3030 Tasting Notes

Either this tea is persnickety or I am. In a 12 ounce mug, it isn’t strong enough to suit me. But today was a good opportunity to work with a different water proportion: now that the weather is alternating between “popcorn popper” and “hair dryer,” I’m barely through a tiny cup of hot tea before I switch to iced. In an 8 ounce mug, the scent is lovely and malty, but it’s now abusively astringent. Milk next time.

I thought teas carrying the Royal Warrant were goof-proof. This one reminds me of Henry VIII…can’t make up his mind.

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drank Barley Tea by TeeLux
3030 tasting notes

Some recent conversations about barley tea and the onset of beastly hot weather made me hunt some down. No luck locally, so I added a bag to an Amazon order and it arrived just before the thermometer hit 100 this weekend.

It had been years since I’d sampled barley tea, so I had no particular brand or specifications in mind. This is just as I remember it—a little sweet, wheaty, and nutty; excellent cold. (As a matter of fact, I haven’t tried it hot at all.) The tagless bags seem a little bit dinky, but two of them in a pint jar in the fridge overnight are adequate.

If the packet lasts till fall, I can envision it as a lovely hot nightcap with honey.

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TeaEarleGreyHot 4 days ago

I would imagine that it tastes a little malty….

Cameron B. 4 days ago

Dinky being the technical term!

gmathis 4 days ago

My mom would’ve said, “Those are little squirts, aren’t they?”

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One never appreciates a quiet house quite so much as the evening following VBS Family Night, which we celebrated with an ear-splitting interactive show akin to Nickelodeon Double Dare or Slime Time Live. Nine-year-old girls can hit a note two octaves above treble clef E that could slice metal. (I loved my little pod of seven kids and nothing you do for children is ever wasted. It was a good week.)

But my private end-of-week celebration is much quieter tonight with a nice cup of this summery blend I found by accident at one of our pricier local natural food stores. It’s my second attempt: I steeped the first cup and put it in the fridge to chill, which ended up in a cold half-pint of artificial honey flavor.

This round, I was more attentive to water temp and scanty with time (pulled it just before three minutes) and it’s much better. Honey and vanilla, yes; but the subtle tangerine that I could barely detect in the cold version isn’t overwhelmed this time around.

Michelle 14 days ago

Sounds refreshing!

gmathis 14 days ago

If I can figure out the optimal method, this has to be tasty cold … next time, we’ll go straight to ice and see if that works.

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drank Tejava by Tejava
3030 tasting notes

Neighbors had their 4th on the 3rd last night, which meant a late bedtime waiting for the pyrotechnics finale (I don’t mind the ones that go BOOM, but the ones that shriek make me nuts). Heavy-handed caffeine, cold, is the order of the day while I prep for VBS next week. (Fifteen cootie catchers folded; next project is origami hopping frogs. Wanna help?)

Tejava stays my favorite pre-bottled unsweet tea. Dark and strong without obnoxious citric acid. I never get the kick in the pants I need from iced tea, no matter how beefy, but this one at least provides a nice forceful nudge.

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ashmanra 23 days ago

You know I would be there if I were closer!

Michelle 22 days ago

Making hopping paper fronts sounds fun!

gmathis 22 days ago

They never hop far or straight, so when you race them, you’ve got kids crawling on their hands and knees all willy-nilly trying to get them aimed toward the finish line. Organized chaos.

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This was the middle layer of a trio tin gifted to me and is recommended either hot or cold. It leads with cinnamon, but not milky cinnamon…the green tea gives it a little crispness and reminds me of the cinnamon disk candies wrapped in bright red cellophane I used to sneak at Grandpa’s house. It’s lovely chilled.

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I am going to have to learn to drink chai year round, not just in the winter…I got a triple gift tin as a thank-you gift at work to add to the other gift chai varieties that are beginning to gather dust in my office.

