73

It’s a bagged tea and I love it. There, I said it. =)

I also have to say that the dry leaves don’t have the most pleasant fragrance. I don’t know what it is, maybe a bit chemical in nature(?), but it’s pretty off-putting. Thankfully, the brew itself has the most lovely, warm, woodsy fragrance I associate with rooibos (I don’t really know the difference between honeybush and rooibos; I’ll have to look it up at some point). Reading Steepster reviews, it seems like that’s a fragrance people either love or hate, and I love it.

The brew is so good. It’s a totally unassuming, straight-up, woodsy tea. It’s honeybush, like it says on the packet. It’s exactly the kind of “comfort food” cuppa I needed on this lovely autumn day. There’s nothing complex or fancy about it, but it’s an accessible bagged tea that doesn’t disappoint, which is no small feat now that I’m used to loose tea blends.

Tea amount: 1 bag
Water amount: 8oz/~237mL
Additives: 1 rounded tsp Demerara sugar
Dry mouth factor: 0/10

There’s a thread floating around the discussion forums here about how many cups of tea people drink in a day1. It surprises me to read that some folks get through 10+ glorious cups a day, when I drink maybe 1-2. I have this travel mug2 that I use all the time. It keeps my tea hot for several hours, drinkably warm for over 12. I happily sip away throughout the day, but since I’m not in a rush to finish it before it goes cold, I don’t go through it very quickly. Well, my mug’s in the sink and I wanted tea now, so I used a regular teacup. Okay, so now I get it! By the time the steep timer rang, the tea was cool enough to sip. By the time I got to the couch from the kitchen, it was half gone. By the time I sat down and got comfortable, it was all gone. I had to get right up again to make another cup! I’d be hopping up and down like a jack-in-the-box if I had to keep this up all day, and get nothing else done. I’d better get that mug washed. =)

Oh, by the way, in case you were wondering… I tried getting a second steep out of the bag (only because I was feeling extra lazy) and that’s as much of a “silly rabbit, Trix are for kids” thing as you’d think it’d be: the second cup was basically sweetened hot water, with a bit of colour and a very light tea flavour to it. =)

1 http://steepster.com/discuss/3583-how-many-cups-of-tea-do-you-drink-a-day

2 http://amzn.com/B002PY7AYS

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec
Claire

I think I tend to just drink a lot of liquid every day, period! At my library job drinks and food are not allowed inside our department due to the age of the materials. At least once an hour I have to sneak out and chug some water or tea or I feel so parched.

As for bagged teas, there are still some that I enjoy, just not as much as loose leaf!

Nik

I agree, Claire. I drink half to one gallon of water a day. I just can’t get through that much tea because my mug keeps it hot for so long. =)

As for bagged tea, I haven’t had the best of luck of late, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I’ll try pretty much any tea at least once. =)

Terri HarpLady

Re Honeybush: I’m no expert. For awhile I thought Rooibos & honeybush were the same thing, but somewhere I read that they are related, & taste pretty much the same, except honeybush is a little sweeter. Having said all that, I’m still working on my relationship with both. At first I liked them, then I didn’t (really because their in EVERY herbal blend now), now I’m sort of yes & no, depending on the combo.

Re bagged tea: I always carry a few bags with me, so there are a few things I stock. Right now I have Numi’s Emperor Puerh & a few other things.

Re H2O: I always start the day by drinking a quart of water, not all in one gulp, of course, but over the course of 1/2 hour or so. After that, “let the daily tea drinking extravaganza begin!” :D

Nik

A little sweeter, eh? I’ll have to try a couple of unsweetened samples and see if I can tell the difference. Thanks, Terri! Numi makes puerh bags? That might be a simple way for me to try some more puerh. I’ve only tried one (and one puerh chai) from the Golden Moon sampler box and I think I’d like to try some more.

Terri HarpLady

Yeah, Nik, I’ve tried the Emperor’s Blend, Magnolia Puerh, & chocolate Puerh. But there are others:
http://shop.numitea.com/Puerh-Tea/c/NumiTeaStore@Teabag@Puerh

Nik

Thanks for the link, Terri. I’ll have a look when I’m allowed to buy tea again. =)

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Comments

Claire

I think I tend to just drink a lot of liquid every day, period! At my library job drinks and food are not allowed inside our department due to the age of the materials. At least once an hour I have to sneak out and chug some water or tea or I feel so parched.

As for bagged teas, there are still some that I enjoy, just not as much as loose leaf!

Nik

I agree, Claire. I drink half to one gallon of water a day. I just can’t get through that much tea because my mug keeps it hot for so long. =)

As for bagged tea, I haven’t had the best of luck of late, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I’ll try pretty much any tea at least once. =)

Terri HarpLady

Re Honeybush: I’m no expert. For awhile I thought Rooibos & honeybush were the same thing, but somewhere I read that they are related, & taste pretty much the same, except honeybush is a little sweeter. Having said all that, I’m still working on my relationship with both. At first I liked them, then I didn’t (really because their in EVERY herbal blend now), now I’m sort of yes & no, depending on the combo.

Re bagged tea: I always carry a few bags with me, so there are a few things I stock. Right now I have Numi’s Emperor Puerh & a few other things.

Re H2O: I always start the day by drinking a quart of water, not all in one gulp, of course, but over the course of 1/2 hour or so. After that, “let the daily tea drinking extravaganza begin!” :D

Nik

A little sweeter, eh? I’ll have to try a couple of unsweetened samples and see if I can tell the difference. Thanks, Terri! Numi makes puerh bags? That might be a simple way for me to try some more puerh. I’ve only tried one (and one puerh chai) from the Golden Moon sampler box and I think I’d like to try some more.

Terri HarpLady

Yeah, Nik, I’ve tried the Emperor’s Blend, Magnolia Puerh, & chocolate Puerh. But there are others:
http://shop.numitea.com/Puerh-Tea/c/NumiTeaStore@Teabag@Puerh

Nik

Thanks for the link, Terri. I’ll have a look when I’m allowed to buy tea again. =)

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2012.10.07: I hear people like to understand other people’s ratings, so here’s a loose guide:

01-29: Dear God, why.
30-49: I’ll finish this cup, I guess, but no more.
50-59: Meh.
60-69: Decent. Maybe I can blend it with something else and make it better.
70-79: Heeey, this is quite good!
80-89: I love it, but I’m not in love with it.
90-100: Permanently resident in my Happy Place.

Update: I have steeped, and it was good. =] Still a tea-ophyte, though.

This is a tea site, so I feel like “well, I’m Indian” should be enough of an introduction. Because, I mean, it’s kind of in my genes, right? But the fact of the matter is that I’m an absolute tea-ophyte.

I’ve just discovered a world beyond Celestial Seasonings. I’ve just discovered “sachets” instead of “normal” tea bags and bought my first loose tea sampler. I don’t get the whole water temperature and steep time thing yet, nor that if I want to get a yixiang tea pot, I’d need one for each type of tea. I have this infuser ball thing, but I haven’t used it yet.

Don’t cringe, but right now I’m still just boiling water and pouring it over a teabag, adding some sugar, and drinking a nice, hot cuppa. I’d like to learn more, I think, and I’d like to train my palate. I figure participating in this community is the best way to do that.

So ya. Hi!

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