Sipdown, 139. Thanks to Sil for this sample. The history behind this one is pretty cool so I am interested to try it.
I have read tasting notes on this one that say it is “bold” and a little rough around the edges. I would imagine that is what you need when exploring the antarctic. I knew I would likely prefer this one with milk and sugar, but I didn’t want to try this one only with milk and sugar. So I brewed it two ways: one straight, and one with additions.
I also brewed it a bit cooler. Straight it’s not as rough as I thought it would be, but it does have a hint of bitterness/astringency around the edges. With additions, it’s a reasonable black tea but nothing that really jumps out at me. I mean, I guess that’s what it is, a sturdy black tea. But if I were exploring the antarctic today, I would bring a slightly more interesting tea with me. :)
I like the part in the description for this tea that talks about the daily ration of tea for men on the expedition was 0.7 oz or 20 g. There are days where I certainly drink much more than that and I am not in the frozen expanse of the Antarctic.