Twinings

brought this to work, it’s always nice to drink tea throughout the morning :)

today is shaping up to be a good day!
one of my coworkers gifted me (and everyone else) two Lindt mini eggs, and Dua Lipa just released her new album! also going to have a nice lunch with my colleagues, including one that left us to work in the industry!

I had a bit of a panic tuesday with work, but after taking a deep breath I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s actually manageable! this should prove, more than anything, that I DEFINITELY need a week away from my thesis

after yesterday I realized my thesis is in MUCH better shape than I thought it was! yay!! this is both a celebratory and weary steep, as I’ll be talking to my advisor in a couple of minutes; wish me luck!

had a terrible night of sleep (yay nightmares!) so this is a necessity

the next couple of weeks are going to be HARD (I want to send my thesis to my supervisor before going off to Paris), so don’t be surprised if I spam my notes with black tea !

really nice to kickstart my day!
I’ve been struggling with my thesis, so this works as a nice pick me up, not only taste wise but also caffeine wise!

today’s brew had warmer water, and it’s much stronger! I feel that it may have lost some of the citrus, but it is still distinctly a grey, instead of a straight black tea (i.e., english breakfast, prince of wales, etc.)
this tea is shaping up to be quite versatile, and I’m glad I got it! might consider adding it to the repurchase list :)

Really pleasant! Maybe I’ll try a 4min steep tomorrow, as this seems a bit.. weak? I played it safe today because last time I tried it for 3 and it tasted entirely too bitter, almost like an English Breakfast; then again, I think that last time I poured boiling water directly into the leaves, instead of using 90ºC :)
(I’d try 95, as that seems to be the best temperature for most black teas, however, my kettle only works with 10º increments, meaning I’ have to guess what temperature the water is at, and I’d rather not burn the leaves)

This is much closer to what I was expecting it to be, as it has the citrus and softer black tea base

Very artificial tasting but that’s not to say that I don’t like it.
I don’t get any apple at all, literally none. It’s all blueberry.
The taste really comes off like a piece of berry flavoured bubblegum or a piece of candy (think Jolly Rancher) but more tart than sweet.
I really do like these cold infuse teas and love watching them steep in the cup, I’m mesmerised! Haha
They’re a nice alternative when you want a fast cold brew.

Smells like red jello and vitamins, tastes sweet-tart. This one’s too sharp for me. The pomegranate flavor is pretty spot on, though. I like Twinings Holiday Berry better. It has more of a darker red fruits flavor. I also seem to be in the minority for not liking this tea.

This came from a Twinings herbal sampler box that somebody left on the counter next to the water dispenser. It’s newer but called Bedtime Blend. Did Twinings switcheroo the names again?

I don’t know that I could tell the difference between this and Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime.

Dreadfully watery and flat.

This is a good mass-market introduction to smoked tea. It’s got some rather artificial smoke notes in the beginning, and a woodsy intermediate that goes to a dry tannic finish. Nothing too complicated or nuanced here. It’s the training wheels on your smoked tea bicycle.

Smoked teas in general are rather divisive. I am a fan but my partner says they smell like barbecue sauce. It is rather off-putting to some, which I definitely understand. For me, this was the gateway tea to more sophisticated smoked blends. I have heard Twinings reformulated this blend in the orange box into something awful in a new black box. I won’t bother trying the new blend since I have some upleasant Palais de Thes to get through and thus have enough upcoming tea tragedies.

Tastes like strawberry jello liquid with a little something extra. Not too sour. Strong aroma. I’m not particularly fond of these kind of hibiscus-based strawberry jello liquid teas but for those that like this “red fruit” flavor profile, I do recommend. Hehe.

This is a powerful Darjeeling that can also be used as an industrial degreaser or paint stripper.

Well, OK, not really. But the cup I brewed…well, it kind of feels like a punishment because it’s so bitter and astringent, but has very little actual tea flavour. It just tastes like regret and disappointment with an odd whiff of petrol at the end.

I suspect this tea is much better with milk and sugar to cut the bitterness and astringency. But I’m just going to pour this down the drain and hope it unclogs my kitchen sink. Still, it is a classic tea from a venerable brand, so I shall defer to centuries of tea drinkers who seem to love this and say it’s not a bad tea, it’s just not for me.

I had a single tea bag in my herbal box and today afternoon I wasn’t looking for any plain teas, instead some fruity blend would be nice I thought.

Took this one, saying on front side: “blackcurrant, rosemary, honey & hibiscus”. That sounds good. Ingredients on the other side: “nettle, hibiscus (24%), apple pieces, natural raspberry flavoruing with other natural flavoruings, rosemary (5%), beetroot, natural honey and blackcurrant flavourings with other natural flavourings (3%) thiamin, natural flavouring.”

Ehh, is this anything but flavouring?
Dry bag was soo medicinal with raspberry whiff. Steeped for 3 minutes gives me impression of artificial raspbererry; but when sipped, it’s just plain, and weak raspberry flavoured tea with herbal finish. Luckily it’s not tart, but it was very, very flat tasting.