Royal Blend

Fortnum & Mason Advent Calendar 2021 – Day 1

Happy December, tea people! \o/

So happy that advent season is finally here! And I’m kicking it off with this first tea from Fortnum & Mason as my morning cuppa! This is one of their many breakfast blends, and it’s a blend of Ceylon and Assam. It doesn’t specify in what proportions sadly, though I guess that’s a bit much to expect heh.

I will say I can definitely taste both teas. Perhaps the Assam is slightly stronger? Although it does tend to be a beefier tea in general. I had originally planned to steep this for 2.5 minutes, as the leaves looked quite broken to me. But after seeing how quickly the water darkened after being poured in, I shortened it to just 2 minutes to be safe. And I’m glad I did, this is very flavorful but not bitter, and even with the short steep it has a moderate amount of astringency on the tail end.

I confess, the beginning of the sip tastes a bit like Lipton, perhaps from the Ceylon? But midway through, the dark brown sugar and raisin notes of the Assam come to the forefront. It’s very malty as well. The Ceylon seems to be adding “tea-ish” notes (lol) and a bit of a metallic edge. And then at the end, the tannins come out to play and take over the cup.

I added a glug of oat milk to the second half of the cuppa, which smoothed out the dryness perfectly but also brought out a slightly musty flavor. I’m not generally a breakfast blend sort of person, as I don’t often add milk to my tea, which is almost expected for these types of blends. That being said, I’m excited to explore a few more that I know are hiding somewhere in this calendar! It’s always fun to go outside your tea comfort zone. ❤

ETA: Almost forgot about the Bonne Maman jam!

Today was Rhubarb-Strawberry Spread and it was wonderful slathered on the very last leftover Thanksgiving roll. I adore rhubarb. The end!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW9ig19NOOT/

Fortnum & Mason Sachet Advent

I bought the sachet advent knowing that some of the teas would be the same as the ones I had last year in the advent with tins, which we also purchased the refill for this year. Buying the refills meant that you know which teas are when – no surprises – but you can choose to put them in the calendar in the order they were in the box or move them around a bit, which is what I did. Even last year, not everyone’s teas were in the same order, but they were close,

The first sachet is one I have had. It isn’t terrible but I would not buy it if I saw it in a store. My first thought on sipping it this morning was, “King Edward wasn’t very picky.”

More charitably, I will say it is an unspectacular British style breakfast tea, not as strong as a builder’s tea, but not very fancy. Decent Assam and Ceylon. It has a bit of a metallic taste and is easily drinkable without milk and sugar. It could also easily accommodate those if you like your tea that way. This is definitely a daily drinker to me and not very Royal.

One of A’s friends brought this back when she was last in the UK and I figured I would make it this afternoon in the interest of a sipdown.

This is a somewhat intense black breakfast-ish tea. It’s definitely got some astringency and would probably be better with milk and/or sugar.

An Ode to Tea challenge – R

Sipdown!  I REALLY need to get to trying a few of these other neglected teas that Meowster sent me ages ago.  I actually cringe while thinking of them, the teas patiently waiting.  I finished this one though?  A nice thick, strong breakfast blend – tasting slightly of tomato soup and pumpernickel bread.  Nice to try it!
2021 sipdowns:49 (This + 52Teas – Gingerbread House genmaicha)

Found another tea bag of this blend in my huge bags section; and it is same as last time.

Nice blend, if you are looking for basic black tea. Robust, malty black tea, bit tannic, but without any moments that make it memorable and unique experience.

Good for mornings though :)

Advent Day 9

This is mild and sweet on the sip. A little bitter at the back of the sip and slightly malty in the finish. Seems like a solid tea, but it doesn’t have that much going on. Adding cream makes it a little more interesting, but not by much.

I might have a bad batch, but same bad taste after third cup. Might work with those liking splash of milk in the tea. Not for me.

Picked several of this brand of tea up at Williams Sonoma the other day, They sell high end products so I suspected the teas they sell would be good. This tea is good but it is very strong. I put sugar into black teas so I am drinking this with a small amount of sugar. I think without the sugar it would be too strong for my tastes. It’s not so strong as to need milk in my opinion although as this is a British style blend I suspect it is made with mild and sugar in mind. I am not sure if Fortnum and Mason is an American company or a British company but they are an old brand. This tea has a bit of a fruity note and I do like it. I don’t necessarily know that I would buy it again.

I steeped this tea once in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 3 minutes.

I picked a tin of this up for my mom as a birthday gift while visiting my now-fiancé in London a couple of years ago. It’s certainly a bold blend, heavy on the Assam. It’s quite malty, nothing too complex. It’s a fairly standard breakfast blend, and though I’m enjoying it it’s probably not one I’ll restock since it’s a little on the pricey side. Still, it makes for a satisfying cup first thing in the morning.

This is an okay blend; not particularly great – a bit bland, bitter, and some astringency.