teataku

Monk's Blend from Metropolitan Tea Company

teataku drank Monk's Blend by Metropolitan Tea Company

This one was so yummy yesterday morning, I had to drink it again this morning. Firstly, I don’t require that my black teas have THAT much crazy flavoring, but it’s nice when they have a little something extra to add another dimension to the taste. This tea fits that description exactly—the vanilla and the grenadine are mellow and light backup flavors, while the black tea truly does take center stage. The smell of the leaves as well as the brew, as it says in the tea description, is very pleasant and relaxing.

Now, just so I can have a teensy bit of criticism in my review, it’s not all that special, except that it seems to go well with just about everything. I don’t think I’ll keep it as a constant supply (although the husband seems to like it quite a lot), but it satisfies that craving I get for sweet black tea. :)

2012-04-16 22:21:46 -0400

200 °F / 93 °C

2 min 30 sec

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I very clearly remember my first experience with tea. It was in a Target near my house, and my best friend handed me a cup of chai from the Starbucks inside the store and said, “Try this.” I believe I was about 12 at the time, and from then on, I was completely hooked.

Anyway, as my increasingly weirded out family will tell you, my obsession with tea has (almost) steadily escalated since then. I discovered the world of tea slowly, first with just chai, and then with bagged teas I could get from supermarkets and specialty stores, and then with loose leaf teas. I mostly shop for tea at Teavana, but I also patronize other local shops that I’ve discovered within the last couple of years. I’ve ordered a smattering of teas from a few online places, but I’m always leery of buying tea online, since most of how I select teas in person is by smell… unless I’m at The English Tea Room.

My favorite types of tea are blacks and flavored blacks. And oolongs. Right underneath that are rooiboses and whites, and then greens and herbals, and then mates. I’m always looking for a new favorite (I get on tea kicks, which are various lengths of time in which I’ll drink one or two teas religiously, and then I’ll switch), but I appreciate rediscovering old favorites. I like to blend teas, but I never store them that way, mostly because I like to leave myself options.

I prefer nutty/sweet/rich teas to fruity/light-flavored teas or bold/full-bodied teas, but I do try to drink some of everything to widen my palate. I’m always willing to try any tea at least once (except this one tea that Teavana mercifully discontinued… the loose leaf smelled like cheese, I swear). I do perhaps rate teas a little leniently… because I’m not very picky. I will try a tea at least three times before I pronounce that I hate it, and I will always focus on the good aspects of a tea rather than the bad. That’s just how I roll. :3