Make Mine a Builders

OK, this was a whim buy at World Market strictly because the box made me laugh. One side proclaims, BRITAIN WASN’T BUILT ON CAMOMILE. I’ve already deconstructed the box and had a little crafty fun with it.

That said, I expected it to be strong enough to remove nail polish. The artsy preparation tips on the box mentioned “whistling a happy tune for 20 seconds” while waiting for the steep. At 20 seconds, the water was barely tinted. Much better at a proper four minutes; next time we’re going a full five. I wasn’t in the frame of mind to chase down flavor nuances, but the blended teas are from Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—all of which add nice deep bass notes to the cuppa.

Not my favorite morning tea, but I can appreciate that others really like this.

It’s so strong and black,however it’s no hasn’t bitter flavor. So nice!

This tea has ruined me for all others. It is a good, strong tea, one that I would consider giving up my beloved coffee for (considering that the majority of my blood stream consists of coffee, this is saying something). It stands up well to sweetener and milk, and it helps to brace one against the cold. This tea makes me understand why the Brits are tea mad. It’s really good stuff.

This is one of my staple basic teas, particularly at work. In comparison to my other British imports PG Tips, Yorkshire Gold, and Barry’s Irish Breakfast), I gravitate toward Builders. Builder’s tends to be smoother and less astringent, and is more lenient to accidental over-steeping than the others. Today I’m drinking it with vanilla simple syrup.

Working class tea that makes a strong brew. The box doesn’t lie! It isn’t quality, you won’t get a memorable aroma or taste from Builders, but when you “just want a cup of strong tea”, this is a reasonable, affordable option. Makes PG Tips and Tetley seem like they’re making a half-hearted effort. I can find it at my local World Market and on Amazon. When we run out of our favorite tea, we’re always happy we have a box of Builders around.

I love this tea. Tastes great with some milk and honey.

Recently I decided to test out a bunch of different standard black teas. Among the ones I tried, flavors ranged among sour, malty, fermented, bitter, metallic, just meh, and one that had absolutely no flavor at all. Builder’s rose above them all and came out as my hands down favorite. Clean, flavorful, as strong as you make it, and totally soothing. It’s been a tough week for me and this cuppa is exactly what I need right now.

My friend gave me this to try and it totally hit the spot. I love it! Perfect when you are craving a good strong cup of awesome tea

Strong and black, but no bitter taste and clean tasting. It put hair on my chest! I think this is PG Tips older brother.

Saw Builder’s Tea mentioned in the movie, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. A few weeks later I saw this is in a small British import shop in Egg Harbor, WI, so I thought I’d try it. Very similar to PG Tips, but I think this might be a tad stronger.

I’ve always taken a “so long as it’s hot and wet, I’ll drink it” approach to tea but, having been introduced to the Make Mine a Builder’s brand, it has become my brew of choice. The only thing I would say is that it isn’t poncey, china cup, finger in the air tea. This is big mug (ideally chipped), cold day, hotter the better tea.

ok, I’ll admit…..this is my brand however that aside, I think that anyone who likes strong tea will love this brew. Brews to full strength in 20 seconds and nice and refreshing so can be gulped mug after mug.