Okay, I tried. I really tried. I tried every which way I know how to get some flavour other than “veggie juice” out of this blend. I just cannot taste anything else, unfortunately. In addition, after the tea cooled a bit, it got really, really bitter and astringent. Also, in spite of my infuser’s fine mesh, there was quite a bit of sediment in my teacup.
The nice thing about big companies like Teavana and Adagio is that they don’t participate on Steepster, they don’t go the extra mile to establish a rapport with customers and use wonderful incentives to drum up business and introduce themselves to us. Consequently, I have no qualms at all about calling it like I see it and being critical of a blend I don’t like.
It’s different with the little guys. These little companies are either just getting started or intentionally staying small and catering to a niche within the tea market. They make such a huge effort to procure our business, our trust, and our loyalty. They participate in random discussions, give us the benefit of their expertise, and are responsive to our feedback. They become our friends.
Don’t get me wrong, this is awesome. But it also means that I feel obligated to like their teas, especially if I get them as free samples. I feel guilty when things don’t work out, even though well-intentioned criticism can be more helpful than a glowing review. So here we are, my first free sample that I didn’t love, and I’m feeling terribly guilty about it. Sorry, sTEAp Shoppe, better luck next time.
Tea amount: 2 tsp
Water amount: 8oz./~237mL
Additives: 1 tsp Demerara sugar
Dry mouth factor: 3/10 hot, 7/10 after cooling
Preparation
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I know how you feel Nik <3
Nik, I think the point of the reviewing is so that this company can be great. Without the feedback they won’t know how real tea lovers who drink LOTS of tea feel about their tea. They now have the opportunity to fine tune and lets see what happens. I’ve seen some other companies (recently whispering pines made some adjustments to a few tea’s) and it works out! COOL! I LOVE this process!
Thanks, DaisyChubb. :D Bonnie: Agreed. And Janet did say that she was looking into ways they can naturally bring out more flavour in the tea (although I don’t remember whether she said that specifically about the Green Apple or sTEAp’s flavoured teas in general).
You sure gave the attempt with this one your all.
Nik, MASSIVE pat on the back from me to you for having the guts (and decency) to be honest! For the reason you mentioned, it seems some people (in general, none specific in particular) will prefer to try and sugar coat things instead rather than admitting something wasn’t to their tastes. Thank you.
Aww, thanks, Angrboda, I appreciate that. =)
I know how you feel Nik <3
Nik, I think the point of the reviewing is so that this company can be great. Without the feedback they won’t know how real tea lovers who drink LOTS of tea feel about their tea. They now have the opportunity to fine tune and lets see what happens. I’ve seen some other companies (recently whispering pines made some adjustments to a few tea’s) and it works out! COOL! I LOVE this process!
Thanks, DaisyChubb. :D Bonnie: Agreed. And Janet did say that she was looking into ways they can naturally bring out more flavour in the tea (although I don’t remember whether she said that specifically about the Green Apple or sTEAp’s flavoured teas in general).
You sure gave the attempt with this one your all.
Nik, MASSIVE pat on the back from me to you for having the guts (and decency) to be honest! For the reason you mentioned, it seems some people (in general, none specific in particular) will prefer to try and sugar coat things instead rather than admitting something wasn’t to their tastes. Thank you.
Aww, thanks, Angrboda, I appreciate that. =)