Okay, so here’s the thing: with all the teas I have, there was one that I didn’t have that I needed — good old plain black tea, preferably a cheery, dependable, brisk but comforting British character, there for you in your times of need or times of joy, a hearty, stout companion. I actually wanted to get PG Tips, but it’s a pain in the butt to get it shipped here for a sane price, and I haven’t seen it locally.
“So, yar, but, but…” you might ask, “why order from a French tea company?” Damned Good Question! Well, I made myself a promise (which I’ve already broken) that this order would be my last (from anywhere) for several months, and it happened I was ordering from DF, and so. I mean, THEY’RE TEA PEOPLE. They know what they’re doing, right? If they called this one out of all their blends, “Anglais,” who am I to doubt their expertise?
Sadly, this so-called “Anglais” chappy really does not meet my (fairly quotidian, I thought?) expectation, and to be frank, I’m not sure a Lipton’s bag would not be better. I mean it’s not awful. I don’t have to choke it down. It’s just very, very, very meh. BUT, check this out: when trying to look up more about this Mèlange Anglais online to find out what to avoid in the future (since they provide almost no info on the order page), I discover that DF has another tea named … wait for it … Mèlange Anglais Supèrieur. Which, I guess, makes mine the de facto Mèlange Anglais Inférieur. AND it’s only 50¢ more. Gee, thanks DF. It’s not like you could have said, “psst, by the way, we also have…” or anything. Or here’s an idea: just sell the Supèrieur? It’s almost the same price? Not that I would actually trust that description at this point; it’s possible they just hate the British.
Aaaanyway. Lesson learned. Maybe don’t try to buy British tea from Fancy Frenchy French ooh-lala tea shop?
(Still, I will make an effort with this, and try different amounts and steep times, but I don’t really detect any promise in it. We’ll see.)
I have to admit, I snorted out loud a little at the “Fancy Frenchy French ooh-lala tea shop” bit…
haha! I love the French! Apparently! I certainly seem to give them all my tea and perfume money. :P