English Tea No. 1

I thought I would start today by going another steep with yesterday’s leaf. I really expected a lifeless cup that I would pour out after a few drinks. This is the 3rd steep of an inexpensive tea. Steeped 6 minutes with boiling water. When the cup is really hot it is a bit bland, but when the cup cools the flavor jumps out. It isn’t as bold as yesterday but then my first steep was way too long (4 minutes). I think if you keep the first cup at 3 minutes or less all three steeps would be pretty even. Ahmad is a champion at inexpensive blends. Worthy of a try.

A review of English Tea No. 1 by Ahmad Tea
I left tea to infuse for a good five minutes and enjoyed smelling the simple malt scent of this tea that is lightly flavored with bergamot.

The color is a darken amber and it as rich as it is full-bodied. There is no astringency, nothing to not like about this blend. It truly is well balanced in aroma, the color stays the same for several infusions and the strength in tea’s character remains as when first tasted.

It is an excellent cup of tea with last infusion it reminds me of the London Cuppa. It still leaves the palette dry when first tasted, a back of throat kind of dryness. Not syrup or licorice like. It is like dry white wine or vodka, but more wine dryness than anything else.

My first cup of the day – this is really a good tea, which is especially surprising to me since it’s a bagged tea. I like it a lot.

It is bold and the bergamot is light. Smooth and delicious.

I picked this tea up when I was visiting an Iranian friend in Victoria – apparently this is one of his favorite teas. For a bagged tea it’s not bad at all. The addition of the bergamot gives the tea a subtle earl grey flavour, though this is more apparent when the tea is taken plain rather than with milk. It has a hearty, robust kick to it but at the same time it’s smooth enough that it can be drunk without milk if you prefer your tea with no additives.

1 bag for 250 mL water @100C, steeped 5 minutes, drunk bare.

I got a chest of Ahmad bagged tea last night: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, and this rather scientific sounding English Tea No 1. I was dubious: light with bergamot, huh?

It’s pretty good. The tea base is strong, with lots of copper notes from a Ceylon. The bergamot is very light, giving a dry mouth-feel, dry like white wine, but without any acidity. I like this much more tha I thought I would.

Ahmad just might be my favourite for bagged tea, Ahmad and Stash.

Just finishing up a cup of this! Bold for bagged! :)

The bergamot is perfectly in the background and the black tea in the front – I like this!

I need to get moving. This tea makes a virtue of necessity. Its brisk and fruity with just enough caffeine to start moving. I might be noticing a hint of dairy, or there just might not be enough caffeine.

I really enjoy this tea. With the bergamot it starts hinting at an earl grey, but with all the best breakfast tea qualities too. It’s really well balanced for my sensibilities of what I would like first thing in the morning as I wake up.

Smooth flavor, like an English Breakfast tea, but with a subtle peppery kick, perhaps from the bergamot. No bitterness. I would probably not go out of my way to buy this, but I will enjoy what I have in the sampler set.

A good, bold black tea. Reminiscent of Earl Grey in its citric hint, which may vary with the brewing time. A tasty cup anytime of day.