Breakfast Blend

mmmm another tea from this morning that accompanied me to the mall. I added a splash of maple syrup to this one and again, it made me happy. While not my favourite blend from fortnum, it is still pretty decent!

SIPDOWN!

Yay! If I can get a few more down I may possibly be able to order some Earl Grey Cheesecake and Peanut butter cup black! I better spend most of my day drinking, which was what I was planning on anyway so yay again!

I remember how bitter this was from last time so I bumped the time down to 3 minutes, which I almost never do with black teas. I also found some of the Nestle Bliss creamer (only sugar and milk and cream as ingredients) so I wanted to give that a try in this to see what happened.

Hmm… By itself the flavor is a bit mellower but still bitter. I also think I’m getting some flavor contamination as I’m picking up some fruity notes which shouldn’t be there :(. Yeah, even at three minutes this is still a blend that requires additives.

So, a splash of creamer it is! This solves the astringency problem well but now I feel like I’ve lost the tea-ness of it. I don’t think there was any winning with this one for me: it’s undrinkable plain and not quite strong enough to hold its own at the minimum steep time. I’m glad I got to try it but I’d much prefer Uptons East Frisian BOP for my breakfast.

On to other teas then!

I’m feeling really broken today. Drained, defeated, devastated. If only tea could cure what ails me. “There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.” – Aragorn

I burnt my entire mouth yesterday on homemade beef stew, so it probably wasn’t smart to try out a new tea this morning. I think I may have about 2 taste buds left on my tongue. From the little I can taste, this may be the perfect breakfast tea. Thanks to Sil for this sample!

The leaf is a fairly broken orange pekoe assam that brews quickly to a deep orange red. It smells sweet and fruity with a liberal dose of malt. The flavour is kind of similar to Ahmad’s Kalami Assam without the baked goods note and syrupy texture and a bit more malt. Brewed at @ 92°C. There is a touch of sparkling astringency and dryness from the Tannins in the aftertaste, although the first sips are quite smooth. The tea itself is sweet, with hints of plum and sweet cherry above the malt. Nice uncomplicated breakfast tea.
1tsp/92°C/225ml
Thanks Dexter3657 for the chance to try this tea!

Thanks Sil for this sample. I’ve been drinking it at work today and was pleasantly surprised. I would say that I normally like single teas rather than blends, but this is a good one. It’s just a little “brisk” for my tastes, but all in all pretty good.

This tea is a gift from a friend of mine. She bought it at the Picadilly store when she visited London.

I took all the caution for the preparation and as I read on tin (in very small characters) that it was a strong tea, I decided not steeping it too long.

Good idea, because it is really a strong tea ! Waouh it’s a real breakfast tea : it sounds the bugle to ensure you are awake.

The palate is heavily malted with a light bitterness after taste. No doubt it’s robust as assam can be.

I had it plain with sugar and I liked it but I’d like to try with a cloud of milk next time.

Backlog: woke up with this one this morning and it was good. Not particularly memorable though. Sorry Breakfast tea!

You will be so awake! Yes.

Was a little freaked out at first—to me this is a tea that NEEDS milk, which isn’t something I say very often—but as soon as I add some it becomes scrumptious. Really good! I get hints of cocoa, and the milk smooths out some of the tannins but they’re strong enough what’s left is a nice velvety softness, with contours or bumps or something that are welcome, not uncomfortable. I also appreciate the opacity in the cup when milk’s added; like a good dutiful breakfast blend, it doesn’t fade to dishwater but turns that lovely “creamy coffee” hue, with those pearl pink undertones. I could definitely drink this first thing regularly (provided I’ve got milk!). Yum. Thanks so much Dexter3657 for giving me the chance to try it; I’ve been curious a long time about it and am pleased it lives up to my hopes! Makes me feel willing to, at some point when I can get back on the horse with tea orders (ha), give F&M’s classic blends a shot.

Another BBBB offering from Sil, even bolder & maltier, this one has a bitter edge like coffee. It’s called breakfast blend, but I’m having it as an after breakfast blend, while we watch the first episode of the 5th season of Supernatural. Addiction runs deep…

Another tea from a swap with Sil.

This is a bold breakfast blend. The assam is malty. I want to say its robust, but I would not normally have used that term to describe it until I read the description. There is a roasty taste to it and there is a very slight sweetness to the tea, but it does leave a bitter aftertaste.

This does make a good breakfast tea, gives a kick to start the day.

Thanks again Sil!