For background, Cain's has a similar-sounding black tea that I've seen sold in stores here in Oklahoma for many years, but haven't tried yet. It comes in large-sized bags for the purpose of brewing a couple quarts at a time to make iced tea, but I don't know if it's the same blend of pekoes as this single-serving, food-service iteration that I procured at a diner. So I'll review this one on its own merit and perhaps obtain the big-bag stuff in the future. If it's like this version, however, motivation will be difficult.

I found the potency of body and flavor of this tea marginally improved over the decaf version already reviewed, and packaged the same way, but this caffeine-carrying tea still was uninspiring, even for a food-service product. The grade would have been a little higher across the board, were it not for a bothersome level of astringency—strongly in the taste, but even noticeable in the dry-bag scent. I haven't experienced vividly astringent-smelling dry tea before. If one somehow could ignore that aspect, or strip it away, this might be a good-quality bagged black tea on par with the higher echelon of food-service offerings; alas, the "witch hazel" effect detracts just enough to be a handicap. How can I tell? The wet-bag aroma didn't have it (washed out in the steeping, I presume), and offered a scent more enjoyable than either the taste or dry aroma.

Add your own review

Login or Sign Up to comment on this review.