This tea came from a chain motel in the Nebraska Panhandle. I rather enjoyed it on their breakfast area the morning I first chugged a cup, and the water is decent in the town; still, I took another bag home to review after brewing it up on my own well water. Before the pour, I did the usual dry-bag sniff. The aroma was mild but pleasant, and somewhat like corn or malt.

Next came the steeping, then came the peeping. It looked really dark and dense, quickly. What is it with some food-service teas that turn dark really fast? This one is fairly finely chopped, but not as much so as many others bagged teas, name-brand or off-brand. The leaves also didn't leach color when I put a little cold water through part of the bag (a test to detect added artificial coloration tipped off to me by admin Alex).

Upon commencing the chug-a-lug, it became apparent why: this is just a decently strong, uncommonly smooth tea for anything bagged, much less a food-service brand. Like Farmer Brothers, this outfit selects its leaves with some degree of concern for the drinker. I know that should be normal in the ideal world, but we know it ain't often the reality. It was very even-keeled, very slightly astringent and bitter, but not excessively either. I actually picked up a reasonably obvious malty flavor in this, too. Could the blend have some Assam in it? It seems quite unlike cheap tea to contain some, but the home chug confirmed that my first experience up on the High Plains wasn't just psychedelic hallucinations of good taste. It really is a decent cup.

House Recipe won't bedazzle the discriminating palate with otherworldly complexity or an exquisite kaleidoscope of flavors evolving by the millisecond, but you certainly could do worse than this if you find some at a hotel, conference or catered event.

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