Authentic Green Tea with White Tea

A nice bagged alternative for the times when you just don’t want to fuss. The white tea erases a little of the green-veggie aftertaste you get in a lot of teabag greens. I’m thinking it will ice down well.

This does not hold up well to the “en-K-cupping” process.

I am in the office for the week.

I may need to go buy loose tea and a basket.

I was about 3 sips into this when I dropped the cup :( yesterday morning. It was only bagged tea I picked up before class but lost tea is lost tea. Not to mention I was tired and thirsty all morning

Inspired by the Steepster select mention of Chazuke, I just used this to make some. 1 cup green tea, plus leftover rice, furikake (a topping made from dried seaweed & toasted sesame seeds) and some black sesame seeds.

The sweetness and toasted sesame flavor of the furikake drowned out the green tea! I liked it better before I added it, so next time I won’t. The tea by itself (with rice) did seem smooth and not bitter at all. Chazuke would probably be good with genmaicha too.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 8 ounces 180 degree filtered boiled water
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Smell: grassy, vegetal
Flavor: grassy, bitter
Body: Light (MilitiaJim) Medium (AmazonV)
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: light greenish brown

I didn’t have high hopes, and I was right, but it was free. No full leaf here.

Post-Steep Additives: Honey, which took the bite out of the bitter but it was still there, reminded me of a more bitter Arizona tea green tea with honey.

Resteep: didn’t work out, too weak

For me, this is one of Celestial Seasoning’s blunders. Maybe it’s low quality leaves, maybe it’s something they add to it, but it doesn’t have the good clean fresh taste other green teas have. It is, in fact, really gross! I bought some as a cheaper replacement for loose leaf green teas and I couldn’t finish the box.

This was a complimentary offering so I’m not too bummed having tried it as every now and then Celestial Seasonings will surprise me. This is not one of those times, sadly.

Green tea is always a rather bland experience for me, especially as a bagged tea with no other flavorings. I had hoped there would be a slight change in experience with the white tea addition, but it only ensured the bitter flavor that can sometimes occur even with a brief over steep did not occur. I added some sugar (substitute) and cream and still had a rather boring tea. I won’t be revisiting this one any time soon.

Neutral tasting green, with a little white.

Strong herbal aroma, with mixed notes from green and white tea, as well as subtle wet forest bed notes.
Solid, malty taste with slight bitterness. Strong roasted rice in th aftertaste.

Green and white tea are well blended here, showcasing their individual traits.

I love this iced and hot… And this is coming from someone who cannot tolerate hot tea (until I recently visited Teavana a few days ago for the first time, and had my faith restored).

I could wear the smell of this tea bag as a perfume; I love everything about it. I just get the water to just bubbling, and steep for two minutes, than add honey until I feel it’s sweet enough.

Not bitter, not too earthy… Mild with a lovely flavor that’s not bland to me at all.
All it takes, and I’m sold 1000% (yes, one thousand).