Sometimes the best teas are accidental discoveries. Aiming to gulp down some omelets at an IHOP, I saw green tea on the drink menu (uncommon for a chain!) and ordered some. To my surprise, it wasn't one of the mass-produced bagged big brands or food-service teas, but this, in a pyramid sachet, with reasonably large leaf pieces. The dry tea smelled wonderful: grassy and herbal, but in a sweet way, somewhat reminiscent of dried bay leaves or good parsley. In-cup, it smelled and tasted remarkably pleasant even on city water, so I asked for an extra bag and took it home to try on my well water.

On city water, the flavor struck me as fundamentally enjoyable but very light, so...as often happens, I steeped this a long time at home to power it up, and that helped. Then, the flavor nearly matched the aroma for potency and character, and still was very smooth and pleasant. The mild aftertaste had some bitterness, but not in a bothersome way.

Revolution Organic Green blends three varieties: Chun Mee, China Sencha and Idulgashenna—the latter I hadn't heard of before. I don't know what each contributes, but the combination of them yields a delicious drink bereft of any irritating elements. Kudos to at least one IHOP for serving a high-quality green tea that still certainly makes a nice profit, at the prices such places usually charge for hot tea.

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