Lichfields

This tea was provided for me in the hotel room I was staying in. Its very true to its name in the sense that it is nothing mindblowing: a strong black tea to get the day started

Got this tea at a tearoom today, and was pleasantly surprised it was not a common forest fruits. This tea has a fresh, almost crisp flavour, it reminds me mostly of redcurrants. I might have to seek these out the next time I am to get tea bags.

256/365

From the Varieteas box. This is another of those catering/trade brands I was talking about, so I’m not expecting a great deal for it. They tend to be high volume, low price affairs, and I know I’ve seen these in hotels before. Hotel tea is just never the same, is it?

So. It’s okay; it’s actually really sweet and malty – more so than my usual bagged black. It’s perhaps a bit too sweet for my tastes, which is a fairly rare thing for me to say – not stevia/liquorice sweet, but just…intensely malty sweet, I guess. It’s pretty strong – a builder’s blend if ever there was one – with a decent amount of body. It’s a little one-note in terms of flavour, in that malt is all it really has to offer, but I think there’s a place for that. It scores points with me for being as substantial as it is, and not thin/weak/watery. That’s my big fear with bagged black tea generally.

I’d not actively seek this one out, and I don’t even think I could given that it’s not even a supermarket brand. I’d not flinch away from another cup, though, if I came across it on my travels. It’s not as bad as it could have been.