Charantea

I received a teabag of this stuff in a traveling tea box (not the one currently circulating Steepster) and it fills me with dread. As a kid, I never liked bitter melon, and the idea that someone would grind one up and use it for a tisane grosses me out. But, since childhood I have learned to enjoy broccoli and to tolerate squash, so perhaps this won’t be as bad as I fear.

(Note: Supposedly this stuff will help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Not that mine are abnormal in any way, but I thought I’d mention it. I only have the one teabag so I wouldn’t be able to monitor long term effects, anyway.)

Smells kinda like roasted rice. Hmmm. Unexpected.

Tastes kinda like genmai-cha, but without the green tea. So toasty rice. I can taste the ghost of the melon I so dreaded as a kid, but the dehydration process seems to have tamed it. It’s not nearly as gross as I expected.

That said, it’s not pleasant or tasty, either. It leaves an almost…dusty? aftertaste after I swallow. This isn’t something you drink for the taste, but for the health benefits. But to be honest, if I was worried about my blood sugar I’d find a tastier way to fix it!