We don't know when or if this item will be available.
“I felt that it was only fitting to start St. Patrick’s Day with a big, super strong (steeped for 15 minutes….yea, I’m a bit crazy) mug of Irish Breakfast….not that I really needed an excuse to have...” Read full tasting note
“Happy 4th of July, U.S. Steepsters!!! Tea of the morning here (in teabag form). Not at home again and the BF picked it out. Still, it’s pretty good even for a teabag. Some nice malty notes provided...” Read full tasting note
“Last bag of my box! I’m excited to be finishing up teas. I’m not sure if I would buy this again because I found a tea that I like drinking in the morning better. But it is good. I just think I’m...” Read full tasting note
“Hospital tea. I generally like this, pleasant and strong with no bitter bite; but there’s just something about Styrofoam that messes with the leaf, no matter what.” Read full tasting note
A strong, full-bodied black tea from the regions of Ceylon and Assam expertly blended with a hearty flavor and delightful aroma.
The Irish really love their tea and are amongst the most frequent drinkers of tea around the world. In celebration of this tea drinking tradition, Twinings blended a special Irish Breakfast Blend. This tea is best taken with milk and sweetened to taste to bring out the best flavor.
Company description not available.
I felt that it was only fitting to start St. Patrick’s Day with a big, super strong (steeped for 15 minutes….yea, I’m a bit crazy) mug of Irish Breakfast….not that I really needed an excuse to have this tea again today. As always, this tea is very pleasing with its malty, rich taste. The kick of caffeine isn’t too shabby either.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Steepsterites!!!
Happy 4th of July, U.S. Steepsters!!!
Tea of the morning here (in teabag form). Not at home again and the BF picked it out. Still, it’s pretty good even for a teabag. Some nice malty notes provided by the assam, while the ceylon lends a bit of brightness. It’s good with a splash of soymilk but I did not feel the need to add sugar to it. This used to be a cupboard staple for me before I got into highfalutin teas. Still, I might buy more someday if I could manage to clear the space in my cupboards. :)
I believe this is my favorite Twinings of all.
Happy 4th back at you! :D
I always have this one on hand. My daughter’s boyfriend sent me some from Northern Ireland, where it is packaged simply as Assam. It is the same assortment box as here, though. I think only Bewley’s refers to their tea as Irish Breakfast or Afternoon, otherwise it just tea! :D
Happy Independence Day!
I thought this was pretty good cold brewed too! :))
Last bag of my box! I’m excited to be finishing up teas. I’m not sure if I would buy this again because I found a tea that I like drinking in the morning better. But it is good. I just think I’m tired of it.
Hot with a drop of soy milk.
Hospital tea. I generally like this, pleasant and strong with no bitter bite; but there’s just something about Styrofoam that messes with the leaf, no matter what.
ARR MATEY.
So, if you read my logs on a regular basis, you’ll remember that I compared the Twinings’ Irish Breakfast blend to pirates’ brew. I’m revisiting those thoughts as I’m drinking a cup of this, re-tasting some of my previous bagged favorites to see how they stand up to loose leaf.
And I can definitely say that I could completely see pirates replacing their grog with this in the morning. Extremely malty, overwhelmingly assertive, masculine with a solid growl at the end of each sip. Rough and tumble drinking when you’re barely awake. This one will shake you by the lapels and scream in your face, drill sergeant-style.
On another note, ninjas would not drink this. I’d imagine them drinking something finicky and Japanese green, like Sencha, complete with tea ceremony and gaiwans.
ANYWAY, I find that I’m still enjoying this one, even though it’s a bit maltier and aggressive than I even remember. The first sip took me by surprise. As ridiculous as this sounds, it’s almost horrible tasting in an awesome way. Compulsively drinkable. Challenging you every step of the way. It tastes like something you need in the morning after a heavy night of drinking. Or after a night of barely any sleep (my problem’s the latter today). So yes, I’ve knocked the rating down a few notches, because loose leaf tastes better. It’s true. Adagio’s Irish Breakfast isn’t better, but I’m pretty sure there’s an excellent loose leaf blend out there that’ll find the happy medium between these two puppies.
And in the pirates vs. ninjas debate, I’m pretty sure the ninjas would win.
You know, if ninjas wouldn’t drink it, I don’t know if I’d want to either. Because ninjas are cool.
But then so are pirates. It is a conundrum.
So I totally just wrote a legit 6 page paper on the pirates vs. ninjas debate for a class. My historically and scientifically supported answer is: Ninjas! I’m gonna have to get more of this, my supply is running low…
I have a shirt that says, “I am ninja. You can’t see me.” But I’m not wearing it right now. Right now, I’m wearing a shirt that has a stapler in jello on it.
Anyhow, I’m going to give it to the ninjas. They’re just more badass. The only thing pirates have going for them, in my opinion, is Johnny Depp. [Though, I did use to play Puzzle Pirates back in the day.]
Bah, pirates have gunpowder which your ninjas are distinctly lacking. ;P
Ah, yes, but ninjas are sneaky and would incapacitate them before the gunpowder even came into play.
It’d be rather hard to ‘sneak’ across the open ocean, don’t you think? Or ‘sneak’ around a canonball.
