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Shae drank Celtic Song Black Tea by A Quarter to Tea

2171 tasting notes

I had minor surgery on my jaw a little over three weeks ago and somehow or other it threw off my taste buds, at least when it comes to tea. All of my favorites tasted either bitter or sour and so I haven’t even wanted tea these last few weeks. Today is the first day I’ve craved a cup, and a strong one, so I reached for this straight Scottish black tea from A Quarter to Tea. It smells so wonderful coming out of the bag, fruit and malt, that I’m keeping my fingers crossed it tastes as good as I’m hoping it will. I’ve missed being here, even though I’m still here reading all your notes. I just haven’t had the motivation to write or sip until today.

Thank goodness, this is just delightful. Warm and soothing but also strong and bracing. Definitely astringent but not in an unpleasant way. The first time I had this, it was far too strong for me and I didn’t really enjoy it, so this time I cut it back from 2 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon. I think it works out perfectly for me that way. I may attempt another cup of this.

Flavors: Astringent, Fruity, Malt

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

Lifetime student. Lover of books and paper and ink. Kitchen dweller. Aspiring herbalist, excessively proud cat lady, and tea fanatic. Thirty-something elder millennial. She/her.

I love flavored black teas most of all, always with cream and honey. I enjoy floral and fruity teas, as well as flavored or scented ones. I’m not overly fond of green or white teas, but I’ve found a few that I enjoy.

I’m open to tea swaps and/or just sharing what’s in my tea cabinet! Please reach out if you see something I have that you’d like to try. I do my best to update my cupboard regularly.

Favorites
Any and all black teas, smoky teas, raspberry, strawberry, red fruits, bergamot, chai spices, floral teas, caramel/toffee, jasmine, rose, vanilla, peaches, plums, valerian root, cinnamon, cardamom

Not a huge fan
White teas, green teas, artificial sweeteners, sarsaparilla, licorice, lemongrass, lavender, hot hibiscus, hibiscus in black tea blends

Rating Scale

1-20: By far, one of the worst teas I’ve tasted. I most certainly will not finish my cup and will likely “gift” the rest to my sweet husband, James, who almost always enjoys the teas I dislike (and vice versa).

21-49: This tea is not good, but if I mix it with another tea or find another steeping method I might be able to finish it.

50-69: This one is just okay. I might drink it again if someone were to give it to me, but I probably won’t be buying more for myself.

70-79: This is a consistently good tea. It’s reliable but not necessarily special.

80-90: This one is a notch above the rest and I would gladly enjoy a cup of it any day of the week. I’ll likely be keeping this in my cupboard, but it isn’t one of my all-time favorites.

91-95: One small change and this tea would be perfect. I’ll definitely have a stash of this in my kitchen if you come over for tea.

96-100: No words can describe this tea. It’s an experience, an aha moment. Closed eyes, wide smile, encompassing warmth. Absolutely incredible. Perfect.

Updated May 2022.

Location

Alabaster, Alabama

Website

https://www.goodreads.com/sha...

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