Bigelow teas, with the exception of Constant Comment, fall flat for me, almost like I did this morning as I nearly face-planted upon rising from a deeeep sleep. I was hoping for something that would stabilize the discombobulated wobbles and provide a bit of sunshine to the start of a cloudy and cool day. Sadly, this was not it.
Watery, spicy yet stale ginger, earthy but not grounding, weak turmeric, some tang, flat artificial musty peach. Couldn’t taste the chicory or any of the other spices like cardamom and cinnamon, but I could taste the paper teabag. That’s the worst part. Not that there’s anything wrong with teabags. Some just have a strong paper taste.
Flavors: Artificial, Cardboard, Earthy, Flat, Ginger, Paper, Peach, Spicy, Stale, Tangy, Watery
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Gosh, it’s as if a pretty, decorative foil pouch can’t transform stale herbs, spices, and sour fruit wrapped in a bleached paper bag into something tangy, flavorful and fragrantly delicious!
100% agree on Bigelow. And I used to like Constant comment until I found Marketspice Original blend. I don’t usually like artificial flavors but this one is special
I’ve always had that problem with the teabags from Bigelow… every single one I ever tried left the tea tasting like cardboard.
I am afraid that some companies are selling old and stale ingredients in the tea bags. Lipton for instance.
But I had also a many good experience with tea bags — as I am using them in the office. Lovaré is one of them or Basilur close behind.
@Martin, to be fair, I’m sure a lot of tea does its aging in supermarkets where volume is low until the old stock is put on clearance. When I’ve bought teabags mail order from a dealer, they are typically great (except for when they use fannings and dust for bags!) Either way, I’m guilty of letting excellent tea die a slow death in my cupboard. Lately I’ve gotten ruthless and added a lot of stale leaf to my compost pile. Of course, the pu-erh is supposed to improve with age, and I do have controlled environments with humidity pouches for them! But not every puer does improve, and I admit that many folks find great pleasure from very young sheng!
I had a properly aged tencha last year that was amazing.
Gosh, it’s as if a pretty, decorative foil pouch can’t transform stale herbs, spices, and sour fruit wrapped in a bleached paper bag into something tangy, flavorful and fragrantly delicious!
100% agree on Bigelow. And I used to like Constant comment until I found Marketspice Original blend. I don’t usually like artificial flavors but this one is special
I’ve always had that problem with the teabags from Bigelow… every single one I ever tried left the tea tasting like cardboard.
I am afraid that some companies are selling old and stale ingredients in the tea bags. Lipton for instance.
But I had also a many good experience with tea bags — as I am using them in the office. Lovaré is one of them or Basilur close behind.
@Martin, to be fair, I’m sure a lot of tea does its aging in supermarkets where volume is low until the old stock is put on clearance. When I’ve bought teabags mail order from a dealer, they are typically great (except for when they use fannings and dust for bags!) Either way, I’m guilty of letting excellent tea die a slow death in my cupboard. Lately I’ve gotten ruthless and added a lot of stale leaf to my compost pile. Of course, the pu-erh is supposed to improve with age, and I do have controlled environments with humidity pouches for them! But not every puer does improve, and I admit that many folks find great pleasure from very young sheng!
I had a properly aged tencha last year that was amazing.