I’ve been putting off trying this one, maybe because of the name? I don’t know. I’ve drunk other teas grandpa style without any problems but this one makes me think of how my grandfather drinks “tea” (big scoop of Lipton lemon flavored instant powder with cool tap water, keep reusing the same glass over and over until someone realizes you’ve been using that glass all week without washing it and swaps it out so they can soak off all the chewing tobacco slobbers glued on the sides).
Trying to give this tea a fair chance and not be grossed out before I even try it. Grandpa style, as recommended by the wrapper, 14oz Tryeh double walled glass bottle because I’m trying to remember if there was a reason I don’t use this bottle very often. Dry tea just kinda smells like tea, the wrapper had an odd sour scent but maybe it picked up smells from something in the ripe tea box or was a different kind of paper than the others. Brewed tea smells sweet (but mercifully not like grandfather’s sugary instant tea!). Maybe sort of breakfasty? Like waffles and coffee and other breakfast foods all mashed together. Maybe almost some black licorice in there somewhere? Cinnamon? I spent quite a bit of time just breathing in the steam as I waited for the tea to cool enough to drink. Maybe that’s why I don’t use this bottle often, it takes too long to cool to drinkable temperature but doesn’t hold heat well enough to keep drinks hot all day. And the outside of the bottle gets pretty warm for being double-walled. Flavor is strong but smooth. There’s a kind of brown sugar or caramel sweetness. I don’t know what I was expecting from this tea but it wasn’t this. Something about it makes me think of a little diner full of older couples at breakfast time, one of those places where the customers have been going there for breakfast every weekend for the last 60 years. It’s not wild and exciting but I like it. I have several balls left so I might experiment with other brewing methods but grandpa style works pretty well.
