Taylors of Harrogate

Had a bag of this brewed up in my little two-cup teapot.
Upon removing the bag from the packaging, the firs thing I noticed was that it smelled like raisins…
The smell upon pouring the first cup, after about three minutes of steeping, was quite floral.
Perhaps it was something I had eaten earlier, but the flavours simply did not agree with my taste buds. I like floral teas, but this is one that makes it taste as though you’re drinking liquid flowers. Not very pleasant. Might have been better with some sugar or honey (though either of those may have overwhelmed the tea itself).

Edit: I later ended up dumping the rest of the small pot after only drinking about a third of it. Some people may like this tea, but I’m afraid I’m not among them.

I think I put too much sugar but I was a bit groggy when I made this so I consider it a win that nothing else was screwed up with this one. There’s a little nutty bitterness at the end of each sip that leaves a tacky feeling in my mouth, but otherwise this isn’t bad, especially for a tea I got at the grocery store. It’s very nutty and has a pretty decent body to it. Ultimately, though, for grocery store teas I prefer ToH’s Assam more than this blend.

My taste buds are still overly sensitive and wacky today but I figured I’d just go ahead and embrace it by having a strong tea, but at the same time I didn’t want to waste a really good tea (Thomas Sampson or Russian Blend, which were the other contenders) on my wonky taste buds. I did add a little extra sugar and half + half to smooth out the extra wonky and, all in all, it was a good plan. It was a bit overly strong (my fault, not the tea’s) but eventually my taste buds were beaten into submission and I was able to enjoy my first real morning tea in days. Yay tea!

I was in the mood for something stout and chewable. Okay, okay, I was in the mood for Thomas Sampson. But alas, I don’t have any and don’t plan to get more until next month. So I grabbed this one, added some sugar and some half and half (whole milk has seemed a little thin for me lately so I picked up some half and half at the store – mmm) and away we went.

Now my hands are shaking just a bit cause I made this a tad strong. Even with some sugar (a decent amount – about a tsp) and half and half, there was a hint of bitterness to this. Not so much bitter from overbrewing, but more like a nutty bitterness. So maybe I made it a little too strong or didn’t use enough additive. And it wasn’t quite the chewable, bake-y delight that is TS. But it had a good flavor, it was very bold, stout and gave me a good caffeine rush so it’ll do.

I added a good amount of sugar and milk (about 1.5 tsp each for my 12oz) to this tea this morning. While it won’t be mistaken for the most sophisticated cup, it’s got a good, relatively non-aggressive flavor for a Scottish breakfast that goes well with sugar and milk. But sometimes I just need a comfort cup of morning tea, not a nuanced and exotic one, and this one does pretty good at fitting the bill. Mind you, Thomas Sampson wins as far as the best comfort breakfast tea for me, but I am out until I reorder Series 2 so this is what I’ve got. And it works.

And updates! Things are in different places! Ah! Change! It’s too early! (Though I must say, I always enjoy the fonts Steepster uses – go Overlords on good font choices!)

Spiked this with a little milk just because. Smells very thick and full-bodied so I’m liking that. A bit cardboard-y but with a little lightness or sweetness or something to keep it from smelling flat.

Actually, it’s not quite as thick as it smells which is a little disappointing. There’s a bright note in the tea and I think that’s one reason it doesn’t taste quite and chewy but also there’s not quite the starchy texture I was hoping for based on the smell. But it’s not thin bodied so I’m okay. It has a very nutty aftertaste that is pleasant – it doesn’t show up ever sip but frequently enough. There’s a little bit of astringent tingle on my tongue that almost tastes bitter. Out of curiousity for the second half of my cup, I’ve added a little sugar. Doesn’t change a lot of it except smooth out that end taste so that’s good. The cardboard taste goes a little more towards a slightly sweeter malty taste, too. The nutty end taste is still there.

I don’t imagine this is one I’ll be having straight but I think it will be a good travel tumbler tea so over all I am pleased.

9g/24oz

Round and mellow if you let the boiling water cool slightly before steeping.

This tea does contain some very find particles, and if you don’t take care to shake them out of your strainer before steeping, they will settle in your cup and make your tea quite bitter. Taking care to remove the dust will produce a round, full cup without bitterness.

Prepared with my usual method, but turned out ridiculously bitter this morning. I poured it down the sink (which I almost never do). Not sure what happened here. Leaving my rating the same since it usually is pretty good.

Turned out a little bitter this morning. Perhaps a bit more dust than usual escaped through the strainer and has been sitting in the cup?

A flavorful version of English Breakfast with a hint of spiciness. Round and full mouth feel, especially with a few drops of milk. Great to wake up with.

Giving it another go this morning. A splash of milk to the cup helps cut the bitterness. I think the most I can say about it is that it’s solid – it has good mouth feel, appropriate body, and a decent flavor, but there’s not much that stands out about it. But looking at it another way, it’s a great no-nonsense tea when all you want is a warm cup to help perk you up.

A breakfast-style cut loose-leaf tea. The flavor is good, but there isn’t anything that really stands out about this tea either – let’s say that I am not anticipating another cup as soon as I am finished with the one I have. Still, a serviceable tea that is better than some others.

The greatest tea out there.

As I suspected with the mug I brewed this morning, this tea needs far less time to steep than the sort of tea I’m used to drinking. Brewing for 3 minutes instead of 4 produced a much more satisfying cup of tea. The first couple of sips tasted a little on the sour side, but after that it was a smooth typical English Breakfast kind of tea. I’m going to keep this set aside for afternoon drinking rather than my first morning cup.

(bagged version) I think I might have let this brew too long. I’m used to Assam-based blends that taste better with about 4 minutes of brewing. My first cup of this had a stewed taste. I also put too much soymilk in it, which is my fault and not the tea’s fault. I’m going to give it another chance or two, because I think this is preparation error and not an inherently bad tea. I’d also feel foolish for wasting the 38 sachets that are still in the box.

Left a bitter taste on my tongue so that all sips afterward (even with milk and sugar) tasted strange. Very astringent and not as good as Twinings. Can’t even imagine drinking this unadulerated.

Used up the last of this at my parents’ today. Yum!

Had another cup of this at my mum and dad’s house this afternoon. Perfect post-lunch pick me up.

This is seriously one of my favourite ‘strong black’ teas, it is a terrific breakfast cup or a pick me up for any time of the day. Deliciously flavoursome without being bitter or astringent. Takes milk and sugar well at a longer steeping time (5 mins). Wonderful deep colour as well.