I prefer a decaf green tea because I have too much caffeine as it is. Two to three coffees a day. Having a decaf green tea makes me feel healthy because I pretend it has “leafy green” health properties. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. I’m done googling things to find out. I bet the “consensus” is one of: 1) it’s ok, 2) it’s a miracle cure for everything, or 3) “is too much green tea bad for you?”
Anyways, I’ve been on that Tetley Decaf Green Tea for a while because that’s all that’s available where I live. But right now I’m visiting Vancouver Island, and I’m going to indulge in something fancy. Wait, what’s this?! A premium, non-GMO green tea – and it’s not expired. Such luxury!
I brought the water in my electric kettle to a roiling boil, as one does in preparation for a premium tea drinking experience. And I poured that still-boiling water into the same unwashed mug I used this morning for coffee. The bits of leftover coffee particles in my mug floated to the top. We got ourselves a green tea snowlglobe thing going on. Off to a good start.
How long should I let it steep for a premium experience? I don’t know, so I’m going to wing it and err on the side of… letting it steep for too long. You can never have too much flavour. Besides, on the package it says “this tea steeps to a distinctively mild, satisfying cup with no astringency.” Let’s test that claim.
So far, so good. I take a few sips, and the taste of leftover coffee is negligible. Also, sometimes my green tea tastes super bitter and makes the back of my tongue feel like it’s dried up. Thats not the case here. Either, 1) their claims of being “distinctively mild,” etc. are accurate, or 2) I accidentally steeped it for the right amount of time.
I suddenly feel a bit peckish, so I destroy two cheap Christmas cookies, which leave a taste in my mouth sure to affect my perception of this tea.
I gulp the rest of it down in two minutes, because the baby is napping and there’s no time to waste. The dredges are slightly more bitter, and I can see precisely how much leftover coffee stain is at the bottom of my mug, but I’m not put off.
This tea ain’t bad under the circumstances. I would feel like I did something sorta healthy were it not for those crappy Christmas cookies I downed at the same time. Damn. Ruined it.
Stash Decaf Premium Green Tea could indeed be premium, but I’ll never know the way I drink it.