61
drank Maple Bacon by Man Teas
243 tasting notes

I had heard about this tea and knew that since I would not get to try it (from anyone else) I would have to buy it myself.

The scent of the leaves is strong, very strong bacon upfront with a lingering maple smell. Based on the scent of the leaves, I was skeptical that I would like it.

The tea brews nicely, combining the flavor of black tea, with a smoky quality that has to be from the bacon and a sweetness that is coming from the maple. The aroma of the brewed tea is predominantly bacon/smoky and I must say unappealing, but the flavor is not bad.

I think the flavor would be improved by sugar (to bring more of the sweetness out) and by some milk, to maybe help meld the flavors together a little better. I will have to try it and get back to you.

UPDATE:

So I tried it again with milk (1%) and rock sugar, it was better, the flavors did marry more and it was easier to drink. The maple-syrupy flavor is enhanced at the front of the tea, then the bacon/smoky flavor is more pronounced and at the end of the tea, the aroma is also toned down a little so it is no longer like inhaling bacon.

Also, I steeped it a second time (adding milk and sugar) and drank it with breakfast: ham, egg and cheese on a croissant. It was probably a little easier to drink with the food, but the tea still had the descriptive qualities mentioned above.

This improves my rating a little (previously 56). However, as I have said, I do not like to give teas that rely on having additions too high of a score.

Preparation
4 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

Did you have this with anything to eat? Wondering how it would taste w/ breakfast, a salad, or sandwhich.

Cinoi

no, i will try it with breakfast tomorrow, possibly jump right into the milk/sugar combo also. i’ll let you know :)

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Cofftea

Did you have this with anything to eat? Wondering how it would taste w/ breakfast, a salad, or sandwhich.

Cinoi

no, i will try it with breakfast tomorrow, possibly jump right into the milk/sugar combo also. i’ll let you know :)

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Bio

I am a sarcastic perfectionist, a computer nerd, a game geek, an avid reader, a gadget guru, a wine (and tea) enthusiast, and (in my spare time) a chemist.

As I mentioned, I am a chemist, research and development to be exact, so when evaluating tea, it is much like evaluating my products: I will find the flaws and do my very best to fix them because it is what I love to do. Along those lines, nothing is perfect, but can have perfect qualities, I will highlight those also.

I made a preliminary guide to my rating scale:
0-19 – Did not like anything about the tea, feel it cannot be saved without being reformulated.
20-40 – Did not like the tea, it can be saved with extreme amounts of tweaking (i.e., sugar, milk, honey and or blending with another tea)
41-60 – Neutral about the tea, it can be helped or hurt by additives or blends, varied temperatures and steep times
61-70 – Decent tea, needs a little bit of help to get it in the place I like it, but definitely not out of reach
71-80 – Quality tea, liked it, will try again
81-90 – Really enjoyed the tea, high quality, will continue to drink the tea, not looking for something better
91-100 – Loved the tea, will continue to brew and drink and spread the word about the tea to everyone

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NJ

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