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My 89-year-old grandmother has more joie de vivre than anybody I know. Every time I’m visiting my home state, I try to make time to have tea with her — we’ll spend a couple hours drinking tea while she regales me with story after story. I just sip my tea and listen! She mostly drinks decaf Lipton (or the grocery store brand equivalent) but usually has a few Harney & Sons tins kicking around in her cupboard. When I was back for the holidays, she brought some of this tea to my parents’ house during a quick visit and insisted I take the rest home with me. I complied, and I’m glad I did!

This feels like a very good entry point for the casual tea drinker who “doesn’t like” green tea (which is probably why she had a tin of it!). The coconut flavor is present but juuust muted enough that it’s not overpowering (it trends a bit toward the artificial end of the coconut flavor spectrum, but not aggressively so), and then the lemongrass brings in a subtle twist. I don’t get any ginger, honestly, although I am picking up a smidge of vanilla.

This is just a solid, tasty, mellow, smooth green tea with pleasantly subtle flavors. It’s an easy drinker and I have no complaints (although I guess I do wish the second steep was a little stronger; I’m mostly getting weak lemongrass). But I’d happily keep it on hand.

Flavors: Coconut, Lemon, Lemongrass, Smooth, Vanilla

gmathis

She sounds like a treasure!

Kelmishka

She truly is! Her storytelling this time around included reenacting “psychic dreams” she’s had throughout the years, complete with dramatic voices and gesticulations. :D

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Comments

gmathis

She sounds like a treasure!

Kelmishka

She truly is! Her storytelling this time around included reenacting “psychic dreams” she’s had throughout the years, complete with dramatic voices and gesticulations. :D

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Bio

I was an anxious child who didn’t like change, so when my parents flew across the country for my grandfather’s wedding and left us kids with my aunt and uncle, I was a nervous wreck. Our first night at their house was tough. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and padded into the kitchen, where my aunt was puttering around. She could tell I was distressed and offered to make me a cup of tea. It was just Celestial Seasonings’ peppermint tea, but it was exactly what I needed. The tea itself, the comfort it represented, the ritual of making it… I was enchanted. I’ve loved tea ever since.

I’m partial to strong, intense flavors and prefer loose-leaf to bagged, but I also appreciate the convenience of bags and sachets. I mostly drink my tea straight but once in a blue moon I’ll add a little plant-based milk, generally oat.

I live in Maryland, USA, with my partner, three dogs, and one cat, and I’m an editor at an animal welfare nonprofit. I use she/her pronouns. I’ve actually been a Steepster reader for years and years, but only started posting in late 2021. :)

When I’m not drinking tea (or sometimes WHILE I’m drinking tea!) I’m reading, rewatching comfort shows on Netflix, going for a run, knitting, embroidering, hiking, or puttering in the garden. You can find me on Instagram at @kelmishka. (My account is private, but feel free to send a request!)

Favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Maple (all-time fave flavor!), vanilla, caramel, and all things dessert-y

Jasmine, lavender, violet, and most floral flavors

Most spices, although I go through phases and sometimes get bored of generic-feeling winter spice blends

Most fruity flavors

Matcha and other vegetal flavors

Not-so-favorite ingredients, flavors, etc.

Bergamot (I tolerate it, but it just doesn’t do it for me)

Hibiscus

Overly artificial flavors (banana, coconut, mango)

Overly herbacious blends, although this varies!

Stevia, monkfruit, and other sugar-alternative sweeteners — blech

Chocolate — it’s hard to get it right in tea, though I love real chocolate!

Animal products, including honey (long-time vegan checking in!)

My ratings

90-100: The best! Will almost definitely repurchase.

75-90: Really good, and potentially worthy of a restock.

60-75: Decent, if not terribly memorable.

50-60: In the “meh” range, but possibly for personal taste reasons.

35-50: I’m not a fan, and this is not very good tea.

20-35: Varying degrees of bad.

1-20: Actively bad. Like really bad. I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing.

Location

Maryland, USA

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