Who else drinks only non-flavored tea?

A little late to the game, but I wanted to put in my two cents! I used to drink flavored teas semi-regularly. When it came to plain C. Sinensis, I focused on blended black teas. So pure tea, but not a single pure tea. As I’ve learned more, tasted more, etc., my tastes have really been changing and moving toward the “single pure teas”.

Recently in particular, I’ve noticed that when I try a flavored tea, even one that is flavored masterfully, lightly, and naturally, if I drink more than half a mug or so, I end up with a weird taste in my mouth that is not particularly pleasant. And no matter what the flavored tea is, the weird taste is always the same.

Now, if I were drinking many of these as iced teas, I think it would be completely different. But for the moment, I think my taste buds are rebelling when I drink too much flavored tea!

I drink very little flavored tea. I ice most of my flavored teas (which isn’t much). S0, I would say that upwards of 95% of all teas I consume are non flavored.

Here’s an informative article on natural flavoring, FDA regultions, and labeling. You may find that the tea your drinking may not be purely naturally flavored!

http://uptontea.com/shopcart/information/INFOnl_note.asp

ok here’s the info:

Spring, 2011: Artificial Flavoring

A Note to Our Valued Customers

February 1, 2011

We are often asked why we use ‘artificial flavoring’ in our flavored teas, instead of natural flavoring as some European sources do. The answer to this question is not simple, since it may have more to do with differences in labeling requirements than with flavoring. To begin, we do not flavor any teas in-house. Virtually all of our flavored teas are sourced from European suppliers who have the knowledge and equipment to control the process and produce relatively consistent results. These same sources supply flavored teas to the worldwide market. They use nature-identical flavorings.

The FDA regulations are specified in the Code of Federal Regulations 21CFR101.22 as follows: ‘any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof’ is deemed to be artificial.

Nature-identical flavors have the same molecular structure as flavors found in nature, and in the EU these can be labeled as ‘natural’. However, they are not derived from spices, fruits, etc. Thus, according to 21CFR101.22, nature-identical flavorings are considered ‘artificial’.

Inconsistency of labeling standards between the European Union and the United States can certainly be misleading. We would prefer to be able to differentiate between nature-identical and artificial flavoring, but unless there is a change to the current CFR, we are unable to do so. This makes it difficult for the consumer to make accurate comparisons.

We have one source that has agreed to produce flavored teas that would conform to the FDA’s definition of naturally flavored. However, we have been warned that the price of the tea would be two to three times that of tea produced with nature-identical flavorings. Moreover, the flavorings may be less stable.

This info can be found freely at the link above, but for some reason you need to scroll down to page bottom to, “Other Quarterly Notices”, and click on the bullet point “Artificial Flavoring”.

And…….it is just an informative post Daniel, not a concern…….just FYI.

I drink both. I have certain flavours that I love and certain teas that I wouldn’t like to see flavoured.

There are some flavours where I’m always on the look-out for a well blended and well flavoured one. Vanilla flavoured black for example. And I’m picky. I did a whole post about that recently, how I want the vanilla to be just so, and the base to be just right and the whole thing to balance on a pin head of perfection. I enjoy fruit and berry flavoured things as well.

This is because sometimes when I drink tea, I’m not really looking for a large spiritual sort of experience that knocks my socks into orbit and leaves me in throes of ecstacy. Sometimes I just want something warm, caffeine-y and pleasant.

We have a concept in Denmark, which… oh boy, I wish I could translate it, because it describes exactly why often a flavoured tea that doesn’t involve too much thought process is sometimes the best tea you can give me. It’s the word ‘hygge’. There is not directly translatable English word for it. Not one that I’ve been able to find, and the English(!) fiance haven’t been able to come up with one either. ‘Hygge’ is the feeling that you get when you’re sitting around talking pleasantly with friends and family, or watching a good movie, or curling up with a good book. It’s nice and cosy and pleasant and calm and relaxing. Flavoured tea, for me, often equals ‘hygge’.

Then there are my dearly beloved Fujian blacks. The mere thought of flavouring a Tan Yang can give me nervous tics! Or a flavoured Yunnan. I can’t imagine a flavoured Yunnan. It just doesn’t work in my head at all. It’s like a great big mental block that prevents me from even acknowledging the fact that it is actually possible to do so. I know some places use Keemun for their flavouring base and even that is a bit difficult to swallow for me, concept-wise.

These can, like flavoured, also be ‘hygge’, of course, but if I’m looking for inspiration, or if I’m already feeling inspired about something, I will often reach for something unflavoured. Often. Not always, though.

So I drink both and I have moods in which I can prefer both.

Did any of this make sense at all to anybody who aren’t me?

I have held off on replying to this post but I have read some of the responses with great interest.

I drink both unflavored and flavored teas. I don’t think that one is superior to the other. I think that there are both enjoyable and not-so-enjoyable teas in both categories.

Right now, I am drinking Dragonwell tea from Andrews & Dunham, and as I sip this I wonder how any other tea could come close to it. But, then, as I drank the Rosy Earl Grey tea from Teas Etc this morning, I thought the same thing. That is why it is difficult for me to rate teas numerically, because most teas get a high rating from me, as I base my number on my enjoyment factor.

I simply love tea – and I’ve found that I enjoy both flavored and unflavored, and I don’t think that one is better than the other. I find that if a company starts with a high quality tea before they flavor it, it tastes great. And many companies out there do just that. It may not be the most costly or uber-premium tea, but, it is a good quality tea, one that is as delicious without flavoring as it is with.

I like non-flavored tea, because I like the feelings that bring to me. And I’m very enjoy its natural taste and flavor. As to flavored tea, some of them are also vey tasty.