My Tea Doesn't Taste the Same as it Did in the Shop/When I First Bought It

Possible Causes:

1. It’s probably the water: Your water may be too hot, too cold, contaminated, stale, or you are using too much or or too little of it.

• Use cold, filtered water to prepare your tea.
• Check the package to find out what the optimal temperature is for your tea water. If in doubt, call up the shop and ask.
• Follow the package instructions regarding how much water should be used in proportion to the dry leaf. Again, if you are confused, call up the shop and ask, and remember that not all mugs/cups are the same size.

2. When you brought your tea home, where did you store it? If you stored your tea in a spice cabinet or in the fridge, it’s probably ruined: Tea absorbs odors like a sponge, and moisture is bad for tea.

• Tea should be stored in tins, and in a cool, dry place away from other foodstuffs.

3. The tea shop used sugar or other sweetening in the tea.

• If you bought a flavored tea or tisane that was being sampled in a shop, it may have been pre-sweetened. Ask the shop if the tea was sweetened, and what type of sweetening they used.