Taylors of Harrogate

This is a tea that has that “classic” tea aroma when steeping. I would not know how to more precisely describe that smell, but I will add that it is lovely and evocative and reminiscent of long ago rainy mornings in early spring. As for the taste, when two teaspoons of sugar are added, the taste of this tea is absolutely solid, reassuring, traditional, malty delight. This is a tea you can really count on to give you that flavor, that boost, that comfort that you are looking for in your tea. I salute the makers of this tea!

I normally don’t like this kind of breakfast teas, but this one was rather ok.

Bright breakfast tea, with a light flavor.

Water: 8oz

Leaves: tea bag

Measuring Spoon: no

Steep: 5m

Aroma: Citrus

Color: reddish brown

Clarity: slightly cloudy

Taste:Wow, I haven’t done one of these in a while. I picked up this individual tea packet at my local British shop (I live in the US). I never tried a Taylors Of Harrogate Tea, so i thought why not at only $.50. Opening the foil packet I noticed the tea bag is quite large, bigger than your typical bag. The aroma of the steeped cup was citrus accompanied by a reddish brown hue.I let the cup go for 5 minutes as for the taste it was very bitter difficult to drink with out making a face. To see if this cup could be helped I added a packet honey pearls. It helped to greatly reduce the amount of bitterness without altering the flavor profile but not add much sweetness.Overall I didn’t enjoy this tea which also left a dry mouth feel once I finished my cup.

*update: I took the same used tea bag a steeped it in about 2 cups of water & it was much better than the first cup & very light in flavor with no bitterness.

I’ve been taing this tea for a week now as an english breakfast tea, with a hint of mil and a dessert spoon of honey.

I’m a red version lover of this tea, simply amazing, so I wanted to taste this one.

The thing is that’s too wea for me to do a propper english breakfast, it’s more a more delicate tea, with less caffeine, velvety and weaker. espite all that, I thing that’s a really good choice for someone that wants just this.

I’ll have to taste it alone to see how it tastes without mil and honey.

Pretty good for a bagged tea blend. Has a pure taste—no additional flavors outside of the black tea fannings used in the blend. I can taste a bit of maltiness to the tea—not unusual for black teas sourced in India.

It was a gift and I enjoyed it, but don’t know if I’d go out of my way for it again.

Somebody left a stack of these bags on the pay-it-forward table at work. I snagged them, chiefly because you don’t often see a bagged Assam that simply advertises itself as an Assam.

It performs as advertised. Not top shelf, but a decent bagged tea that isn’t sharp or acidic and behaves exactly as you expect with some low, sweet, bready flavor. Excellent choice for work or groggy mornings.

My standard tea, a good strong brew. Clean tasting.

Requires a longer steeping than package suggested. I went with 6 minutes and I could taste the tea. Any less than 5 and you just get smoke.
Light in body.

Sipdown 54/375! I’ve decided I want to try to get to 200 tasting notes by the end of the year, and under 400 teas in my cupboard by my 3rd Steepster birthday. Since I don’t know when I’m going to be working (zero-hours contract) and I have family over tonight for a pre-Christmas party, I’m trying to fit a couple of notes/sipdowns in now before it gets too hectic.

I made this the same way I did when I had the flu, and I’m pleased to report that it wasn’t just the illness making me think this tasted nice! Man I wish I’d brewed it this way more often. More concentrated with milk and sugar, the citrus flavour comes out way more and it isn’t just a lame-ass chai, it’s the embodiment of Christmas in tea form. Still, I’m glad we parted on a high.

Ahh, that’s more like it! I think the flu might be helping to actually make this tea taste better than normal! I haven’t had a cup this good since I first received this tea, which was SUCH a long time ago that I really thought they would have no flavour left by now. This was a Christmas gift from my might-as-well-have-been-flatmate’s boyfriend when we did Secret Santa in my first year of uni (2012) which makes this tea almost exactly four years old and definitely the oldest in my cupboard. It’s a bagged tea rather than loose leaf, though I’m pretty sure it’s the same as the loose version, which might explain why it’s held onto its flavour so well. I used a small mug so the tea is fairly strong, and added a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of semi-skimmed milk and this is really tasty! The cinnamon and other spices are what I usually find most dominant in this tea, but today it’s super citrussy and the orange is definitely the stand-out note. I’m not sure what the base tea is in this blend but I suspect it might be something with natural citrus notes, as the flavour is more complex than just ‘orange’. The spices play around in the background, complimenting the orange and lingering after the sip. The cardamom is a little more dominant than I’d like, seeing as I’m not a fan, but I can live with it. I only have a couple of bags of this left now – I wish I’d figured out how to brew it like this sooner.

