I've gotta pay better attention

I like to use glass jars for storage in the kitchen.  It helps me keep track of how much I've got of this or that, the sealed containers keep uninvited guests (of the six legged variety) from obtaining unauthorized snacks, and glass is easily recyclable.

I also regularly use large mason jars to make sun tea.

The other day I was mindlessly setting up a jar with fresh water and tea bags.  I set it out and forgot about it as is usual.  But this time, when I glanced out later in the day to see if the steeping process had reached an acceptable end point, I was surprised to see barely any color at all.

As a matter of fact, it didn't really look much like tea at all.  It looked more like, well, some other liquid that has barely any color to it.  

I brought the jar in, took the tea bags out, and shrugged.  I knew I'd drink the tea, super weak or not. Having left it out twice as long as usual already, I figured those tea bags had given their all, even if that all did not appear to be very much.

The tea in question

It was not until I was making a fresh batch the next day that I figured out the problem.  I typically grab four bags of Earl Grey tea per water filled mason jar.  That day, I'd mistakenly grabbed four bags of green tea, instead.

Yup - I could have left those green tea bags steeping in water for weeks and it would never have developed any more "color".  Both varieties come from the same company so the outside of the bags look the same and you have to actually read the printed labels to keep things properly sorted out.

In other words, you, or in this case, I, must pay the teensiest bit of attention to what you are doing.  Once I had Earl Grey tea bags back into the act in a new batch the next day I had nicely colored tea almost before I'd gotten back inside my house.

Earl Grey after about three minutes steeping in the sun

Seriously you guys, I'd thought my tea bags were broken or something.