Second try with my PG Tips Pyramids. This time I only steeped in for two minutes, but the flavor was still very, very bitter when left alone. Much more tolerable than my first steep, but still with a very strong kick. The tea steeps to a very dark hue, with a surprisingly strong veggie smell. My bag smelled like stewed vegetables when I sniffed it wet. The tea does contain this aroma. It’s not a bad smell, but it’s sort of odd for me from a black tea.
This tea is definitely more complex than a lot of the other bagged varieties out there. The pyramid shape probably lets the tea grow a bit, even if the pieces are somewhat small already. I added some milk again (soymilk, around 3 tsps), and the taste infinitely improved. This tea would probably rank higher for me if I didn’t have to doctor it up with additives. I hate putting anything in my tea, but I really can’t imagine drinking this one without first smoothing it out with either milk or some lemon juice. It was designed to be drunk that way, and I’m having a difficult time accepting that. I drink Irish Breakfast without putting anything in it, so…
That being said, I think I’ll try and do a really short steep of this one and taste the results at a later date, to see if this can indeed be had neat. Someone recommended online using a large amount of water and just pouring off the excess. I might do that.
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One thing I found with this tea is that any squeezing of the teabag made it crazy bitter. I still had to doctor it even without the bitterness from squeezing but I definitely a wuss in comparison to you! :)
Auggy, this tea is driving me crazy! I hate doctoring teas. :( And this one is like a bucking bronco that refuses to be tamed unless I douse it with some sort of milky product. I didn’t squeeze my bag either, but this is seriously, seriously bitter.
And I sort of doubt that you’re a wuss in comparison to me. You’re like a tea guru on her compared to my n00b status.
Aw, thanks! But I pretty much have to doctor Indian blacks with a little sugar and milk. I’m not tough enough to drink them straight! Well, expect for Darjeelings. Those I can do straight…
But yeah, I think this one ends up being a good tea compared to other bagged breakfast teas but is definitely made to have milk added. I gave up on it a while back but would make it for DH who will pretty much drink anything. But after more and more exposure to loose tea, he even got to where he wasn’t a big fan of this one.
Hmm, I wonder if brewing at a lower temp would help with the bitterness? Aren’t fewer tannins(?) supposed to be released at lower temps?
I think I’ve read something like that, somewhere… ? I might try lowering the temperature and steeping for a really short time to see if I can actually drink this straight. I doubt that’s actually going to happen! It really is a bit of a disappointment to me, actually. I like drinking tea straight because I feel like it’s not “heavy.” Milk and sugar make this a bit heavier than I like for a breakfast beverage. That’s probably why I prefer tea to coffee in the first place!
I’ll be interested to find out how that works if you give the lower temp a try.
I’ve had better luck with Chinese teas (Keemun & Yunnan in particular) being good straight and not heavy/thick feeling but still flavorful and no need for additions.
Quite right about that “veggie” smell, I realize. Good observation.
One thing I found with this tea is that any squeezing of the teabag made it crazy bitter. I still had to doctor it even without the bitterness from squeezing but I definitely a wuss in comparison to you! :)
Auggy, this tea is driving me crazy! I hate doctoring teas. :( And this one is like a bucking bronco that refuses to be tamed unless I douse it with some sort of milky product. I didn’t squeeze my bag either, but this is seriously, seriously bitter.
And I sort of doubt that you’re a wuss in comparison to me. You’re like a tea guru on her compared to my n00b status.
Aw, thanks! But I pretty much have to doctor Indian blacks with a little sugar and milk. I’m not tough enough to drink them straight! Well, expect for Darjeelings. Those I can do straight…
But yeah, I think this one ends up being a good tea compared to other bagged breakfast teas but is definitely made to have milk added. I gave up on it a while back but would make it for DH who will pretty much drink anything. But after more and more exposure to loose tea, he even got to where he wasn’t a big fan of this one.
Hmm, I wonder if brewing at a lower temp would help with the bitterness? Aren’t fewer tannins(?) supposed to be released at lower temps?
I think I’ve read something like that, somewhere… ? I might try lowering the temperature and steeping for a really short time to see if I can actually drink this straight. I doubt that’s actually going to happen! It really is a bit of a disappointment to me, actually. I like drinking tea straight because I feel like it’s not “heavy.” Milk and sugar make this a bit heavier than I like for a breakfast beverage. That’s probably why I prefer tea to coffee in the first place!
I’ll be interested to find out how that works if you give the lower temp a try.
I’ve had better luck with Chinese teas (Keemun & Yunnan in particular) being good straight and not heavy/thick feeling but still flavorful and no need for additions.
Quite right about that “veggie” smell, I realize. Good observation.