Supreme Breakfast

A sample of this was given to me by a family member who likes tea…
I am not a big black tea fan, simply because I don’t want to get into something that has a lot of caffeine. I like both coffee and black tea, but I try not to drink it often for that reason.

But, I noticed this had a very slight initial astringency, followed by a slight and pleasant smokiness, and it ended with a very slightly sweet and ‘full bodied’ or ‘rounded’ flavor. Not sure exactly how to describe that last flavor that I tasted, but it was the main component of the tea and very pleasant.

So many black teas are named “_______ Breakfast Tea”… and this tea really felt like it belongs at breakfast time.

I wouldn’t buy this tea, but only because I’m not into black teas and don’t intend to get into them. But I will enjoy having a small sample of it, and would gladly drink a cup in the future if the opportunity arose.

This wonderful blend of Assam and Keemun make for a ‘supreme’ start to your day!

Supreme Breakfast is a very full-bodied, well-rounded blend. I find that it requires neither milk nor sugar to be fully enjoyed, though a very conservative amount of either is fine. In general I find Assam teas to be very round, earthy, soft, straightforward and robust, whereas Keemun teas have a thinner, darker, dryer, more rigid yet subtler character, occasionally too astringent for my taste. Supreme Breakfast is an excellent combination of these two teas. The hearty Assam softens the rigidity of the Keemun, removes its slight smokiness and rounds its edges without overwhelming its more subtle flavor, and the piercing quality of the Keemun cuts through the Assam’s simple, almost corpulent body to add a more nuanced taste and a much more interesting finish than either tea has on its own. It’s as if the Keemun is providing mature guidance and structure to the jolly, playful Assam in a shared quest to overwhelm your taste buds with flavor and depth. I highly recommend this tea.

Have tried this three times since buying a 4-ounce tin.

The multi-faceted bouquet of aroma comes through even with milk.
It seems like a holiday tea to me, with its strong layers of aroma and taste.

It almost seems as though there are added fragrances and flavors, although all that is the tea leaves themselves.

For me, it is not a daily morning tea, due to the plethora of smells and tastes.

If someone cannot drink teas with added flavors and fragrances, and would like to have a tea that has many aromas and multi-layered flavors on it own, this would be a good one to try.

If one wishes a basic, strong breakfast tea, this has so much more going on that the abundance of aroma and flavor might come as a surprise.

A very solid breakfast tea Good body to it. I might like more than Harney’s Malachi McCormick tea, but I need to do a tasting of them together to confirm that,

Another Harney sample from Ost. This one doesn’t need milk at all. It’s malty and dark. I like it!

A malty, slightly smoky tea with hints of cocoa (presumably from the Keemun). Nice, flavorful, and round but a bit on the brisk side for me at a 4-minute steep. I’m going to reduce to 3.5 or 3 minutes and see if it’s more to my palate.

The tea of the morning. The first thing I noticed about this tea is the slight smokiness and he more savory feel to it, than the East Frisian I have been drinking for the last few days. This is a combination of Assam + Keemun. This is smooth, more so than I would have thought. I am getting very little astringency surprisingly. After a few sips the cocoa notes from the keemun kick in and the Assam rounds out the flavor with a tad hint of malt. This is good, but I don’t think this is my favorite breakfast blend form H&S.

I was quite excited to try this tea this morning….I’ve grown to love Malachi McCormick from Harney, and this is what I believe to be an upgraded version with the Keemun being Hao Ya B. It is a “deeper” taste than Malachi. I can’t stand smokiness in teas (I’ve been chased out of my home by 2 wildfires, so the smell of smoke doesn’t cause particularly positive synapses to fire…. ) BUT this is a different smoke than those found in Russian Caravan teas. This is like the smell of a peat fire on a chilly evening in Dublin. It doesn’t overwhelm the malt, which for me usually happens. There is some astringency happening (if that what it means when you’re tongue feels dry when drinking the tea) I take all my tea with milk and sugar, and this handles it well. Overall, this would be a great try for someone who loves breakfast teas, as I do!

A good basic morning tea. I would have rated this tea much higher about 5 years ago. Although this is not a strictly Keemun tea, the Keemun really shinned through back then. Not as ‘supreme’ as I remember but still a good tea.