I’m kind of ambivalent when it comes to tisanes. Obviously most people think of them as legit tea and tea shops who know their stuff have a 1/4 of their menu or more dedicated to Herbal and other infusions. In particular, oftentimes tea blenders go too far afield with cinnamon spice additives (this post kind of exemplifies…hyperbolizes? the issue). So when I spotted today’s tea, a cinnamon orange spice Green (instead of the traditional Black or Herbal), I thought I’d give it a go. Sadly though it’s a bagged tea, so there’s the whole “Cut-Tear-Curl” manufacture problem added on top, but for the purposes of amusement I’m ignoring it today.
As test no.2 for the usability of my aging tetsubin, I brewed Tea Temptations‘s Cinnamon Orange Spice Green twice: once bagged in a mug, then again tearing the bag open and allowing it to brew in my tetsubin before decanting through a paper filter (yes, that does sound like it would completely defeat the purpose, but only in the strictest sense xD). By the way, never, ever rip open a bagged/Cut-Tear-Curl tea. You will have some pretty nasty cleanup work ahead of you. I’m gratified to find that today’s results actually feel like they’re in opposition to the last test the other day with Eli’s Earl Grey. Allowing the tea to open and brew at a consistent temperature with the tetsubin yielded a more well-rounded flavor and texture. Considering it was a Green I only allowed it to brew for two minutes in both cases. Both are excellent brews with a welcoming spicey aroma, but in terms of flavor the differences are night and day.
One thing that particularly annoyed me about Cinnamon Orange Spice Green was that the plastic single serving packages for the tea bags were sealed in a such a way that tearing from the provided notch didn’t actually open the bag, and i had to resort to cutting it open with scissors both times. They are definitely being scored down for that one. However, the ease of Tea Temptations’s website, its ability to be located online, the ability to have the tea i’m reviewing in stock and the cost of tea… all come in above and beyond most any other vendor I’d reviewed. Nice. So… in terms of testing, best 2 out of 3? ;)
- Aroma – 87
- Taste – 79
- Texture – 81
- Spunk – 83
- Price – 90
- Availability – 95
- Appearance – 20
Mean Score – 76% Maybe not necessarily a tea lover’s tea, but otherwise pretty stellar.
選別 parting.gifts 