My anticlimactic experience with green tea

Some of you may remember my first experience drinking tea. It was a roaring success that has sparked many an afternoon tea since.

But as much as I have come to love a warm cup of tea, in the last six years, I’ve still only had breakfast and chai. Most of my hesitance for trying other varieties just comes from not wanting a full box of tea in my pantry that I find out I never want again—kind of a lame excuse, I know.

But when it comes to green tea, I’ve actively avoided it. Maybe it’s the child in me who still thinks anything green must be gross. Or maybe it’s because health gurus talk about green tea, and health gurus and I don’t often agree on much. But green tea has always made the whole “leaves steeped in water” concept too real for me.

This week, despite the unseasonably warm weather, I decided to get cozy on my couch with a mug of green tea.

I expected this to be a clear-cut, black-and-white experience. I’d know right away that I either loved or hated this drink. As I waited for it to cool down a bit (don’t worry, I did my research and didn’t let the water come to a boil), I immediately noticed a glaring divergence from my expectations.

The tea wasn’t green!

I did a triple-take of the box, which confirmed that this was, apparently, green tea. I also googled images of green tea, which confirmed that it is, apparently, not always that green.

It was time for the first sip. Although I once feared the color of this tea, the neutral tones felt like a misdirection that was throwing me off my game even more.

I took one tiny, reluctant sip and was sure that I must’ve burnt my tongue. Surely the mug was still too hot, causing me to misjudge the flavor!

Not so, dear reader.

In all my years of avoiding green tea, I never once imagined that drinking it would taste like this:

Exactly the f***ing same as black tea.

I’m sorry for swearing, Mom, but I’m still in disbelief over here. The was NO discernible difference—in taste or color—between my familiar breakfast teas and my newly acquired green tea.

HOW ANTICLIMACTIC.

Did I buy too cheap a brand? Are there different green varieties that I should be trying? Is matcha what I’m really afraid of? I mean, don’t get me wrong—I happily drank the whole cup. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed that green tea didn’t distinguish itself a bit more.

Please help me understand. Sign off in the comments below or on Instagram @thepickyeaterchronicles. And happy tea season!