Taylors of Harrogate

I ordered a gift box of this to try this one and their other two, with some cookies, as it was the cheapest and more fun way — also, I have been spending too much money lately in general last week.

I am not rating this first time as I messed up the brew. I did my 2 2/2 Sherlock Holmes tea pot and put in two bags for some reason at 5 minutes, instead of the usual 1 I do when filling own bag from loose. This made too strong with bitterness so I can’t fairly tell.

I did like well enough besides overdoing it, so will try again. But I do have a whole box to go through, so….

I will say it’s annoying I couldn’t open the box and have these individually sealed to store easier. Also it hurts freshness to me. If any of these become favorites, may find a tin and move the box as a label over it, but who knows. Lack of room and such.

I was not a fan of the cookies in the gift box unless dipped in tea – too hard for my tea. My mixer has been delayed, cannot wait to start baking with it coming. Supposed to be here today – again.

I received this one a couple weeks ago and have had a few hot cups thus far, but thought I’d cold brew it to see if I preferred that. The taste is essentially the same hot or cold brewed. I would say this is very true of toast and jam but, the toast is burnt thanks to an edge of bitterness here.

For my own reference, I’ve tried hot steeping this at 2 minutes, 2.5 minutes, 3 minutes, and 4 minutes.

Strong, tannic, breakfast tea. Probably best with milk / sugar; since I don’t use those, even my 15 second steep produced a very hearty cup. Good for one of those seldom times I want a stiff cup of tea. A Traditional black, pekoe cut tea.

#SVTTB Round Two – Tea 18/???

I’m trying to understand this blend because I know it has a massive cult following and it’s the wildly more popular option between in and the Malty Biscuit tea released at the same time. I had my cup hot with a hearty splash of oat milk because I’ve been told this is best with milk. However, I gotta admit that I don’t think I get it…

It does taste fine. The black tea is pretty brisk and malty and it’s rich body does make it perfect for the addition of milk. However, the “jam” note is kind of out of place feeling for me. It sort of just tastes like red fruit that’s been wedged into the blend? Not that I have anything against red fruit teas, but it’s not the wow factor I was expecting given how people discuss this tea. Especially when I can find so many other black teas with red fruit flavouring.

And, reflecting on it, it’s a very specific red fruit that it reminds. Not, like, in the sense that “Oh, this is strawberry” but more that it makes me think of a particular flavouring of the several different popularly used red fruit flavourings in tea blending. The one it’s reminding me of specifically is commonly called ‘Red Fruit Jelly’ flavouring and, to me at least, it kind of tastes like jello?? Maybe I would like this more without the milk.

I’ll revisit this one, for sure! I think I want to get it, and so I’m willing to put in the effort to try it a few ways to see if anything sparks more excitement for me.

I can’t stop drinking this one lol… I feel like this and Toast and Jam are my two comfort teas. Not necessarily favorites (although T&J is) but what I need when I can use a pick-me-up.

I’ve never tried this blend iced or as an iced latte so I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it and it tasted like a golden oreo shake! I sweetened the foam a bit with sugar-free vanilla syrup and it was amazing!!

Something about this tea with a bit of milk and a teeny bit of sweetener is just so warm and inviting. It’s perfect for a gloomy, rainy day like today. However, I still very much prefer Toast and Jam… I always will. This blend is just perfect for a rainy day at work when you really need something to cut the brain fog.

#SVTTB Round Two – Tea 15/???

Y’know, people like to shit on bagged tea but this was honestly just one of the best teas I drank all week. I had it hot with a splash of oat milk and the full bodied notes of malt, honeyed graham cracker, and grains were exactly the richly robust yet sweet and comforting answer to a quest I didn’t know I was asking. Does that make sense? Definitely tastes like the Biscoff cookies you get on flights sometimes or that, occasionally, were handed out with school lunches. They’re such good dunking cookies with a cup of black tea, so suffice to say that the idea that Taylor’s of Harrigate was going for totally comes off exactly as intended.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

This full-bodied tea is a foundation for so many builder’s brews all around the world. It’s strong, but still has plenty of flavour and isn’t over-powering, like some black tea bag-type teas. Brewed too long it can be bitter and astringent, brewed just right it can be lovely and really wakes me up in the morning.

What I like about it is that the strong body of the tea means you can pretty much flavour it however you like and it will still taste like Yorkshire tea.

A trustworthy tea and a totally dependable brand.

I really enjoyed this one, so much so that I waited until the last bag in my box before writing this review (ok, the delay was mostly due to being extremely busy). Anyway, some mornings I like a little cuppa something strong, and since I can’t do coffee (too much caffeine that ends up giving me trouble sleeping), I opted to try this. It’s so nice! Rich, malty, and with a viscous mouthfeel, this tea is an excellent substitute for coffee and brings forth a decent amount of caffeine.

