Constant Comment

I haven’t had this tea in ages but I know I drank a lot of it when I was younger. Thought I would try it again today since it was in the office and free.

Sadly this isn’t as good as I remember but I guess I’m a tea snob after spending so much time on Steepster. I steeped for the recommended two minutes but am finding the black tea base to be kind of thin with a bitter aftertaste. The orange and spices are what really make this decent. Probably won’t be tempted to try it again anytime soon.

meh … it’s a free sample… why not.

i just sorted my teas digitally. i have 126 teas in my cupboard and my goal is to get it to 76. give or take. cuz i have put samples in my cupboard too, but that’s because some samples i’ve already drank plenty of and could easily give them away. this all kinda makes me feel a little better because i thought it was WAY more out of control than 126. even if i could get below 100 i’d be happy. not that i don’t love to have lots of tea! but i do wanna feel like my collection is manageable and like i can give each tea in my stash the attention it deserves.
i would also like to be able to add new teas to my stash immediately, instead of sticking them in tea purgatory (the darkness in the back of a bottom drawer) until i have room to properly open and taste them.

there are 43 teas in my stash that i haven’t tried yet.
i would like to reduce my stash by 50 teas overall if i can.

problem is, my sister is moving-in in 3 weeks and even when we merge our teas since we have many duplicates, she will still be bringing several new teas to the collection. also, soon i am going to europe, and i expect to bring A LOT of tea back with me. (I’m also gonna try VERY VERY hard to only buy samples.)

i’ll just plan to do a big spring cleaning when i get back i guess.

this bigelow isn’t nearly as awful as i assumed it was gonna be. take what you can get bigelow.

There were packets of this at the post-rehearsal supper tonight, so I figured I’d try this classic tea! I had no control over water temp (and didn’t worry about steeping time either), and ended up with a rather strong but pleasantly orangey/spicy cup. It reminded me of Christmas – perhaps cloves are part of the spicing? I ended up adding some coffee creamer (powdered stuff – ick!) to mute things a bit, which was pretty successful. I wanted sugar but there was none to be found. Anyhow, I can see why people would like this, as it’s kind of like a bit spicier earl grey. Steeped properly, I’d imagine it’s great without additions. I should have nabbed a second teabag…. sigh!

Okay, I was tired of seeing all the comments of people who grew up on this tea and had fond memories of it while I had yet to try it. I finally remembered to toss it in the basket tonight while shopping.

When I opened the pouch that the teabag comes in, the aroma was arresting. It reminded me of the instant Russian tea people used to mix as Christmas gifts when I was a kid.

I am so glad I read the package instructions. They say to steep for one to two minutes. Had I not read that, I would have gone five for sure. Since it was my first time drinking it, I compromised and steeped it for about one and a half minutes. Two would have been fine, thoug it was good where I stopped it.

I can see how this tea evokes nostalgia. It is very smooth. The orange flavor is very nice, and though it smelled strongly of clove, which is sometimes too strong a spice for me, it actually has just the right amount. Thank you to all the Steepsterites who kept mentioning this bagged variety. I am very glad to own it! Do I get some sort of initiation into a Constant Comment Club? Or at least the Cheapster Steepsters? LOL!

Backlogging!

I’ve had 2 cups of this so far, and I love it! I can totally see what all the fuss is about, though I don’t understand why the brewing time is so low. I don’t like it much at 2 minutes, but at 3 or 4, it’s awesome! Reminds me of that Russian Tea powder I made in school in 5th grade under Mrs. Hutchinson, who took several trips to Russia as a missionary(I think). Anyway, I love the orange-y flavor and the spice, and it’s very comforting to me. Reminds me of my childhood most definitely. Thanks to all who sing the praises of this tea for making me want to try it!

This is one of the first bagged teas that I really liked, back when I had just started drinking tea. I hadn’t had any in a while, so I decided to have some to wake me up this morning. I steeped it at the 2 minutes that everyone says makes it taste wonderful. Turns out, I don’t like it at two minutes. To me, it just tastes like hot water that somebody thought about adding spice to. Normally, I leave it in for closer to 4 or 5 minutes, and the spice and orange flavor really comes out. It’s a great way for me to wake up in the morning. While this cup wasn’t wonderful, I’m normally very fond of Constant Comment

http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/07/bigelow-teabag-black-tea-constant.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: 8 ounces hot water from carafe
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: orange, spice
Steeped Tea Smell: orange
Flavor: spice, orange, black tea
Body: Full
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: dark brown

Enjoyable, and great selection if your choices are teabags in a conference center. It resisted over-steeping as I had multiple cups of this. It was better with a bit of sugar.

I drank Red Rose tea at my Grandmother’s when I was growing up and didn’t discover Constant Comment until I was an adult. I know there are hoards of CC fan club members out there who’ve said everything there is to say about this tea, so I will just make note that this tea is nice and I enjoy a cup of it every once in awhile. :)

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells spicy with a hint of orange. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet cloves and oranges.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium brown color.
-Strong malty orange flavor with a spicy finish. Sweet and numbing clove aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. A flavorful and comforting cup.

I know that I shouldn’t like this tea, but I actually do…

It’s affordable, and I like the taste of it. It can be a little overpowering sometimes, but overall I think it’s a nice tea that’s easily available at my local quick mart, and our school cafeteria.

Staying at a cabin in Big Bear Lake, California, where this tea was on offer. My, it’s been a long time since I’ve had it! I remember it being so different from “normal” tea, almost like it was something I should save for special occasions. Jaded, jaded, jaded. Now it tastes flat but still carries with it the associations from the good old days. Suppose I should be honest and rate it how it tastes to me know rather than how I remember it tasting to me…

1 bag for 300 mL water @100C. Steeped two minutes. Drunk bare.

