’m going to chalk it up to wishful thinking on my part. The best thing is that the brew tasted floral, not soapy. As it cooled, I could swear a bit of the violet candy vibe came back. After yesterday’s experience, though, I didn’t let it cool much, and successfully avoided the bitterness and the astringency.

Oof, the bouquet is very strong in this one. The flavour even lingers quite a bit, which is also something I’m not used to with greens. Another thing I noticed is that the vegetal greenness I noticed yesterday was absent today; instead, the base served to brighten the other flavours.

This isn’t an everyday cup for me, but I reckon it’d be really nice to have on occasion. I’ve still got some left—maybe cold, next time? I feel comfortable rating it this time, and the more I nyum-nyum, the more I appreciate that it’s trying something different.

I’d still call it the Lavender Duke, though.

This blend has me at such a loss. I didn’t know that Earl Grey without bergamot was a thing. I thought bergamot is what made Earl Grey, Earl Grey. TIL.

Let’s start with the dry leaf fragrance. A few weeks ago, I was staying at a place that had hand soap whose fragrance reminded me of those violet candies that were popular when I was a kid. And it’s funny, because at that time, I had the thought that it would be interesting to try a tea that reminded me of that candy.

Now I’m not so sure.

The fragrance of the dry leaf is bold, which I love. And it’s—pow!—floral, which I … think I like? It was definitely interesting. And it absolutely reminded me of those violet candies! The steeped brew had a much milder fragrance, which started to regain its intensity as the brew cooled. I did get a vegetal whiff of green tea from the brew, which I didn’t from the dry leaf.

When I took my first sip, my first thought was, oh no, it’s the soap gene all over again. You know how some folks think cilantro tastes like soap? This tea tasted kind of soapy to me, and that wasn’t great. I let it cool a bit, just to see what would happen, and it got really bitter and … what’s that thing where it dries out your mouth? astringent? That. Finally, I added some sugar to it, and that made it more palatable.

Lessons learned:
- The packet says to steep for two to three minutes. I did closer to three, and should probably try closer to two next time.
- I used a tsp of leaf and could probably use less. I appreciate that it’s a strong brew and a little goes a long way. (Kind of surprising for a green tea blend, which I tend to think of as mild, subtle things.)
- Drink it hot! Don’t let it cool.
- Maybe sweeten it a bit right from the start.

It’s definitely interesting. But Earl Grey is pretty much my favourite, and this is not that. Given my druthers, I’d call this one The Lavender Duke. {snerk} Leaving off the rating this time because I honestly don’t know what to make of it.