Just got my first batch of these. Here's a rundown of my first cup:- 10 oz. Brita-filtered water, boiled in Cuisinart Perfect Temp Kettle for "Green Tea," 175 degrees Farenheit setting. Steeped for 5 minutes (I like my tea strong).- Color: pale yellow- Flavor: light grassy, sweet, floral -- VERY different from Japanese heavy-earthy green tea flavor- Tea Leaves: not quite as full and long as loose leaf, not quite the dusty "tips" of other inexpensive brands. More like a chopped up loose leaf. Bonus for the USDA organic certification.Overall, a nice evening cup of tea in the winter for me, and definitely a tasty green tea. It's also nice that the company seems invested in its farmers, even though it's not fair trade certified.My big issue with the tea is the packaging. I wouldn't mind having this same volume of tea packaged in a tin can or big sealable bag. I believe the individual packaging is somewhat wasteful, even if their intentions are good in preserving individual flavor. And the pyramid bags. Jeez, nylon? Steeping a synthetic polymer (read: plastic) in hot water somewhat defeats the purpose of buying an organic product.If you do buy these tea bags in 100 packs like I did, you might just want to cut open the tea bags and empty them into a tea ball infuser. If Vadham was looking to improve the packaging, I'd encourage non-bleached pyramid bags. If those interfere with freshness, just give us the large sealable bag of loose leaf tea. Surely if we're willing to spend $30 on 100 bags of a nice quality tea, we're willing to buy $3 tea infusers to get the best drinking experience too.