I drank this a lot when I was younger, but then I abandoned it for Stash’s Orange Spice. Stash reformulated, and I find their new Orange Spice way too sharp and strong. In the supermarket before work this morning, buying something for lunch, I saw the Bigelow teas were on sale, and I thought I’d pick up some CC.

I used to steep this to death, leaving the bag in the cup. I’d get a caffeine charge, but the tea could get bitter. I never, ever read the box, never saw the ‘steep 1 to 2 minutes’ recommendation.

Guess what? Steeped for just 2 minutes, this is quite lovely.

It’s not a brilliant black tea base, but the whole effect is one of balance. It’s smooth; it tastes of real oranges and cinnamon and probably cloves; it still tastes of black tea.

It’s easy to turn up your nose at bagged tea like this, but sometimes there are treasures out there. Constant Comment’s been around for decades, so clearly Bigelow is onto something with this blend.

There are definitely ‘rinds of orange’ in here…you can smell them in the dry bag and taste them (albeit tempered by the spice) in the steeped brew. For a bagged tea, this is kind of nice. Nothing special about it, but drinkable and easy to pop in a cup at work if my Perfect Tea Mug is dirty. Fairly nondescript, though I do enjoy the orange. Reminds me of Christmas at home, as my mother heats our leftover clementine peels on the stove to make everything smell orangey. Almost reminiscent of a really orangey gingerbread. Man, I want gingerbread!

I have a huge soft spot for Constant Comment. It was the first real tea I ever had (as opposed to herbal teas), way back when I was a kid and staying overnight at my grandmother’s.

I think I’ve outgrown it a bit, but I every now and then I brew a bag just out of nostalgia. It’s not my favorite tea anymore, but the flavor is good and it’s comforting and spicy and has just the right amount of orange.

Apparently this is turning into a go through the drawer and pick out a bag day. I don’t think I have ever logged this on Steepster. This was the first tea I bought on my own as a teen. I love the smell of this tea. The orange and sweet spice smell and taste so good. I have no idea how long I have had this bag. The black tea is kind of lost in the cup, so it is probably stale. I can catch it briefly after the sip on my breath. You know, after the Tazo assault on my taste buds, I don’t even care if it is stale. This is a pleasant cup of memories. Good choice.

I’m traveling this week, so I haven’t had access to all my teas (hence the lack of tasting notes). This is one of the only teas my mom had in her cupboard, so I had a bag this morning with breakfast. I’m sure I’ve had Constant Comment before, but it’s been quite a while I didn’t really remember it. It reminds me of a holiday tea, with it’s orange rinds and spices.

I like the aroma a lot, clove and cinnamon and a bit of orange, but I feel like the taste falls a little flat. I didn’t get any bitterness, but I didn’t get a lot of distinctive flavor either; it was all in the aroma. A decent tea, but probably not one I’ll go out of my way to stock!

Started the day here, tradition, history, culture, and a near perfect mix of spices.
I have loved this tea for years…

Unlike what seems like most of you, I didn’t grow up drinking Constant Comment. In fact, I had managed to live 24 years without trying it somehow, despite my love for tea. Anyway, I made myself a cup before work today.

The tea snob in me wants to hate it just because it’s in a bag, old-fashioned, and common. But in all honesty, I like it. None of the spices are too overwhelming, and the orange zest tastes real, unlike that awful stuff Tazo makes. Also, you can still taste the black tea despite the other flavors, and that’s tasty too. Drinking it this time of year feels festive. It’s a good autumn tea.

Like other posters I have an emotional attachment to this tea, and it is hard to separate the memories from the experience of the tea itself. The ingredients are black tea, orange rind and “sweet spice” which to me is heavy on the clove and cinnamon. This combination is iconic in my olfactory memory. In college I had an apartment mate who was a tea drinker and she introduced me to this tea. So the smell reminds me of my youth and my first taste of independence, and it’s hard to avoid pleasant associations with that time of my life.

The taste, too, brings pleasant associations. If I try to be objective and drill down into the flavors, the tea itself is unremarkable either way, the orange is a little sour and doesn’t sweeten up as it lingers, and the spices are what one would expect from clove and cinnamon. It’s not fabulous, but it doesn’t approach horrible in my view, and the thumb on the scale is the Proustian value of transporting oneself on a rainy day present, to another rainy day when life was opening up like an oyster and anything was possible.

I had this a couple of hours ago. I was plesantly surprised by this tea. Without milk, the orange rind and spice flavor was a bit overpowering, but some milk tamed it and it tasted like a spiced orange chai (if there is such a thing). I would probably not buy this tea, but I would drink it at a restaurant or place of work if that was what was available.

A review of Constant Comment Tea by Bigelow Tea

Date: 09/23/2012
Company: Bigelow Tea
Tea Name: “Constant Comment” Tea
Tea Type/Varietal: Black Tea
Region:
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: Cup / Tea bag
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: Dark golden brown
Leaf Characteristics: tea bag smells of tea, I cannot note any spices.

1. Steepings 2 good steeps

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 175 Fahrenheit
Time: 2 minutes

Note: When brewing/steeping this tea, nothing stands out about it. It smells mildly of tea I am thinking. Anyhow, I remove the tea bag after two minutes and let it stand a bit longer. When I do take the tea and have a sip of it, at first I am met with malt flavoring that some teas contain, and upon swallowing there is a hint of the orange note hitting my palate.

I guess I was expecting the orange to be more pronounce than is at this time.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 5 minutes

Note: I thought to increase the water’s temperature and to let the tea bag steep in tea water a bit longer as I hope to bring out more of the flavoring. Tea’s color is the same: darkish brown/red tea. And the aroma is of orange rind and when I taste the tea there is the orange and some spices prevailing in the cup, just hints of spices and nothing more.