Silver Tipped Test Teas Thursday

Welcome to another exciting Test Tea post.

Sometimes I see or read something and get really excited. For example, a few weeks ago, we were browsing online and I found the following picture.

This picture, which intrigued me, was followed by a similarly interesting description which included:

The liquor is the lightest possible with just hints of pale yellow.

Aroma: the gentlest citrus-spice suggestion of oranges stuck with cloves and wafts subtle sweetness.

I was immediately sold. I told @riskybryzness that this was a must. When it came, we opened it and stayed excited.

It looked just like the picture. So far, so good, right?

Something went terribly, horribly wrong.

That doesn’t even sort of look like the cool, silvery-white image on the website. It’s just tea-colored! What’s more, it smelled strongly of hay.

Our testers said:

“Smell 2/10 like a petting zoo, heavy on the hay but thankfully no manure”
“Smell: 2/10 absolutely a petting zoo - I like the smell, but maybe not for something I’m preparing to drink”
“Smell: 3/10 very much grassy, hay like”

Full disclosure, we had one outlier that said: “Smell: 8/10 Smelled like Earl Grey, reminded me of the days I would get a London Fog from the UNT Library (ahh, simpler times)”

And after all that, it didn’t even have an interesting taste.

“Taste: 6/10 A bit metallic-y, like @ChadP was saying”
“Taste: 5/10 Don’t hate it but it does taste…natural”
“taste: not earl grey”
“Taste: lmao I actually like this, like 8/10”
“Taste 2/10 more hay”

@moose even said:
Taste:

Color:

Smell:

I’m gonna be honest with you, this might be the most let down I’ve ever been by a tea.

I expected greatness but would have been pleased if it was horrible. Instead, it surprised me with its mediocrity. So I guess what I’m saying is, it’s not the worst tea we’ve ever made, it’s not the best tea we’ve ever made. Congratulations to our most mediocre tea ever made.