12

I was out for Father’s Day dinner tonight and noticed Mighty Leaf’s Hojicha on the drink list. It’s kinda hard to screw that tea up with the blasting hot water restaurants tend to use and I knew Hojicha would be good on my stomach after the inevitable overstuffing I was bound to commit. However, the server gave me this instead. I tried SO hard to give her the benefit of the doubt – it’s not like I expect a server to really care about tea like I’d expect them to know the food and wine – and tried to just go along as though it was a misprint on the menu. But I really couldn’t stand this junk.

Managed to suffer down about 70-90mL of this before the smell of the pot sitting on the table made me unable to eat my food any longer. Really it was easier to drink than just have it sitting around me… That sickly pseudo-tropical perfume aroma wafting off of it is just way to much. Reminded me of the smell of the trash area the dumpsters behind work smells like. Week old moist hibiscus flowers sitting with old used coffee grounds in a large sealed bucket would be close if some corn syrup smell was in there too. Oh, I KNOW! An old Capris Sun juice pouch left out in the sun by kids having lunch outside on a hot day.

Anyway, the smell from this leaves me unable to grant any positive score on the tea component that at least wasn’t cardboard, astringent, or bitter in spite of being brewed with water dispensed fro an espresso machine. But, hey, this made it hard for me to taste a liberally spiced meatloaf with sautéd mushrooms, garlic, and onions and made me feel a bit ill to my stomach from the liquor aroma.

Gross – I don’t wish this on anyone.

Plus note is that the Hojicha effectively obscured the remnant aroma and taste of this once I had the server swap it.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 1 min, 30 sec
Kashyap

I gotta give ya credit for the wonderful evaluation of a tea that you ’don’t ’ like…too often its simply easy to say ‘I don’t like it’ its another thing to outline the disgust and find a sense of humor to reclaim the lost time with such a questionable tea

Thomas Smith

Hey, if you’re gonna say you don’t like something, say why. I know plenty of people who like the smell of Capris Sun and the like – they’d probably love this for the same reason I can’t stand it.

Molly

I enjoyed this review even though I enjoy the tea you’re reviewing… I just thought it was extremely descriptive, and I oughtta aim for that. I love the hojicha, too.

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Kashyap

I gotta give ya credit for the wonderful evaluation of a tea that you ’don’t ’ like…too often its simply easy to say ‘I don’t like it’ its another thing to outline the disgust and find a sense of humor to reclaim the lost time with such a questionable tea

Thomas Smith

Hey, if you’re gonna say you don’t like something, say why. I know plenty of people who like the smell of Capris Sun and the like – they’d probably love this for the same reason I can’t stand it.

Molly

I enjoyed this review even though I enjoy the tea you’re reviewing… I just thought it was extremely descriptive, and I oughtta aim for that. I love the hojicha, too.

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Bio

Tea Geek.

My focus is on Chinese Wulongs and Pu’er but I’m all over the place. I tend to follow a seasonal progression of teas, following the freshness curve of greens through summer and rounding the cooler months out with toastier teas and Masala Chai.
With the exception of Masala Chai milk tea I’m a purist at heart. While I was originally snagged by Earl Grey with bergamot and make blends for gifts, I very rarely go for scented teas or herbals and can’t remember the last time I bought a tea that was blended. Pure tea is just more interesting to me than the product of mixing flavors. I do understand and appreciate their existence, though.

I upload some blends I make or special prep teas I nab under the company name “Green Raven Tea and Coffee” and the vast majority of these posts will be blends crafted to create flavors/characteristics not inherent in any one particular tea.
I’ve worked as a tea buyer for a smallish cafe and try to keep apprized of shifts in offerings even when not selecting for a business so I wind up sampling a ton of wholesale samples from a couple companies in particular but try to branch out to as many companies as I can find. Until Steepster integrates some form of comparative tasting feature, none of my cupping notes will make it onto my reviews unless wrapped up into something I feel compelled to drink multiple times on its own.

Since all the cool kids are doing it, here’s my big fat ratings scheme:

0-12…..Ugh, don’t wish on anyone
13-25….Bad, won’t touch again
26-37….Huh, not worth the effort
38-50….Meh, unremarkable
51-62….Okay, good tea
63-75….Tasty, really good tea
76-87….Yum, wonderful
88-100…Wow, really spectacular

There shouldn’t be many postings at all from me ranked 26-50 since unremarkable teas are unlikely to make me remark on ’em but to “earn” a score 37 or below I have to be disappointed to the point where others may ask for a refund or turn down offers even when free or offered as a gift (beyond stale).

I’ve got a ton of respect for anything rated 63 or higher.

For a tea to get 71 or more, it has to be pretty special and kinda blow my socks off.

The 90s are reserved for wonders that make me reevaluate my views of the world of tea as a whole.

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Santa Rosa, California, United States

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