I absolutely love genmaicha. If I could pick only one tea to have around, it would probably be genmaicha. I like it with a couple of sugars, but today I got the notion to add some of the vanilla simple syrup I made the other day. It was rather great with a touch of vanilla on top of the toastiness.
My very first ever mug of tea was Bigelow’s Constant Comment, when I was about eight or nine. We also always had Lipton when I was growing up. While I almost never drink that now, it was my gateway, and I brewed it strong and on the stout side.
These days I tend to favor black teas, but hojicha and genmaicha are everyday go-to teas for me, too. Anything toasty is good. I’m not a fan of vegetal green tea flavors at all, though I will drink flavored greens if the flavors mask the veggie taste. For the most part, I cannot abide herbals. I’m not a fan of red rooibos, though I do have a couple of green rooibos teas that I like on occasion. I’m not a tea snob by any means, while I tend toward loose tea these days, I’m not above drinking bagged tea as well, as long as it’s decent stuff.
My day job is teaching (middle school), and in the summers I work for our city’s parks department (swimming pools).
In my off time, I am a voracious reader. I also love music and movies. My tastes can be quite eclectic.
I’m plagued by chronic migraines and fibromyalgia, but I manage to be pretty functional, despite the curves they throw at me.
I’ve not much thought about a rating scale, but here goes, on the fly…
90-100: Tea that I like a great deal, or even love. Tea that I will always replace when I run out.
80-89: Tea that is quite pleasant, and wouldn’t turn down. Tea that would probably be replenished at some point.
70-79: Tea that drinkable, though not particularly special. Ho hum stuff.
60-69: Tea that I have to be in the mood for, and that I wouldn’t be lost without.
50-59: Tea that isn’t impressive, though I’d likely finish the cup.
40-49: Tea that I sip on for a while, trying to find something redeeming, but that I usually dump and swap out for something else halfway through.
30-39: Tea that is only just drinkable, as in any-port-in-a-storm. If it wasn’t a storm situation, it’s probably something I’d dump and forget.
20-29: Teas that get dumped after only a sip or two, because they aren’t my cup of tea at all.
0-19: Tea that gives tea a bad name. Teas that I can’t stand, I find highly inferior, and are just plain vile and nasty.
Montana
