Thursday, March 24, 2011

Thursday Tea Time


This week - Kroger Private Selection Pomegranate White Tea
Cost: $1.89 on "sale" at Kroger, regularly $1.99
Number of teabags: 20
Caffeine: Maybe just a little since it is a white tea
Type of tea: White, herbal
Steeping time: 2 minutes
Mix ins: Just a little fat-free condensed milk
Teabag fragrance: Fruity
Ingredients: White tea, hibiscus, natural flavors, lemon grass, dried pomegranate

Opinion: Delicate tea buds from China with pomegranate, lemon grass and African hibiscus combine for a sweet and unique blend. Kudos to Kroger for making a unique store brand tea. Nice packaging, and you can't beat the price! The flavor is really good, too.

But the color?! Just don't look while you are drinking! It's hard to describe - "wet cement"? "taupe"? "mortar"? "disgusting"? Truly, especially when you add milk. When I first dipped the teabag in, it turned a bright pink, quickly overtaken by dark black-gray. I could still see a very slight pinkish tinge. OK, I'm thinking this is going to look really pretty when I add a little bit of milk. NO! I took two pictures of it, one under artificial light, the other with daylight only - no flash either time. Judge for yourself. I bet it would have made an excellent iced tea - maybe some flowers or jazzy ice cubes could make it appear better. I took another quick look at what was left in the mug and laughed. Still gray! This is a homely-looking, but good tasting tea!

I must add I did not follow the "Prepare" instructions, which were to bring cold water to a rolling boil, let cool 7 minutes and then steep 1-2 minutes. Maybe that 7 minute cool down keeps the color pretty?
Rating: 3 - dinged only for the color

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