Drank a black tea the other day, a Decaf Monk's Blend from Darlene's Teaport on Ebay as well as another of her teas. It had an unusual aftertaste that I think is a pesticide taste. The question is, how do you tell the difference between what may just be bad cheap tea and decent tea that has an abundance of pesticide residue. The kicker is it bothered my stomach too.
I brewed the Decaf Monk's Blend again today to confirm. This time I reduced the temperature, amount of tea leaf, and steeping time. It still had an unusual aftertaste but not as pronounced.
Chemical Taste in Black Teas
I'm not 100% sure on decaf loose leaf tea but I'm pretty sure it's a solvent wash that removes the caffeine (I know they're moving towards super critical CO2 but I dunno if that's implemented yet or what) so it's less likely pesticide more likely solvent, if anything at all!!i don't think pesticides are detectable by the palette, or at least I've never noticed
Re: Chemical Taste in Black Teas
I also believe it is the solvent that removes the caffeine that is the problem.Pesticide's are very hard too detect and shouldn't give a 'chemical' taste.For a full explanation you could check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination.