2902 Tasting Notes
You’re invited to VBS Family Night … 300 kids singing on stage, bouncy castles, a foam pit, hot dogs, and the fire department coming to turn on the hydrant!
Hotter than a skillet today, and kids jumping around like excited crickets. In anticipation of both of these things, at your recommendation, I iced down a large tumbler of Paris. Delicious. On ice, the lemony aspect is downplayed, and the caramelly part reminded me a little of almond ice cream.
Tea MO this week = two sips hot, then ice it down for the rest of the morning. It’s VBS week during a heat advisory, and I’ve been traipsing around after fourth graders in quadruple-digit humidity. (Wouldn’t change a thing. My high school teaching assistant is one of my Sunday kids all grown up, he has a heart for kids, and the 10-year-old boys traipse after him like puppies. My happy bubble is blown up to bursting.)
You’ve all heard me jabber on about this chocolate-grapefruit blend, so this part will be brief. I wouldn’t change a thing about it either, except get a larger tin next time. It makes me want to hunt down more hibiscus-free teas with grapefruit in the flavor profile.
One of you friends recommended this as a cold latte with vanilla syrup. My initial experiment left room for improvement, as the only dairy product under our roof was skim milk; however, it made me want to haul out the blender and try it as a milkshake: I think it would replicate malted milk very nicely. Unfortunately, the only ice cream under our roof is cherry lemonade. I don’t think that’ll fly! Plenty of summer left to try it.
When this landed in my Mom’s Day gift basket, I speculated that it would make great iced tea in the summer. (“You were right, Mom…. " just what every mama longs to hear.)
Requirements for what make a great unflavored summer black tea vary by user, but this meets both of mine: Is it strong enough to wake you up in the morning? and Does the bottom half of the tumbler retain that strength on ice? A firm yes to both.
I don’t venture into bottled teas often, but this one deserves a mention. According to the label, there’s Java tea leaves and there’s water and that’s that—no unwanted accoutrements. Brassy; not much of a bass line, but still strong enough to suit builders tea preferences. Will hunt it out next time I need a cold to-go.
Interesting! The bottled iced tea around here has more sugar than a Pepsi, other than the rare occasions I can find a Harney one. They are both delicious and very low in sugar.
No H&S bottles anywhere around here!
I see it’s same everywhere. Only one without added sugar is Pfanner one, which is quite expensive compared to others; and even Pfanner ones with sugar are, luckily, with not so much sugar.
Most local convenience stores have bottled tea, but it’s more citric acid than tea.
Good stuff.
The only thing worse than trying to breathe in triple digit/upper percentage humidity is trying to breathe in the aforementioned conditions with a layer of fireworks sulfur on top. (We are no longer fans of low-grade explosives in the hands of amateurs. Must be getting old.)
This cheerful little rooibos is a nice cool antidote to the hot, stinky outdoors. My original review wasn’t overly complimentary, but I hadn’t yet tried it on ice. After marinating in the fridge all day, the cherry is pretty cherry-syrupy, but when it’s cold, it brings back the Kool-Aid, running-through-the-sprinkler, catching-ladybugs-in-the-backyard vibe.
According to the proprietor, this has a crazy short steep time—just two minutes. But I’ve found that to be accurate—the flavor turns bitter on you if you aren’t watching the clock. When you do, however, the raspberry is pleasantly fruity, not tart, which gets sparkly fireworks stars in my wonky rating system.
I threw caution to the wind, however, and stuck some in the fridge overnight to start the morning—80 F at 7 a.m. and headed upward quickly. I expected a bitter tang, but it isn’t painfully so. Ice and a lemon Luna bar didn’t hurt it, either.
I am sure this is what Queen Catherine would drink of an evening—always there to comfort and slow me down after a stressy day. Apple-y sweet, no single pushy ingredient, always a cupful of calm.
Green tea doesn’t usually cold steep well for me, but since this is a green and white blend, I figured there was a 50-50 chance that it wouldn’t get bitter in the fridge. Lucky day: the base just feels fresh and clean, with a nice, sweet cherry (syrup) vibe. A good summery cooler on a hot afternoon and I’m sure it will make my tired feet feel better, too. (Picked the wrong sandals to play with my fifth graders.)
Sipping a bagged version today—needed something to warm my frozen office toes, but did not need to add caffeine jitters to other jitters (juggling a lot at work/home and dropping most of it ). EG fans probably wouldn’t have a lot to say in its favor, because both the base and flavoring are quite light, but for me, that’s a plus.
I have GOT to try this!
This one is good – one of my standbys. I also like Victorian Afternoon (Mark T. Wendell) over ice on a hot summer day (and being in Texas – that’s everyday in the summer).