82 Tasting Notes

71

I have a huge soft spot for Constant Comment. It was the first real tea I ever had (as opposed to herbal teas), way back when I was a kid and staying overnight at my grandmother’s.

I think I’ve outgrown it a bit, but I every now and then I brew a bag just out of nostalgia. It’s not my favorite tea anymore, but the flavor is good and it’s comforting and spicy and has just the right amount of orange.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 45 sec
teawing

It is good iced as well. I have the same type pf memories with this one.

Bigelow Tea

We always love to hear that our Constant Comment can spark such fond memories!! We would like to share the following link on the history of Constant Comment and Bigelow Tea. http://www.bigelowtea.com/our-story/company-history.aspx
Kathy for Bigelow Tea

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85

I got this from a friend a while back, but I’ve been so busy trying other teas that I’ve been putting this one off (mostly because I was pretty sure I would love it).

I brewed it for the first time Sunday, and I think I’ve had four or five cups since? It’s really good, especially with a little bit of honey stirred in. It tastes pretty much exactly as described, malty with very subtle chocolatey hints. And it definitely wakes you up!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 15 sec

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83

I don’t have a lot of experience with white teas, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but it sounded and smelled so good I couldn’t resist.

The scent is amazing. The roses are the strongest, but you can smell the tea underneath that, and the peppermint very faintly. After steeping, the tea becomes stronger, but the roses and peppermint are still there, both in the aroma and the flavor.

The flavor is very, very light and delicate. The first cup, made yesterday, I was on my way out the door, so I made it with tap water. It was still good, but the water here is pretty hard and it added a very unpleasant note to the tea. (I know, bad me. I’m only noting it here because some teas are forgiving of bad water, but this one really, really isn’t.) It’s much, much better with filtered, fresh water, which I used today.

The strongest flavor is the tea, which is pretty good, though I’m not sure how it compares to other white teas. There is a floral sweetness to it that pretty much tastes like roses smell; it’s delicious. And the peppermint is not very strong at all, so instead of overwhelming the rest, it just adds a bit of a fresh, clean aftertaste.

The name for this blend is perfect; I love this tea.

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52

Another bagged tea I decided to try for work. I can’t really decide how I feel about this one.

Unlike black teas, my first introduction to green was loose leaf and that’s all I’ve had until recently, so instead of being pleasantly surprised by loose leaf green teas, I’m always a bit disappointed by bagged ones. Taking that into account, this one really isn’t that bad. The flavor’s there, it’s pleasant although it’s not particularly noteworthy. The aroma’s not bad.

The problem is the flavoring. Both the lemon and the honey flavors are a little over-strong, and pretty artificial. The lemon is the real problem. It’s not really a fresh, zesty taste. It kind of reminds me of Lemon Pledge. Yuck. The honey isn’t as bad, but it does leave a bit of that stickiness in the throat that comes with artificial sweeteners.

Overall, it’s not bad, just not great — I’ll finish the package — but it’s not something I’d go out of my way to buy again.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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27

I finally got around to giving this another try last night, with two bags this time. It was a little stronger, but not by much, and after drinking actual Sleepytime tea for the last several days, it was even more of a disappointment. I dropped my rating a bit.

At least it smells nice.

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18

I’ve been trying to find a decent bagged jasmine tea, to drink at work, where loose leaf teas are not practical.

This is not it.

I agree with others here who said the scent is very artificial. I’m not really sure how to describe the flavor; I had the first cup as is, and it sort of tasted vaguely like alfalfa, but not in a good way, with an unpleasant aftertaste I can’t quite place. I tried a second cup sweetened, making sure I followed the instructions correctly, and it didn’t taste much better. In fact, I think the aftertaste was worse.

I was dreading finishing the cup, but I managed, so I guess this isn’t the worst tea I’ve had. I don’t think I can bring myself to use the rest, though.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 45 sec
QuiltGuppy

Harney & Sons has a decent jasmine, as does Mighty Teas. Both are bagged. I’d recommend either for ease of office steeping.

PeppermintPlant

Oh, thank you! I will try them. :)

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85

I picked this up on a recommendation, and I was a little worried when I read the reviews here, especially after I opened the jar and found the scent to be a bit overwhelmingly orangey.

Luckily, the flavor is not nearly as strong as the scent. There are still undertones of orange, but the cinnamon is what really stands out. It’s delicious! The only real problem I found was that it’s hard to taste the actual tea under the spices and orange. Still, I can see this becoming one of my favorite teas.

I’m glad I checked the ratings here first, though; this is not a tea that needs to be sweetened at all.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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87

I don’t know why I bought this, to be honest. I like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom — but it’s not like there’s a shortage of these flavors in my cupboard right now. And I usually loathe vanilla. But I bought it anyway in some payday-fueled grocery haze and gave it a shot. And you know what? It’s actually pretty good.

My favorite part was opening the box and getting a whiff of the scent. It smells delicious, and not a bit like vanilla, thank goodness. The spices are strong without being overwhelming, which is always nice. You can really taste the cloves, in a good way. And, while you taste the vanilla, too, it’s not strong enough to drown out the other flavors, just enough to give this a smoother, sweeter taste.

All in all, this is really good for a bagged tea. I will definitely buy it again.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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69

I love apples and I love cinnamon, so I thought I would love this tea. I like it, but it’s not very apple-y, really. It does have a good cinnamon flavor, and it smells amazing, and overall, it’s not bad. It’s just not quite what I was hoping for.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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27

I picked this up on a whim because I enjoy Full Circle’s hot cocoa mixes, and I’m always looking for decent teas to drink later in the evening.

I was really disappointed. This tea tastes a bit like Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime Tea, which is not really surprising since it has most of the same ingredients. But by “a bit” I mean that this only tastes “a bit” like tea at all — it’s probably one of the weakest teas I’ve ever tried, and that’s saying something.

I’m going to try it again tomorrow with two bags instead of one, because I hate to waste it, but I doubt I’ll bother buying it again.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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Profile

Bio

I love tea! I still don’t know very much about it, though; I know what I like and what I don’t, and that’s about it.

Aside from tea (and food), I enjoy crafty stuff, writing, reading and playing with my cats.

About my ratings: I need to go through and redo them, because really I just sort of use that slider as a ranking system and the numbers for a lot of the teas I’ve done notes for don’t accurately reflect how I actually feel about them. :/

Location

California

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