Second Cuppa

Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend Review

Good decaf tea doesn’t really exist. When the caffeine is removed from tea, so is the flavor, and Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend is no exception.

If you must have decaf tea, though, I can give you a couple of reasons to choose this product. Tetley uses ethyl acetate, a solvent with no harmful effects, to strip the tea of its caffeine, whereas other major use methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.

Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend smells like seaweed, unlike its caffeinated counterpart which has a mossy aroma typical of ‘English breakfast’ teas. It tastes like seaweed too if you let it linger too long on the tongue, but overall the taste is okay compared to other decafs I’ve tried.

I’ve discovered that two decaffeinated tea bags are required to get the same full-bodied characteristic of the caffeinated version. Though I haven’t tried it, I bet a little squirt of honey might counter some of the seaweed funkiness.

As far as decaf tea goes, Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend is all right. I’m just not comfortable calling it tea.

Aroma:	Seaweed
Body:	Full (if brewed with two tea bags)
Flavor:	Nondescript
Color:	Dark

Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea Review

The box is green of course, with an image of a fertile Irish landscape by the sea. Second flush Assam paired with Kenya tea creates ‘a hearty, full-bodied blend,’ reads the copy on the package of Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea.

The pleasantly sweet aroma of the dry tea leaves sets a high expectation. Add boiling water, wait for 3–5 minutes, and you end up with something slightly tamer than Irish tea should be.

Earth, moss, and tree bark come to mind when trying to describe the aroma. Gone is the sweetness of the dry leaf. Also missing is the astringent punch common among Irish tea brands like Punjana and Barry’s.

But Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast tea isn’t a complete dud. I drink it occasionally in the late morning or early afternoon to help my brain function. It’s a simple, smooth tasting tea at an affordable price.

Aroma:	Mossy, earthy
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Smooth, kind of flat
Color:	Dark

5 Obstacles to a Successful Midlife Career Change and How to Deal with Them

Switching careers midway through life or well into an established first career can be a difficult but worthwhile journey. Just over four years ago, I decided to switch professions at 38 years old, after 12 years’ worth of toil in another line of work, and during the worst economic climate I hope to ever know. Not very far into my new career, my first child was born.

Despite imperfect personal and financial conditions, I felt I had no choice but to try something new and interesting. Call it career fatigue or a midlife crisis, it was time to switch gears.

The following are obstacles I have either faced or currently confront as I progress in my new profession:

Money

Expect to make less of it and plan appropriately. My wife and I had to drastically cut back on our discretionary spending after I left my well-paying IT job. I’m sure this is one of the biggest reasons people decide against changing careers.

Save as much money as you can before leaving your current job, then prepare to live on less for a while.

Decisions

So what exactly do you want to do with your life? I’m still not sure the answer to that question, but I feel like I’m on the right track. When the opportunity to change directions presented itself, I had a few interests I wanted to pursue: writing, internet marketing, and web design.

I wrote pieces for internet content sites. I took a low-paying contract gig managing pay-per-click campaigns. I designed a website for a friend. I took an editing class. I worked as a copywriter for a web design agency. I started an internet marketing business. Now I work full-time for a large hospitality company.

Explore your interests and see where they lead you.

Finding Work

This is tough. A polished resume (hire a professional if necessary) that makes your past skills relevant to a new industry is important. One thing that worked for me was accepting low-paying jobs and/or free assignments to help build my credentials.

Check out some local Meetup groups related to your new line of work and consider joining professional associations. This way, you can learn new things and network at the same time.

Learning and Acceptance

It takes several years to become good at something. You may suck at first, but eventually you’ll gain competence and confidence.

Accept that you are a neophyte, try not to get too flustered when you make mistakes, and ask lots of questions. Enjoy the learning process.

Change of Status

I don’t command the salary or respect I used to. I went straight from being a Cisco network administrator, responsible for the communication equipment of an entire toll road system, to a web content writer. I now work for a large hotel chain as a content editor and copywriter, and nobody there gives a crap about my past … and why should they?

Don’t let your change in rank get you frustrated. If you’re learning new things, having fun in your new profession, and making money, then you’re doing fine. You may miss certain things about your last career, but keep in mind the reasons that made you leave it behind in the first place.

Bewley’s Gold Blend Tea: Smooth Move

Another Irish tea review, another notch under my belt. It seems I’ve gone through most of the major Irish brands except for Nambarrie.

Bewley’s Gold Blend Tea lives up to the ‘Gold’ in its name — that is, if ‘Gold’ means a rich, rounded taste. Included in the blend are Assam, Kenyan, and Rwandan teas.

This tea does not offer great contrast in aroma and flavor; it’s a simple, singular tea with a creamy texture and smooth ending — no bright notes or astringent finish.

Brewed for the right length of time — 2–3 minutes in my opinion — the resulting tea has a full, thick, and silky body. This tea is still strong, so I take mine with milk and honey. Be careful not to oversteep.

Aroma:	Mossy, chalky, sweet
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Creamy, malty
Color:	Dark amber

My Inaugural Japanese Sencha

Adagio Sencha Overture Tea Review

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President Obama’s second inauguration, and a day off from work — what to do? Try a new tea, that’s what.

I’ve heard lots of good things about Japanese green tea, so I decided to initiate myself with a sample of Sencha Overture from Adagio Teas. Green tea (this one in particular) is delicate and must be brewed at a lower temperature than black tea. Sometimes a little trial and error is necessary to find the optimal temperature.

In my first attempt, I steeped the loose tea leaves in 170°F water for two minutes, as recommended on the packaging. The result was too bitter for my taste, so I did some research.

I found instructions on a website dedicated to Japanese tea which suggested brewing in 158°F water for one minute. By the way, I boiled the water, poured it into a Pyrex measuring cup, stuck a meat thermometer in it, and waited until the water cooled down to the right temperature before adding it to the tea leaves. Success!

This brew, light green in color, has a heartier texture than I expected, yet it delivers a fairly clean finish. Its strong aroma can be likened to freshly cut grass or seaweed. If you want bitterness, steep a little longer or at a higher temperature like I did the first time.

Aroma:	Freshly cut grass, seaweed
Body:	Light to medium
Flavor:	Sour, sweet, and bitter
Color:	Light green; tea becomes cloudy after a minute or so