I received a bag of this from gmathis. I’ve just gotten over whatever tummy bug has been going around (an entire family at church had succumbed, plus a couple of other people. I suspect I picked it up there) so I’d been drinking some ginger teas and peppermint teas in the evening. This was my first regular black tea in quite a while. It had a robust body and strong flavor. Sometimes a tea like that will turn astringent or even bitter at the end of the sip. This one didn’t. Because she warned me it was strong I stepped it for only a minute and a half. That may have been a mistake. My second steep had a fuller flavor. I think that very short steeping time didn’t give it a chance to fully develop. The second cup was just about perfect!

The final teabag from gmathis! Many thanks!

We were finishing the last little bit of my birthday cake tonight and I needed some decaf to go with it. I am so glad this wasn’t just another chamomile or rooibos blend. It is actual decaf black tea!

I did get a sipdown in today, too! Apricot Black Tea by Harney is off shelf, and I expect another sipdown tomorrow, so maybe I will finally make some progress on that cupboard.

Another from gmathis! Many thanks!

Having read other reviews, I kept my first steep at 3 1/2 minutes. I am having this with lunch, which is a huge bowl of broccoli with hollandaise sauce – one of my guilty pleasures. Plain broccoli also shared with Sam, the King of Dogs.

The aroma reminds me of Cookie by Lupicia. This is similar to the Toast and Jam brew but obviously not jammy. I added milk and sugar before even tasting it because I wanted a treat and I knew by the smell I would love it that way. It is very much like a British tea cookie, not like American sweet cookies. There is a dark, rich, baked aroma. Yummy!

Although I resteeped the bag, I did not combine steeps this time but drank them separately. The second cup is really good, very similar to the first. I did steep it a lot longer, partly by plan and partly because I told the all-knowing cylinder timing it for me to stop and then I got distracted and didn’t pour it up. It didn’t hurt the tea at all, though I expect it would have on the first steep.

NEXT PART ABOUT DOGS, NOT TEA

My beloved Sam, our eleven year old rescue who we raised from one day old, had a bit of a rough year last year. First a limp early in 2022. Vet found nothing, said it was probably a play injury that should resolve. It did.

Then our usually so healthy Sam got a digestive problem. Things got pretty bad and he had to get fluids, which helped tremendously, and was given antibiotics. All through this time he gained a pound or two, which we assumed to be because the limp and then sickness made him less active.

Other little symptoms made us think it was age catching up with him, but so suddenly? Then another two pound weight gain, up to 64. I was so sad that maybe my sweet Sam wouldn’t be with us much longer. Then – sudden BIG weight gain.

Another trip to vet – no thyroid hormones detected in blood work. Meds started. Less than two days later – Sam had bright eyes and a spring in his step again. He has now lost over nine pounds in five weeks, has more energy, coat is shining, and has only about six pounds to go.

I am sharing this for the dog lovers. Aging is normal, sudden “aging” might have another explanation. His meds are sooooo cheap.

Take good care of all your little fur friends, and persist when things are not right. They deserve the best we can do for them!

I got a card and tea surprise in the mail today from gmathis! I have read so much about this one that I had to try it first, and immediately.

I only steeped for three and a half minutes since I was planning to drink it plain. I split it with Ashman. Aroma is sooo jammy but first taste was so dark toast to me that I would have sworn it had roasted chicory or barley or something in it. Looked it up and it doesn’t. The jam seemed lighter than the toast aspect to me. It was good, and I can see craving this with breakfast! Ashman liked it and drank the whole cup, even though there are few black teas he likes plain.

We made a second steep so Ashman could try it with milk and sugar because that is how he prefers most of his black teas. Now he really, really liked it! I tried it that way, too, and man oh man the strawberry jam has popped. Even though I usually avoid add ins, I would do it for this tea because it is just so good that way.

Thank you, gmathis! (And I am pretty sure you’re right. That’s a duck!)

ashmanra’s monthly sipdown challenge
February 2023 → a tea for self-care

My tea for the self-care sipdown prompt. I was hoping for a relaxing night tonight but I’m feeling irritated. Not for any specific reason. I’m just feeling uneasy and I guess that’s making me irritable. Nevertheless, I’m still going to sit in my warm and cozy bed with my cup of tea and a new book to see if I can will the relaxation to come. I recently finished Katherine May’s book, The Electricity of Every Living Thing and connected so much with her writing that I immediately bought Wintering and pre-ordered her upcoming book Enchantment (releasing tomorrow!). Wintering has been on my list for a while, so I’m excited to finally start reading. Based on what little I’ve read or heard through podcasts, I suspect I may be going through a wintering period myself right now. Hopefully I’ll have more insight into that once I get into the book.

I’m very excited about the nutmeg part of this blend. It does smell quite strongly of nutmeg before steeping. The flavor though is mostly lemongrass I think. Or possibly lemon balm? It does feel comforting for nighttime. I do wish there was more nutmeg flavor though. Maybe next time I’ll add a bit of my own.

Afternoon Darjeeling… in the afternoon. Because, when else?

Not bad, for a bagged tea. :)

I missed a lot of logs for sessions, but that’s A OK. Lots of good or interesting teas. :)

Adding time to make this one stronger, it’s still a mild woody black tea. Very approachable and straightforward.