So I had bought a TAZO bagged tea sampler set for $25, and managed to get through the whole box in an embarrassingly short amount of time. One of my favorites was the China Green Tips, I liked it so much that I decided to go out and get myself a tin of their full leaf sachets. While it isn't exactly a gourmet tea, it's a great tea for the price.
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| Tin and Dry Leaves |
Company: Tazo
Price: $6.95; 15 Sachets
Amount: 1 Sachet for 7 oz. (I did 2 sachets for 14 oz.)
Caffeine: 31-45 mg
1st Steep:
- Time: 45 Seconds
- Temp: 175°F
- Time: 1 Minute
- Temp: 175°F
Ingredients: Blend of spring-harvested Mao Feng green tea leaves
Dry: The leaves were somewhat short and tightly rolled. A little less curly than other green tea leaves I've seen. While it didn't smell extremely fresh, It did have a pretty strong vegetal smell and I could already smell the typical rice smell that comes with many green teas.
Tea Liquor:
- 1st Steep: Golden Honey, more yellow than green
- 2nd Steep: Pretty much the same as the 1st steep but this time with a heavier green tint.
Flavor: Vegetal, Not very smooth, Astringent (at first), Light-bodied, Nutty.
Notes:
On the first steep this tea was VERY astringent, but I found that if you let this tea sit for a few minutes the astringency almost completely vanishes. It has a strong vegetal taste that I really like, with a nutty taste that sort of reminded me of Sencha. The tea itself has a weak body on the first steep,which can be taken as a good or bad thing. For me it just means that I use a little less water than usual because I like my tea to be strong, but that completely depends on the person.
While the first steep is just average, the second doesn't even compare. Whenever I prefer the second steeping its usually because the first was too strong, but in this case it was the opposite! I was very (happily) surprised with the second steeping. The second steeping brought out and amplified all the good aspects of this tea and had a heavier body, but had none of the astringency that the first steeping had. Maybe it's just me but if you look at the photos below, you can SEE that the second steeping is more powerful. I think what I'll do if I only have time for one steeping is do a pre-steep with the leaves first.
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| Steeped Leaves |
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| The First Steep The Second Steep |
Rating
The Green Tips is my favorite Tazo tea, but I couldn't find it at the grocery stores last week.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've given up trying to find a specific Tazo tea when I go to the grocery store. Every time I go it's a game of "What four Tazo teas is this grocery store stocking?". Starbucks usually has this one though if you're still looking.
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