I generally stay away from Teavana, especially since they were purchased by Starbucks. However, last night I began an internet search for Indonesian black teas, as for the past few years I’ve been trying to find (or remember) such a tea that I purchased from a now-defunct tea company, and I think the tea came from Sumatra but it could have come from Java (this is one of the best reasons to use Steepster – to remember what you drink!). It was robust without being acidic, malty, and delicious. My internet search showed this tea at Teavana, so I signed up for their email program to get a $10-off coupon and made my way to the mall today to check it out. This tea is very similar to the one I recall – smooth, robust, and malty. I’m on my second cup and definitely feeling the caffeine.
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Profile
Bio
On tea: Although I’ve been drinking tea (mostly green and oolong) since childhood, I didn’t really start learning about tea processing, preparation, and varieties until about 10 years ago, though I’m still a noob in so many ways. I’m very interested in the natural and human histories of tea.
For me, there’s a time and place for almost all types of tea – green, oolong, black, white, yellow, herbal, loose-leaf, bagged, etc. I most enjoy buttery greens and oolongs, yellow teas, and black teas grown in Indonesia and Hawaii. I love to try different teas. Also, sometimes tea is a ritual and sometimes it’s utilitarian.
Other likes and interests: I’m a huge music fan. As a Gen-Xer, punk will always have a special place in my heart, but the Beatles are my all-time favorite. Springsteen is next. Also, I love ‘50s rock and roll – Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, etc. I also like bebop and vocal jazz, classic country (I can’t stomach “bro” country, though), soul, classical, Hawaiian, old-school rap, Philip Glass (who’s in a category all his own, IMO)…the list goes on. I never got rid of the bulk of my records and actively collect records still.
Toshiro Mifune is my favorite actor and Kurosawa my favorite director. I also like “Star Wars” and “The Godfather.” “Star Trek” probably had a big influence on my worldview since I’ve seen every episode of the original series and TNG a bazillion times. Otherwise, I don’t watch “regular” TV but I will binge-watch a K-drama or a taiga drama now and again.
I’m an anthropology professor. However, that doesn’t mean that I’ll always have something insightful to say in my tea reviews or that I’ll never make grammatical errors.
Location
California