In this case, it wasn’t difficult to drink. This is mild, the spices are nicely balanced, the chocolate is detectible and the reiki mushrooms give it a nice, grounded pu-erh sort of feel. Low-caffeine, too.

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89
drank Random Steepings by Various Artists
3030 tasting notes

No doubt it’s just a seasonal thing, but there was a big display at our nearest Walmart touting Sprite + Tea. Because we are parsimonious and miserly, there was no way we were going to buy an entire carton just for experimentation purposes. I did that more cheaply at home on the first truly warm, dry afternoon we’ve had for weeks. Half fridge-steeped Red Rose with a little apple mint, half plain Sprite.

Nothing to get excited about (next time, needs MUCH more tea), but it’s cold and wet and
not wholly unpleasant. Save your money and make your own to taste. I’m getting more of a kick, despite the occasional sneeze, out of watching the cottonwood trees snow lazily on the neighborhood.

ashmanra 2 months ago

I saw the ads and wondered about this! I am not a Sprite fan but it might be okay mixed with tea. I would probably still prefer making a tea syrup and adding it sparkling water for a true homemade treat.

Cameron B. 2 months ago

Hmm I’ll have to keep an eye out, I love Sprite ha ha.

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drank Strawberry White by Savoy Tea Co
3030 tasting notes

My large (gift) pouch of this white tea hasn’t emptied very quickly. There’s never been enough strawberry in this one to suit me—it hints of berries instead of tasting like berries—but I think I found the boost it needs: a teaspoon of grenadine syrup. All better now.

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It’s been a distressing few days. Yorkshire Tea Toast and Jam—discontinued (you’ve already heard me moan about that). Bigelow Decaf Lemon lift—discontinued. Changing Hands, my used bookstore happy place, lost its lease and closing. None of which is even a hiccup in the greater and grander scheme of things, but three favorites in the same week?

I tried to fool myself with a substitute last night. I’m not a Zinger fan, but had picked up a box for a thematic birthday treat for a friend, then changed themes. WIth a bag of Red Rose decaf to balance out the tartness, it was … still a substitute, but a fair one. Plenty of lemon to pep up the bland tea; plenty of plain tea to tone down the zing. It worked.

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ashmanra 2 months ago

I’m sorry! I feel your pain! Our two oldest used bookstores closed a few years ago and we miss them! Thift Books has upset AliasHali by sending TWO wrong batches of books!

Leafhopper 2 months ago

Ugh! Losing three things you care about in a week is too much. I’m still lamenting the closure of my local bakery last March. They made the best linzer and Reese’s Pieces cookies, and I miss their Christmas cookies as well. I haven’t been able to find a substitute.

Martin Bednář 2 months ago

This is too much for one to handle!

Michelle 2 months ago

An opportunity to find the nearest replacement bookstore? Surely worth a drive to find such a place.

gmathis 2 months ago

We’ve got another good one; it’s just a bit of a drive. The lamented favorite was just two minutes from my work and the owner was a sweetheart to chat with.

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Discontinued. One of my least favorite words in the world, at least when it pertains to a tea I have grown to love and rely on. I have one box left, which I will ration sadly and carefully.

In the meantime, I will have to start a new quest for a strawberry black tea strong enough and authentic enough to suit me. Sigh.

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ashmanra 2 months ago

NOOOOOOOO!

Cameron B. 2 months ago

Aww this was the best one of the series!

gmathis 2 months ago

Care to come storm the Bastille with me?

Michelle 2 months ago

Boooooo!

Quiet Creation 25 days ago

I love Yorkshire Gold, and somehow never tried this. And now discontinued!

gmathis 24 days ago

Saving the last of my bags for special occasions. I’m drinking one right now to celebrate Survival of the Abbreviated Workweek.

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Bio

Steepster “geezer;” tea barbarian who has no systematic method for storage, preparation, classification, or rating; lover of strong unleaded builders’ tea. Never quite grew up—I cut and glue, play with Legos, design kids’ curriculum, and play with fifth graders every Sunday.

Location

Southwest Missouri

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