McCormick

We visited Mexico, and forgot to bring tea! In desperation, I visited a local grocery and the only straight black tea I could find was McCormick tea bags, 25 per pkg. Brewed each bag western style, with 6 oz purified water at whatever temperature it came out of the hotel coffee maker, probably 190°-200° F, for 3 minutes.

The tea was not discernably an Assamica, so I would guess an ordinary generic China black. Fannings, of course. Very plain tasting. Aroma similar to Lipton bags, but less intense. Taste had some astringency, dull generic strong black tea that gave me the caffeine I wanted. Not unpleasant, no serious defects, but nothing to write home about. If standard Lipton black tea bags (a very well standardized and reproducible benchmark) earn a rating of 65, and Red Rose a rating of 60, then I would rate these McCormick Té Negro bags in Mexico at 50. Better than quaffing an energy drink or popping a caffeine pep pill.

I wanted a caffine free hot drink and McCormick’s Chamomile was the only local option. I think the last time I had chamomile tea was when I was a kid so I can’t compare this brand with any others.
Each tea bag comes wrapped in its own plastic packet for freshness. I abhor plastic packaging but I like that the bags are individually wrapped. T
The tea bags themselves are rather small but there are no staples either in the bag or through the tag. The string appears to be heat sealed in the bag margin but I don’t know if any adhesive is used.
The tea box had no smell due to the individual packages around the tea bags. Once opened the tea smelled fresh and like a combo of hay and apples. The package directions caĺled for 200 ml of boiling water. I don’t recall seeing a recommended brewing time so I brewed the tea for 5 minutes.
The tea while brewing smelled of the same hay and apple aroma that was present in the package. Happily the flavor of the tea was true to the aroma but there was an additional flavor that was slightly spicy and a little floral, similar to the way carnations smell. The infusion also had a honey and bee pollen note.
After tasting the infusion plain I added 1/4 teaspoon of honey. That small amount of sweetener simply enhanced the present flavors.
With nothing to compare this chamomile tea to I don’t know if it’s a good example of chamomile tea. But I like the flavor very much and I will most likely buy it again.

So, my mom went out of town on a business trip to the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. She asked if I wanted anything while she was out there, so of course, I asked for tea. Well, she didn’t end up finding anything fancy, so she went with something weird.

The package is almost entirely in Spanish. And it’s by McCormick, the same guys who make steak seasoning and gravy packets. Also, I’ve never had anything with linden flowers in it, so I have no idea what to expect. I have to say, the bag didn’t really smell like anything aside from paper. And the scent as it brewed was strange and mildly unpleasant.

After three minutes, the tea was a pleasant peachy orange color. The flavor, however, was foreign and might take a little getting used to. It’s floral but not bitter, and only a little astringent. There’s something in the flavor that makes me think of spring and fresh cut grass, but sweeter. I know this might be a country thing, but have you ever pulled up a stalk of wheat grass and chewed the white part at the end? It tastes kind of like that.

Not sure I like this. Does anybody else wanna try some? I’ll mail some out if you do. I’d feel bad throwing it away.