So, this is the last of the bagged Taylors of Harrogate teas I subsisted on in Lexington. Of the bunch, this was far and away my favorite. As a matter of fact, I plan on trying the loose leaf version just to compare the two.

I prepared this tea using the one step Western infusion process I tend to favor for non-Chinese black teas and many black tea blends. I steeped the tea bag in approximately 8 ounces of adequately hot water for 5 minutes. Again, I have no clue what the water temperature was, and I did not attempt additional infusions as I never reinfuse bagged teas.

After infusion, the dark mahogany tea liquor produced integrated aromas of bergamot, cream, honey, toast, caramel, and wood. In the mouth, I picked up on smoothly integrated notes of bergamot, wood, brown toast, honey, cream, malt, caramel, butterscotch, and cocoa. The finish was mild and slightly citrusy. The bergamot presence continued to shine, underscored by fleeting impressions of wood, caramel, cream, malt, and butterscotch.

I found this to be significantly better and more sophisticated than many of the bagged teas I have tried in the past. Unlike at least one previous reviewer, I did not note anything that seemed overtly artificial about this tea. For a bagged Earl Grey, it certainly was not bad. I could see myself reaching for this again in similar circumstances in the future. I am definitely planning on trying the loose leaf version soon.

This is another of the bagged Taylors of Harrogate teas I got to try during my stay at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort and Spa in Lexington, KY. I know I have said it before, but I honestly tend to loathe bagged green teas. This one did not do much for me, but that being said, I did find it to be slightly more drinkable than most standard bagged green teas.

I prepared this tea using a one step Western infusion process. Again, I never attempt to reinfuse tea bags. I steeped this tea for approximately 3 minutes. I have no clue what the water temperature was. Even though the back of the packet suggested that the bag should be steeped from 1-2 minutes, I decided to go with 3 as I could not pick up much of an aroma after 2 minutes had elapsed.

After infusion, the straw gold tea liquor produced mild aromas of grass, straw, and honey. In the mouth, I picked up a substantial note of honey on the entry that was quickly chased by milder notes of grass, straw, and hay. There was also a slight floral note that was most apparent on the finish. It reminded me a bit of flower nectar.

All in all, I found this to be very boring, but then again, who really gets excited over bagged green tea these days? For what it was, it was pleasant, but not something I would reach for on my own unless I had no other options. I do not think I could move myself to recommend this to anyone.

While reviewing prior tasting notes for this tea, I noticed that the previous reviewers ended up drinking this tea during hotel stays. I am no different in that regard. I returned from a week long conference at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort and Spa (nice hotel btw) in Lexington, KY yesterday evening. While there, I spent a great deal of time consuming complimentary glasses of Taylors’ Earl Grey, Pure Green Tea, and English Breakfast Tea. Each was the bagged version, and in all honesty, I came to the conclusion that Taylors of Harrogate does bagged teas pretty well.

I prepared this tea using a one step Western infusion process. I never attempt to resteep tea bags. I steeped the tea bag in approximately 8 ounces of adequately hot water for 5 minutes. I have no clue what the water temperature was.

After infusion, I noticed that the dark amber tea liquor emitted aromas of malt, toffee, toast, and butterscotch. In the mouth, I detected notes of cream, malt, oak, toffee, brown toast, and butterscotch. This was very smooth and mild for a bagged English breakfast blend.

This was far from the worst bagged English breakfast tea I have ever had. While it may not be something I would go out of my way to acquire again, I would drink it with no complaints in a similar setting. Of the three Taylors of Harrogate bagged teas I got to try over the course of the past week, I found this one to be the middle child of the bunch. I did not like it as much as the Earl Grey, but I liked it much more than the Pure Green Tea (I normally hate bagged green teas). In the end, I would say that this is a decent bagged breakfast tea. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to try the loose leaf version of this in the near future so I can compare the two.

I recently did a gong fu style brewing of this tea, and I must say that after preparing it western style originally, it definitely has more flavor and character when prepared in the gong fu style.

This… This was the best black tea, bagged or otherwise, that I’ve ever had. Oh my lanta. Drank it with a splash of skim. It tasted… it tasted like brownies. I don’t know how else to describe it. Chocolatey and earthy and rich and creamy and comforting.

It. Was. So. Good.
I need to buy some ASAP.

This is possibly my favourite fruit blend. I usually really dislike fruit blends but the rose makes this drink excellent. Refreshing and comforting, great all year round. Always have a box of this with me

Bought this on Amazon the other day for those times when I can’t have caffeine. This is one strong tea. It’s not exactly bitter but I am not sure how to describe it. I won’t actually be having this with breakfast because in the morning I still drink caffeinated tea. But I could see drinking this with breakfast if I totally abstained from caffeine. It is not great mind you but not that bad either.

