Orange Spice Black Tea

So I remembered that the folks who recommended this tea to me actually said it’s supposedly great as a sun tea. Eh. As much as I love solar power, I don’t have a vessel in which to make sun tea. I tried this tea again as a cold brew iced tea, and I like it more than as a hot tea. The citrus was really evident, and the black base was refreshing. The supermarket at which I bought this tea has Stash in bulk ($0.10/bag), so I may be getting more (it’s in the pasta/cereal aisle — it’s like the store knows my weaknesses). I wouldn’t go out of my way to always stock it, but it’s good every now and then.

Meh…

Using this tea for “pair a tea with a book.” I’m reading “Dying for Attention: A Graphic Memoir of Nursing Home Care,” a graphic novel by Susan MacLeod. My grandmother has been declining in a nursing home for several years now, but I fondly remember her ordering tea whenever we went out for a Sunday brunch. Specifically, Orange Spice tea.

I haven’t had an Orange Spice tea sitting around for a while, so I grabbed this box on my last grocery shopping trip. I was shocked to find I’d reviewed it before, four years ago, at a low 49 rating. Drinking it now… eh… I kinda get it. The black tea needs to be a little bolder, which I noted before. I think the spicing tastes nice… it’s not an in-your-face flavor, but the orange and spices blend nicely. The orange tastes a little artificial but not in that over-bearing, floor polish kind of way that citrus oil flavoring sometimes gets for me.

Other than wishing the base tea was a little stronger, I honestly find this fine… Definitely better choices for an orange spice flavor profile, but not “below average” as far as scoring, so I’m raising this up to a 60.

Drank a cup of this with my lunch. Added some Mimosa honey and a bit of almond milk. This cup was moderately good for being such an old tea. It got lost in a moving box and is 2-3 years old.

The fragrance and flavor of this tea really underwhelmed. There was no hint of orange or spice…I really only tasted the black tea. I’ve had this sample in my stash for awhile so maybe it was old. Wouldn’t recommend unless you simply need a hot beverage with little flavor.

I’m leaving on a jet plane today! Eeeeee! So in an effort to reduce the last minute dirty dishes to wash, I’m dipping into my rarely used stash of individual teabags.

The orange is definitely prominent. On my first sip though I definitely tasted something artificial-y, and took another peek at the wrapper. Orange peel is in there but so it “orange flavor” and “clove flavor.” It went away after the first sip.

The base tea is unidentifiable to me – just generic “black tea” – I would love to try a good malty Keemun or Assam with orange, cinnamon, and clove. That would be good.

This isn’t bad, or offensive, but not great. So I wouldn’t refuse a cup of this if it was offered, but I am not going to seek it out.

one of my favorites-a totally standard orange spice. comparable to constant comment. can get bitter if steeped at too high a temperature.