2 Tasting Notes
Okay, this is the first bag from 52Teas that I have completely finished and then I had to wait until he blended it (and I think he changed the label at that time, because it wasn’t originally part of “ManTeas”.). I loved it. Itcomes in smooth and sweet with the chocolate and then has that KaPOW at the end… I discovered I had to shake it up every time before I doled myself another spoonful to brew, because it tends to settle, and all the pepper ran to the bottom. It’s very nice in winter because the peppers and spiced help add extra “warmth” to the hot water! I need to clear out some of my cupboard of teas and I will reorder this tea – even if it is targeting men!! It’s got the bite! Doubtless I’m not the world’s greatest tea taster and am glossing over nuances that others are waiting with baited breath for a description of, but I finished my last cuppa months ago and the memory is fading, other than the strong memory that I want to get more of this tea!
As for steeping time, water temperature, I’ve no idea. When the water boiled, I poured it on. I’m not much on scalding my throat and lips….so I like to add my stevia and creamers and such to cool it down if I’m in a hurry. If my lips say “ouch” its too hot and I let it cool. But I’ve never stuck a thermometer into my cuppa to find out what that “perfect temperature” was. Use your common sense, people! I highly doubt the earliest generations of tea drinkers, wherever in the world they lived back in the day (China, India, etc) ever did anything fancier then the “pre-digital thermometer” – stick a finger in it and if they screamed in pain, they took the digit out and let the cup of tea cool off.
Preparation
I’ve been buying this from Gevalia for years! It’s cheaper then their coffees… It’s probably more accurate to call it a tisane since it doesn’t actually have tea in it – but peppermint tea, ginger root, and panax ginseng root as well as “natural flavor” (presumbably the “honey” for which it is named, and soy lecithin (beats me why!). But it is soothing as an after dinner drink before bed, yet somehow seems to also give me some zippy in the morning too (probably because of the tea’s effect on digestive issues even though it’s not sold as being a “health” tea, as such.).
As for preparation details, I’ve no idea how hot it is. Hardly matters because I won’t drink scalding hot beverages – I immediately cool them down to a more reasonable warm temp, using cream or milk or something! Same for steeping – I put it in with the water in the microwave and it can cook for 1 min 25 seconds before bubbling over. Or if I do it with the teakettle boiling on the stove, I probably steep it 2 or 3 minutes…not too much or it gets bitter like most teas do…just till it’s the “right shade”.
