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Shanie O Maniac drank Pancake Breakfast by 52teas

194 tasting notes

Huzzah for new tea!

So, this is one of the new acquisitions for the month. It’s only the third one I’ve tried, but it smells heavenly in the bag. You can really smell the maple and pancakes!

So time to dive in!

Flavor without additions – Hmm… it’s ok. I can taste a bit of pancake, maybe if I squint? The maple is also there, but it isn’t as nice a maple as I like. If you gave this to me without any sugar and asked me to name the flavor, I wouldn’t be able to. So, time for Splenda.

Ok, so I used two splendas, and I think that’s too much. Now all I taste is sweet. There’s very little balance. The only flavor of pancake I get is on the after sip. It does smell like pancakes and syrup though. Hang on, let me try again.

Ok, full cup with one Splenda is much better. I’m getting the pancake flavor better now (although it’s really hot and burned my mouth- oops). I can really taste the maple goodness, which is lovely. With only one Splenda, it still isn’t overpoweringly-sweet, which is something I always associate with actual pancake syrup, but that could just be because I have been using Sugar-Free syrup for so long, and that stuff is a billion times sweeter than real maple syrup.

Other flavors I notice… hmm, Ok, so I don’t know how to describe this. I used to be a smoker, and Camels were my brand of choice. When I was quitting, I used “Turkish Tobacco” flavored vapes to stop… that flavor profile of the Camel vape? There is a strong note of that here. I can’t describe it any other way. It’s like a caramel-like, and mild bitterness, with a malt aftertaste? I’m pretty sure I’m describing this wrong. My palate isn’t very refined these days, and I have a hard time putting what I taste into words. It’s not bad, mind you. Honestly, despite being quit for a year and a half, I welcome the flavor back. I’ve missed that flavor.

All in all, please don’t let my review scare you. This is a wonderful tea, it really is. I’m trying to do a better job of describing the flavors, and it’s all coming out word salad. So forgive me guys. I love this. I just can’t fully describe the goodness of it for the life of me.

Flavors: Bitter, Malt, Maple, Sweet, Tobacco

Preparation

Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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HELLO! My name is Shanie and I love tea!

While I have always loved various types of tea, for a very long time it came exclusively from a grocery store. It’s only been a year or so now that I’ve gotten into loose leaf. As such, there will likely be tasting notes I do for bagged tea as well as good quality (and not so good quality) loose leaf teas. I’m still learning as I go so have patience please!

Right now, I am on a massive Earl Grey kick. So if a ton of my notes are just various varieties of EG, that’s why!

Some of my favorite flavors include: Cocoa, Malt, Bread, Honey, Earthy, Sweet Citrus, Caramel, Apple, Spices, and Cinnamon.

Some flavors I don’t like: Licorice, Coconut, Bitey Citrus (like Citric Acid), Licorice, Sour, Smoke, Overpowering Fake Vanilla, Stevia, and did I mention Licorice?

NOTE: I am Type 2 Diabetic. As such, I can really not have sugar added to tea without suffering problems. This prohibits me from using either plain sugar or honey. Instead, I use Splenda as I found my system can handle it well and I like the flavor. I try to avoid stevia as I’ve found it often ruins the flavor of tea. However, not all teas require sweetener, and some are better without. Because of this, if I add sweetener to a tea, I will mention it in the tasting note and say what kind and how much. Usually, I sweeten flavored and herbal teas but leave true teas unsweetened. There are exceptions, but this is a general rule of thumb to go by.

Almost all of the tea I brew is western style. I occasionally do grandpa, but pretty much never Gong-fu. I do own a Gaiwan, but it never gets used. Considering I don’t have a “sip setting” when it comes to beverages, it’s really hard for me to get into any sized amount less than 8oz at a time. I know that probably makes me a tea-heathen, but so be it. I like my mugs.

I have decided to try and make a scale for my ratings. So here goes.

As of January 2020.

100-91: These are my go-to favorites. I will likely go out of my way to always keep these on hand, including going on third party websites to obtain out of season.
90-81: This is a tea I really did enjoy, and I will likely purchase again. However, I wouldn’t go to the ends of the earth for it, and it isn’t my all-time favorite.
80-71 This is a tea that, while I may have somewhat enjoyed, something is holding me back from making it a mainstay. Maybe the flavor profile isn’t the best. Maybe there is an offputting aftertaste. It varies. But while I did like it and will continue to drink it, I don’t absolutely need it in my life, and while I will likely finish what I have, I may or may not get more.
70-61: This is a tea which I drank, but I didn’t like it. However, I didn’t hate it either. It wasn’t bad enough to dump, and if it is the only thing available to drink, I would likely drink it instead of plain water. But in the end, this is just not my literal cup of tea and I will likely not get this again.
60-51: This is something that I didn’t like much at all, but for one reason or another, refused to dump. If I squint hard enough and use my imagination, I can almost BS myself into thinking they are decent, and I suppose I can choke it down and not waste it. These are teas that I will not be buying again, and may not even finish what I have.
50-41: Yeah, whatever this is, I there’s a good chance I dumped it. At this level, it’s pretty bad stuff with either weak flavor, nasty flavor, or all the wrong flavors, It has few redeeming qualities, and I likely won’t reach for this one again. On the bright side, it isn’t sewage water, so there’s that.
40-31. On it’s best day this tea has no redeeming qualities. This not only got dumped but the package it came in either got thrown away, traded, or shoved to the back of the cupboard to never be touched again. Not the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, but darn sure close.
30-Under: The worst thing I’ve ever tasted. This not only has no redeeming qualities, but it is gag-inducing. “Teas” in this range are so bad I not only will never drink them again, I really don’t feel like offloading them onto anyone else because they are just that bad. Actual sewage water.

Location

Pennsylvania, US

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