One of the nice things about reviewing this tea is not having to worry about the brand name. I think I can safely say that everyone reading this review, no matter what country they are reading from, has heard of Paul Newman. Either by his work as an actor, director, Indy Car owner and of course his "All profits to Charity" food brand. My kids love his cheese pizza, I enjoy his salsa, so without making any Failure to Communicate references, on with the review.
Aroma
The Newman box is not your typical TBDB since it has no retail opening tab. You pull off a strip from the side, open the box and find 20 individually wrapped bags inside. The statement about Newman's Own Foundation and royalties found right next to where the strip is pulled off is the same on the tea bag. I personally like when the steeping instructions are on the bag and on the box but it's hard to complain when the foundation has donated (from the box) over $450 millions dollars to charity. Once you rip one of the bags open you are greeted with a very mild hint of citrus but very little tea aroma. When you take the bags out you will not find any staples which is a good thing. This tea is listed as organic so there will be no metal in this drink. So what is creating such a mild aroma, from the box:
Steeping Instructions
From the hot tea section, on the side of the box:
1. Bring Fresh water to a rolling boil.
2. Pour water over a tea bag and brew for 3 - 5 minutes.
3. Remove tea bag.
Good range of times but I will of course stress test this tea.
The Results
Starting with the 3 minute steep time, I got a very light aroma along with a very light colored tea. The
flavor was pretty much what you expect when everything else is so light. Very thin, very bland and no finishing complexity at all. I let the cup cool a bit but nothing changed.
The 4 minute steep time really didn't improve much. I took pictures of both 3 and 4 and quite honestly couldn't see a difference. The aroma and flavor again matched the color. Very thin, very bland with no finishing changes. Letting the cup cool again did not change anything.
The final time from the box, 5 minutes, did provide some darkening of the tea but it didn't really improve the flavor. This tea is very thin and very light. It might be one of the lightest teas I've reviewed in a while. Whether that is by design or not I don't know. The only mention of how this tea is supposed to taste is this statement from the box, "This blend offers a crisp refreshing taste sensation [sic]".
With the above results in mind, I was very curious to see how this tea reacted to my stress testing. The results proved both interesting and surprising. At the 10 minute mark, yes I said 10 minutes, I finally got a tea where there was some balance, an acceptable amount of flavor and a decent color. Mind you this is still a lighter tea but at least at this time it had some Earl Grey flavors. Letting it cool did not improve it.
Re-Steeping
Given how thin this tea is on the first steep I can't suggest it, even those who like a very lite re-steep.
Final Thoughts
Given the brand name I will admit I was expecting a good quality tea. Unfortunately that's not what I got. What I got was an extremely light tea that did not have the flavors I look for in a good Earl Grey. To be honest, I cannot suggest this tea to anyone except those who want an organic tea from a respected company and enjoy very light teas. As always if you have tried this tea please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Aroma
Organic Black Tea, Organic Oil of Bergamot.Needless to say this is like my ultimate ingredients list. Two items, both organic. And not just organic but USDA organic and again from the box:
"Certified by QAI"To end, and to complete this section, the only thing holding the bag and tabs together are knots of string. In my opinion, this should be SOP for all tea houses by now.
Steeping Instructions
From the hot tea section, on the side of the box:
1. Bring Fresh water to a rolling boil.
2. Pour water over a tea bag and brew for 3 - 5 minutes.
3. Remove tea bag.
Good range of times but I will of course stress test this tea.
The Results
Starting with the 3 minute steep time, I got a very light aroma along with a very light colored tea. The
The 4 minute steep time really didn't improve much. I took pictures of both 3 and 4 and quite honestly couldn't see a difference. The aroma and flavor again matched the color. Very thin, very bland with no finishing changes. Letting the cup cool again did not change anything.
The final time from the box, 5 minutes, did provide some darkening of the tea but it didn't really improve the flavor. This tea is very thin and very light. It might be one of the lightest teas I've reviewed in a while. Whether that is by design or not I don't know. The only mention of how this tea is supposed to taste is this statement from the box, "This blend offers a crisp refreshing taste sensation [sic]".
With the above results in mind, I was very curious to see how this tea reacted to my stress testing. The results proved both interesting and surprising. At the 10 minute mark, yes I said 10 minutes, I finally got a tea where there was some balance, an acceptable amount of flavor and a decent color. Mind you this is still a lighter tea but at least at this time it had some Earl Grey flavors. Letting it cool did not improve it.
Re-Steeping
Given how thin this tea is on the first steep I can't suggest it, even those who like a very lite re-steep.
Final Thoughts
Given the brand name I will admit I was expecting a good quality tea. Unfortunately that's not what I got. What I got was an extremely light tea that did not have the flavors I look for in a good Earl Grey. To be honest, I cannot suggest this tea to anyone except those who want an organic tea from a respected company and enjoy very light teas. As always if you have tried this tea please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
