Cameron B. select Send Message

345 Followers / 341 Following

Not Recommended

Cameron B. drank Super Antioxidant Green Tea by Harts of America

4115 tasting notes

Strange VariaTEA TTB – Tea #4

Ooh so excited to see Harts in the box, as I’ve been wanting to try them for a while! But alas, too many other tisanes to sip down first, heh heh…

Anyway, this is yaupon and spearmint. I’ve only had yaupon once, but I really enjoyed it, and I still have some samples left to try from Catspring Yaupon. So I was prepared to love this tisane, since it seems to have green yaupon in it, and I love mint.

But… something here is tasting very off to me. It reminds me of perfume or soap, with a very chemical note to it that I’ve only found in bad floral-flavored teas. The smell of it is interesting, it has a sort of bitter/peppery herbal thing going on. But the taste… I’m not sure if it’s just the interplay of the spearmint with those unusual herbal notes, or something else, but I really don’t like it. There’s something almost lavender-esque as well, which also isn’t a favorite for me? Very odd.

I’m really sad, because I was so excited to try this one. But I guess it’s not for me after all.
Really confusing because the other green yaupon I tried was totally mellow and smooth. Am I crazy? :(

Result: Tried

Flavors: Bitter, Chemical, Floral, Lavender, Mint, Pepper, Perfume, Soap, Spearmint, Sweet

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 4 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

I Like This

11 likes

0 comments

People who liked this

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- September Sipdowns: 7
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 126

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing