teataku

teataku drank Yunnan Emerald Buds by Teavana

I had rather a bad morning, gastronomically, so once it looked like the worst was over, I made myself some of this tea with a half scoop of dried spearmint. I drank it unsweetened, and it turned out to be a pretty good balance. I couldn’t really speak to the quality of this tea by itself, because, well, I haven’t really tasted it by itself yet. That’ll be another tasting note on another day. I have quite a bit of this, because I bought it in a package of three teas that were all on sale, and all of the tins were filled to the brim (altogether, this is probably around 6 oz. of tea, which means I’ll have plenty of opportunity to play around with this one!). The spearmint did help my stomach, which was what I was going for. Verdict: success!

2012-10-28 19:33:15 -0400

185 °F / 85 °C

1 min 45 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