Pfft. You say that as if ninjas would be silly enough to even try to attack pirates at sea. They’d wait for them to arrive at port, for they are smart.
This whole thing is hilarious. teafiend, my friend, I have no idea how you got away with that, but my hat and monocle are off to you.
Ninjas also have those flash grenade-style smoke pellet thingers, so they could stun the pirates and VANISH! before anyone noticed, really.
Malty, kick-you-in-the-teeth goodness. Another staple in my cupboard. I always love this one in my china teacup, with a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk. I love the paradox of this manly-flex-your-muscles kind of tea served in a feminine-delicate-and dainty teacup.
My sister is now supporting my tea habit, she helped me find this in the area. I had tried the bagged version, but I must say, being able to control the flavor better with loose leaf makes this tea even better. I have a personal philosophy about breakfast teas, I want them strong. So, I had a nice breakfast on my day off (inspired by Ashmanra and her torture methods of the weekend last) Fried egg with sausage, cheddar cheese on grilled rye with a dash of brown mustard. No potatoes in the house to pair with the onions, so I skipped that part. The Assam in this tea stays with you a long time after the sip, I like that, a lingering reminder till time for another. It is actually a cool rainy morning, not a typical August day at all. This tea, and a simple meal, on the front porch make for a wonderful start of the day.
I had no idea Twinings did loose tea! I’ve never seen it on a shelf, anywhere. I’m curious now!
You can get it on their web page, but mine came from a kitchen gadget store…
Their loose leaf selection is pretty limited but should be on most shelves in the super box store.
Hmmm. I’ve looked for looseleaf at the supermarket and never had luck. Still, I’m def keeping my eye out :)
Our local grocer carries only two loose leaf, but A Southern Season has more. Of course, they were out of the one I wanted last time I drove up there…
Funny thing, I asked my daughter’s Irish boyfriend if he liked Irish breakfast tea the first time he had dinner with us, and he said he had never heard of it! He recently sent me some Twinings teabags from the assortment box they sell there, and the one we call Irish breakfast is simply labeled Assam.
Here’s to loving family enablers. Haven’t found Twinings loose leaf locally, but the bagged version is a good, solid reliable basic.
I know another place in Tulsa if you ever go down I-44…
Loved you post about the teashop I’m Nashville BTW.
Consuming tea in antique cups is one of my hobbies.
:)
Where in Tulsa? We go occasionally.
Pettys Fine Foods in Utica Square
This is a very malty strong tea. I can only steep for 2 minutes (no milk or sugar) or I can’t drink it because of the astringency. It can be a very good tasty tea. This is a very fine tea and you will get some small tea leaves in your cup. I really can’t imagine anyone drinking this tea after a 5 minute steep but some do. They must have cast iron stomachs. This tea is similar to Lifeboat tea (which I prefer) and is a good wake up tea for breakfast.
So been dealing with Anxiety and the death of my grandmother, Have not been venturing to far into tea lately been just trying to drink some sort of tea and i had a teabag of this comforting tea to me. Just dont feel like having to put tea in a bag and all so This was just a Pull it out and plop, I love this tea its so nice and strong and just Taste like heaven to me, and with work and trying to keep moving forward it was perfect today while i was finishing a book and escaping my life if only for a little while.
The last couple of (loose leaf) boxes I bought of this have been terrible :(
Really dusty, really stale, really bloody disappointing! Especially as this ‘was’ one of my absolute favourite teas .. Don’t know what’s up with that, but I do know it’s not just me as my daughter who lives in another city has also found this the case .. So bad in fact that we both threw it out .. .. ..
And to this effect, I’ve sadly had to drag my rating waaaay down .. But man oh man, me & Irish, we were damn good while it lasted – and yes I say the same thing about my now ex husband!
There you are!! Missed ya round here :)
What a shame! This is – or was – a good tea. I have only had it in bags, though. In Ireland, it’s simply sold as Assam. I asked my daughter’s Irish boyfriend if he liked Irish Breakfast tea and he said he had never heard of it. A few months later, he shipped me the variety box and where we have IB they have Assam.
Aww you missed me :) Thanks!
I guess I got stuck on my favourites for a few months there, and really haven’t tried anything new .. But now that I’m finishing them off and about to re-order, I thought I’d better check to see if there’s anything else I simply HAD to sample lol ..
Yes this used to be an awesome CTC Assam – and may well still be a quality product in other countries!! But what’s currently available in New Zealand truly is rubbish :( It’s not even that it’s texturally dusty – it literally tastes like it (not that I go around eating dust mind you?!) .. Maybe I’ve gone too low on the rating, but I took it down to the unimpressed face :/
And while I have ordered it from England before (I really really wanted the tin), it just costs too much to keep doing so .. Perhaps I’ll try the Irish from Harney & Son’s as I need to order more Vanilla Comoro today ..
I felt bad about my rating, especially since I’ve been so passionate about this tea in the past .. So I took it back up a little bit – but still won’t be buying anymore for at least a few months .. Hopefully fresh stock will then be available!
I have the one from Harney and it is stronger but pretty good. I take it with milk and sugar.
