English Breakfast

This review is about the bagged form of this tea. I really don’t have a lot to say about it. I like it but it’s kind of flat tasting.

To me this is the standard English Breakfast, an easy tea that is hard to mess up and that I can enjoy whenever. I like it with milk, sugar, both, or straight up (which is how I had it today). English Breakfast tea will always make me think of backpacking across England (the Cotswold Way) when I was 14 or 15. That was way before I got into tea, but I drank this every day and loved how British people would always drink it with tons of milk and sugar!

Was trying to clear a bit off of my limited counter space and had 2 boxes of this taking up space so I used 8 tea bags (7 in one box and opened the other) to make iced tea in my 2 quart pitcher. Set the kitchen timer for 8 hours since I didn’t do it overnight this time and let it cold steep. Was pretty good about taking it out in time, added one spoonful of sugar (using my sugar spoon, not the tea spoon) for each cup in it (8) and shook it up. Then I let it sit because I was drinking hot tea and I didn’t want the sweetness to screw up my Elderwood.

This morning/afternoon, I tried it out. It’s a bit strong, so I’m letting the ice cubes melt a bit, but otherwise, the tea to sugar ratio is pretty good and it isn’t bad tasting, so I’ll consider this a successful iced tea. I’m historically terrible at iced tea so I take my victories where I can. This is older tea too, I generally keep it around for my mother but she hasn’t visited in the last year and a half or so (I visited her and then we went on a joint trip to London and the family reunion in the summer so it’s not like I didn’t see her at all, plus I call her almost every night), so it was getting old. Not that almost all of my tea collection isn’t super old, but I was justifying.

Anyway, a bit sleep deprived still. Just woke up from a nap and realized that I’d sacrificed half of my second Elderwood steep to a travel mug that was still a bit soapy so had to pour that out. Bleh. Today is full of chores and veterinarian visits (preventative) because tomorrow I go back to work for the first time in more than 5 weeks. Yay successful surgery.

Left this in for 4 minutes and it was already getting bitter. I know some people like their teas a bit bitter, but I really can’t stand it at all. I added some milk to help. It became drinkable with the addition of milk. But the taste was nothing to go “WOW!” over. It’s just kinda so-so. It’s definitely drinkable, but I’m not going to be desperately trying to buy this again. I think it’ll be good for me in the mornings when I’m still half-asleep and just need something to wake me up. Twinings’ Lady Grey and Earl Grey are my favorites so far, now I just need to try out that Irish Breakfast.

From all my collection of english breakfast tea, this is one of the best ones. Its easy to find in stores, not expensive to be a quality tea and the flavor makes harmony between the strong taste of black tea and a lovevly refreshing touch. Personally i truly recommend this kind of tea to be consumed while a tender little sweet snack perhaps, not so sweet cause it will ruin the classic flavor of the traditional english black tea.

Must get some fresh bagged black teas! I’ve been super busy and low energy lately, so it’s easier to use tea bags in the morning. All I could find was this old, crumpled packet! It’s still good though. :)

I really like this tea because it is a very smooth plain black tea. I had it with my pancakes this morning and it complimented it very well. :D

Morning cup of tea, inadequately steeped due to impatience. Drunk with milk.

The funny thing about English Breakfast is that there’s a taste in it (woody? maybe it’s just tannins) that I don’t remember from drinking tea for breakfast in England. I’d prefer that it wasn’t there, but nevertheless, a decently strong, milky tea is required as the first tea of the day, and this does the job.

This was one of my first intro’s to tea….its sorta like a gateway tea..hehe. Once you try a breakfast tea you almost always have to see what else is out there!

My husband making cups of this (decaf) with milk and honey is all that’s gotten me through our rough newborn days of our first child. ;-] When I’m stressed and exhausted, this one’s a quick and easy pick me up. Solid black tea to drink sweet with milk.