Irish Breakfast Tea

This is the first bagged tea I have really enjoyed hot. Granted, I have not tried many, but the ones I have tried are just too weak of a flavor for me. This tea is a big step up in strength from the English Breakfast blend, and also a big step up in flavor. In fact, it reminds me a lot of coffee. I drink it black, just like coffee, and it is very full bodied and malty without being the least bit bitter. This is definitely my go-to for bagged, unflavored black tea.

This is my go-to tea when I need caffeine, like this morning as we’re out of coffee at home. It’s reasonably priced but not cheap quality, and no matter how long I brew it, it doesn’t get a bitter or stringent flavor (which is good, because I drink my tea black). It ain’t coffee, but it’s damn good tea.

My favorite bagged tea at the moment. It’s so robust and flavorful, perfect for the cold morning or dreary day. Pick it up if you want a quick tea on a lazy day.

My favorite bagged tea from Twinings. Just the right kick of Assam in the mornings.

Had this again, but steeped it much longer. The result was quite similar – apparently this is not a tea I need to worry about over-steeping.

When it’s early in the morning and you’re not quite ready for loud noises or shocks to your system, this tea is a nice quiet selection. It’s a very mild breakfast tea, even after a full five minutes of steeping. There is a twinge of malt to the flavor and a slight non-offensive aftertaste. I find it to be a good choice on those sensitive mornings to rev up my metabolism for my next, more daring, cup of tea.

I’m usually not much of a drinker of black teas, but I needed a certain boost earlier and found myself turning to Irish Breakfast Tea as my first resort. I definitely tasted the malt in the tea, and found it strong, but in a way that wasn’t too over-bearing. Mixing it with a bit of vanilla soy milk definitely toned it down to perfection for me, but this will certainly be something I’ll be drinking in the morning to keep me going!

Lowering my rating on this one. It’s had a very bitter and unpleasant flavor the last three times I’ve made it. I’m not sure what I’m doing different, but it’s just not as good as it used to be.

Now that I think about it, maybe it’s just the loose version of this I’m having problems with (I have both the loose and the bagged version). I will need to try the bagged version again, maybe that it’s just the loose version that is bitter.

Mmm. One of my favorite bagged teas — you have to treat it quite harshly before it gets bitter. When I ran out of tea filters with no backup teapot I turned to this tea to get me through until I can get more. :)

Apparently I’ve discovered my love of Irish breakfast tea, and this one isn’t too bad, and gets the job done. Good with just milk, I don’t need to add sweetener.