 | "Although this high-octane caffeinated brew got me through many an all-nighter in college, this resurrected brew no longer holds any mystique for me."
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My box of Fast Lane Tea arrived today. I could barely contain my enthusiasm… this was a tea I remembered loving in the late 90s, which was discontinued by Celestial Seasonings and which I thought I’d never taste again. Miraculously, they brought it back after 7-8 years of petitions and letters from avid fanatics of the tea. Here it was. In my hands.
The tea smells like a spice-cake right out of the box; more specifically, like my grandmother’s zucchini bread. The taste is similar, though it has undertones and after-aromas of something akin to butterscotch. This is probably what drew me in to this tea to begin with. The mixtured tastes and aromas of zucchini bread and butterscotches immediately bring back fond memories of my grandmother.
After seven or eight years without Fast Lane Tea I was curious to see whether my tastes had changed any. And it seems they have. While I enjoyed this cuppa, and I tasted nothing in it that made me think they’ve changed the recipe at all since those halcyon days of the late 90s, it just didn’t strike the same “Wow!” factor it used to. Either my tastes have changed somewhat, or the absence of this tea on the shelves made me unconsciously prize it more than I otherwise may have done.
It still brings back fond memories, and I’ll certainly have no problem drinking this as a morning tea, but I probably won’t be purchasing it again. Maybe I’ve gotten a bit snobbish in my tastes here in the 21st century. I suppose back in the day the added caffeine was a big draw. Certainly it helped me through many an all-nighter. But these days I guess I’m just looking for more in a tea.
The love affair, it seems, is over. Like reuniting with a lover you lost long ago… someone for whom you’ve pined for years and years, who’s finally, miraculously, back in your arms. The first embrace brings back fond memories, but by the second or third kiss you’re left realizing its just not what it used to be.
So long, Fast Lane Tea - it was great while it lasted.
No, no… don’t cry.
It’s not you.
Its me.
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Stephen Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Stephen's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Stephen. |
June 8th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
I too was an avid drinker of Fast Lane, I too was sad when it was gone, and I too signed the petition MANY years ago.
The tea does taste the same to me, and does still pack the punch that it used to. But, there IS one difference between the version of Fast Lane that we have now, and the version from before; GINSENG. The discontinued version had caffeine AND ginseng, whereas the newer product has replaced the ginseng with Eleuthero (not sure what this is). I do recall a study report from several years ago stating that it’s a bad idea to mix caffeine and ginseng, so many this had something to do with it. But, over all, the taste is the same, and the “rush” is as well. I’ve been buying several boxes at a time at Wal-Mart for $1.90…. love it…
My Rating:
7/10