73

Well, it seems my Celestial Seasonings days might be numbered. I quite liked this one when I first started drinking it a few years ago, but now that I’ve taken up reviewing teas and am becoming a bit more discerning…

When I moved overseas in 2011 I brought the remainder of my open box with me to have as a spicy, comforting drink before bed. I took to brewing it strong (2 teabags to a cup, sometimes left to steep for 20 minutes or more – bad habit, I know) with a good dose of milk and sugar. I ran out by the end of the year and wasn’t able to acquire another box until I visited my parents this Christmas.

So tonight I decided to fix up a cup like I used to: 2 bags, but only for 4 minutes this time. Took a sip before I added anything… okay, but I wouldn’t want to drink a whole cup like this. Ended up adding a teaspoon of sugar, a squeeze of agave, and several tablespoons of soymilk to get it to my liking. Even with all the additions it made my mouth and throat tingle, which I suspect was the black pepper. I’ll play around with it some more and see if I can coax some other flavors out.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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Bio

I grew up in New Jersey drinking Celestial Seasonings, and now I live in England, where I developed a taste for a good builder’s brew. Sometime in 2012 I bought my first loose teas, and my collection has since spiraled out of control. Still quite a novice, due to not drinking enough tea to keep pace with the amount I keep buying.

Some things I’m pretty sure I do like:
- most florals (jasmine, orange blossom, osmanthus, etc)
- buttery, vegetal greens
- malty blacks (usually with milk & sugar)
- oolongs that aren’t too heavily roasted

Not really feeling the flavored teas lately, for whatever reason.

All tasting notes use unfiltered hard tap water, unless otherwise specified.

No real method to my numerical ratings yet, but we’ll see what develops. So far I’ve only given ratings of 90 or higher if I actually get excited while drinking the tea.

Location

Bristol, UK

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