Since finding their regular bagged tea a couple years ago, I was hoping to run across the decaf version for a taste test too, and also, for a pre-bedtime black-tea chug after another day spent roaming the highways and byways of this land. For some reason, outside of the occasional Bigelow bag, it's hard to find decaf black teas in lodging. Finally this year, in a La Quinta in the Texas Panhandle, I was able to grab some of this product.

Similarly to the regular tea, Royal Cup's decaf is finely chopped into a two-part bag, in turn packaged in a non-waxed/non-coated paper wrapper. There wasn't much dry-bag scent, but the flavor and in-cup aroma came out nicely in the dark brew. I didn't get as much of a papery taste as from the regular version, but the flavor (while moderately strong) was also rather plain, slightly less rich and somewhat flatter overall. I've read that such a state is common with decaf black tea, and this one's no exception. Regardless, I've had worse...hardly a resounding endorsement, I know, but it is a passable decaf that probably beats about 2/3 of the name-brand decaf bagged black teas I've had.

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