62

Impulse buy from Trader Joe’s. I’ve seen passing references to barley tea in Japanese novels (Murakami) and was curious to finally try it myself.

While I’m glad to see TJ’s beginning to stock Asian bottled teas, this one was a miss for me. My better half, who shared the bottle with me, aptly described it as “like drinking watered down coffee”. I have to agree. This is a pretty aggressively roasted tea and has a slightly oily texture. Coffee drinkers and fans of dark tea might like it but for others like me, this is at best an acquired taste.

Flavors: Coffee

Preparation
Iced
Lexie Aleah

Harney and Sons has a Roasted Buckwheat tea. I didn’t care for it but a lot of people do like that flavor profile. I almost picked this one up from TJ’s myself but was skeptical. I enjoy TJ’s bottled Golden Oolong Tea quite a bit though. You might give that one a try.

LuckyMe

@Lexie Aleah, I love the Golden Oolong too! It’s similar to Ito-En’s Golden Oolong which is my favorite bottled Asian tea. Hope they stock more unsweetened bottled teas, especially green tea.

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Lexie Aleah

Harney and Sons has a Roasted Buckwheat tea. I didn’t care for it but a lot of people do like that flavor profile. I almost picked this one up from TJ’s myself but was skeptical. I enjoy TJ’s bottled Golden Oolong Tea quite a bit though. You might give that one a try.

LuckyMe

@Lexie Aleah, I love the Golden Oolong too! It’s similar to Ito-En’s Golden Oolong which is my favorite bottled Asian tea. Hope they stock more unsweetened bottled teas, especially green tea.

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Bio

My Rating Criteria:

95 to 100: Top shelf stuff. Loved this tea and highly recommend it

90 to 94: Excellent. Enjoyed this tea and would likely repurchase

80 to 89: Good but not great. I liked it though it may be lacking in some aspects. I’ll finish it but probably won’t buy again

70 to 79: Average at best. Not terrible but wouldn’t willingly drink again

60 to 69: Sub-par. Low quality tea, barely palatable

59 and below: Bleh

Fell into tea many years ago and for a long time my experience was limited to Japanese greens and flavored Teavana teas. My tea epiphany happened when I discovered jade oolongs. That was my gateway drug to the world of high quality tea and teaware.

For the most part, I drink straight tea but do appreciate a good flavored tea on occasion. I love fresh green and floral flavors and as such, green tea and Taiwanese oolongs will always have a place in my cupboard. After avoiding black tea forever, Chinese blacks have started to grow on me. I’m less enthusiastic about puerh though. I also enjoy white tea and tisanes but reach for them less frequently.

Other non-tea interests include: cooking, reading, nature, philosophy, MMA, traveling when I can, and of course putzing around on the interwebs.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/melucky

Location

around Chicago

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