I used to visit Malaysia often, and have somewhat fond memories of the hyper-sweet teas that are brought to your table by default when you order tea. So, I bought this canister out of sentimentality. I don’t drink it often, though. It’s ground up very fine and seems low-quality, even though it’s the “gold blend.” I can’t imagine drinking this without milk and sugar. As a straight tea, it’s rather bad.
On tea: Although I’ve been drinking tea (mostly green and oolong) since childhood, I didn’t really start learning about tea processing, preparation, and varieties until about 10 years ago, though I’m still a noob in so many ways. I’m very interested in the natural and human histories of tea.
For me, there’s a time and place for almost all types of tea – green, oolong, black, white, yellow, herbal, loose-leaf, bagged, etc. I most enjoy buttery greens and oolongs, yellow teas, and black teas grown in Indonesia and Hawaii. I love to try different teas. Also, sometimes tea is a ritual and sometimes it’s utilitarian.
Other likes and interests: I’m a huge music fan. As a Gen-Xer, punk will always have a special place in my heart, but the Beatles are my all-time favorite. Springsteen is next. Also, I love ‘50s rock and roll – Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, etc. I also like bebop and vocal jazz, classic country (I can’t stomach “bro” country, though), soul, classical, Hawaiian, old-school rap, Philip Glass (who’s in a category all his own, IMO)…the list goes on. I never got rid of the bulk of my records and actively collect records still.
Toshiro Mifune is my favorite actor and Kurosawa my favorite director. I also like “Star Wars” and “The Godfather.” “Star Trek” probably had a big influence on my worldview since I’ve seen every episode of the original series and TNG a bazillion times. Otherwise, I don’t watch “regular” TV but I will binge-watch a K-drama or a taiga drama now and again.
I’m an anthropology professor. However, that doesn’t mean that I’ll always have something insightful to say in my tea reviews or that I’ll never make grammatical errors.
California
