Constant Comment

This my favorite tea. I was first introduced to it as a child when my mother would give me this tea before school on cold mornings, and maybe with some lemon and honey if I had a cold. Tastes and smells perfect. I take it with me when on long hiking trips as an alternative to coffee.

Thanksgiving at mom’s Day 3, Tea 2. 13th overall. Might have time for one more after this, might just get ready to head to the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Priorities.

Anyway, this one.

I’ve always seen this one around. I’ve seen it in stores, online, heard people talk about it, it’s just a pretty famous old school tea. For some reason I’ve never tried it, until now.

Here we go.

The aroma is a combo of a underwhelming chai and a relaxed spiced tea. Sort of bland and spicy at the same time. Odd balance. Hopefully that will change in the mouth.

Sort of. It’s an odd flavor. There is a hint of orange in there, along with all the spice, and at the very bottom just a hint of the black tea base. Very British.

Now, I’m not a fan of spiced tea in general, so on that list, this would sit at the very top. Sort of an eased off, relaxed spiced tea, not so in your face. The hint of orange helps that a whole bunch. Overall, it really does have a very nice balance.

In the end, if I was looking for a spiced tea that I actually liked, this would be near the top. But near the top of a group of teas I’m not a huge fan of….

Ugh, clove.

There is just something about the combination of citrus and clove which makes me think of decomposing orange peels.

I gave this a try during a busy time at work. The mornings have been very cold and gray here lately, making me wonder if it’s really spring. This is a nice cup of tea to warm up with. Even if it comes in an ordinary-seeming little bag, sometimes that’s just what you need. The black tea base isn’t very strong, which with simpler bagged teas can be a good thing, as it reduces astringency. The orange zest has a nice natural quality to it, and there are little pieces of orange rind in the mix. The spice flavor isn’t too strong, either—and the spice has always been my least favorite part of orange spice so in this case, it’s also a good thing.

I forget about this old standby until I am offered a cup, and then I remember that it’s just wonderful! Slightly citrus-y, slightly complicated, always good. Takes milk and sweetener well.

Most tea drinkers started out with teas such as “Constant Comment”. I drank my last teabag today (sipdown!) as a coconut-milk eggnog latte (did you know they make nog with coconut milk? Try it!) Overall, it went well with the clove and orange peel in this tea. The creaminess of the nog removed any bitterness from the low quality tea. Overall, it was a good cup. I will always enjoy this blend (but would only buy it in circumstances where I’m desperate and there aren’t any good tea options).

One of my all time favorites! Grew up drinking it and still love it. Make sure to not over steep or it’ll get bitter.

I attended a managers meeting yesterday at a winery, and while they didn’t serve wine…there was a chest of teas!

This one was the most “unique” out of the bunch. The majority were Bigelow. I’ve always considered Bigelow green to be my baseline for a plain jane good cup of tea, so I was sure it would at least be decent.

Following in line with my feelings on the green…this spiced tea was just a plain jane good cup of spiced tea. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get any taste of citrus though.

My all time favorite. Spicy and citrusy and invigorating. I never go on duty without it, but I can’t drink it on an empty stomach so I tend to have it with meals or atleast a snack. Just smelling it makes me feel warm and cozy and happy.

This is the tea that first got me hooked. :)