Brewed two tea bags in 16oz of boiling water for 3 min.

A proper brew indeed. My go-to black tea.

FYI…This tasting note refers to the loose leaf version of this tea.

This is the third and last of the Taylors teas that I picked up last weekend. I hope it will be the best. So far, I haven’t been thrilled by their offerings. The first two I reviewed here weren’t very exciting. Oh well, I’m putting on my open-minded pants now.

Let’s cut right to the chase. This tea was packaged like the two Taylors teas I already tried: metal container, inner foil wrapper. The unbrewed tea leaves were short and dark brown. However, they didn’t have the through-the-grinder appearance of the others. This might be attributed to the fact that this is black China tea versus orange pekoe.

I’ve imbibed a lot of black Earl Grey teas lately so the smell of bergamot is acutely registered in my nostrils. The unbrewed leaves of this blend, though, had a bergamot-like aroma that my nose hadn’t encountered before. The smell was definitely bergamot but it had additional flowery attributes. At first, I wondered if there were chemical or other additives, but the container label clearly stated that, other than black China tea, the only other ingredient was NATURAL oil of bergamot.

As usual, I followed the company’s brewing instructions for the initial trial. I set the Breville tea maker on 212 degrees for five minutes. The brewed blend was dark amber in color. The aroma was faintly syrupy.

The taste of this tea was fruity and sweet. I don’t know if I could pick this flavor out of a lineup as bergamot, but I did like it. It was mellow, smooth, and slightly honeyed. What’s not to like?

There was no astringency (unlike the other two Taylors teas) and the entire cup (minus the vessel) went down very smoothly and easily. The aftertaste was affable with only a brief hang time.

My hopes were realized this morning. This is definitely my favorite of the three Taylors teas. I will drink all of the contents of the other two Taylors containers, but I will be smiling while I finish this one.

Here’s another Taylors tea that I picked up this weekend at the World Market store. To be honest, I purchased them because all of the Taylors selections were only $9.99 each for 4.4 ounces of tea. I can’t resist a good tea sale.

I tried out the Taylors Tea Room blend yesterday and I’m starting to see a pattern. The leaves are very finely ground. The packaging says the leaves are hand rolled in the traditional British way. I wonder if they are hand rolled and machine ground.

As I was saying, this tea had many of the same unbrewed characteristics as yesterday’s blend: metal container, short brown ground-up-looking leaves, and rich tea aroma.

I brewed the leaves at 212 degrees for five minutes. Taylors’ brewing instructions also seem to be standard for their teas.

The steeped color was a dark amber. The odor was faint with tea attributes only.

The flavor contained (again, like their Tea Room variety) only semi-robust tea characteristics. There was nothing more or less. This blend is said to contain two types of orange pekoe so maybe I shouldn’t have expected anything more exciting. I would have been willing to lower my expectations if this blend hadn’t also contained a bite of astringency.

So, to sum up my Taylors English Breakfast Leaf Tea experience:

o Ho-hum tea taste
o More than a hint of astringency
o Not horrible but booooriiiiing

I saw a few Taylors tea selections this weekend at a very reasonable price at our World Market store. I had heard of Taylors but hadn’t sampled their wares.

When I removed the lid on the metal container of this one and snipped open the inner foil packaging, I was surprised by how ground up the tea leaves appeared. They were brown and extremely fine, almost like powder. I would expect this characteristic if I cut open a tea bag. The aroma was potent and rich, more like Chinese tea than an Indian and African blend.

As always, I followed the manufacturer’s brewing instructions on the initial launch. In this case, that meant 212 degrees for five minutes.

The brewed liquid color was dark, almost like black coffee, except for the golden highlights. The smell was nondescript.

The flavor was plain and simply, like tea. No undertones or harmonious or complementary taste attributes materialized. It just tasted like tea. If you were to ask me what kind of tea flavor appeared, I would say Darjeeling was the dominant flavor. The Rooibos was not shouting to me. At best, the blended African tea flavor was only knocking on the door.

The overall flavor power was good but it was offset by a twinge of astringency. This slight bitterness remained on my tongue and kept slapping around my taste buds.

I am not wild about this blend but I will probably drink all of it. I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. I will most likely mix it with other livelier black teas. It’s just a little dull and featureless on its own.

Aroma: The smell is amazing, filling the room sweet rhubarb and vanilla notes.

Flavour: An amazing fruity iced tea, but also creates a gorgeous tea when brewed hot too! The flavour is obviously fruity, but there’s also a wild mix of sweet vanilla, sour rhubarb and a light musty hint of hibiscus. Its melodic and captivating. However, it it’s disapointing that the rhubarb taste comes from flavourings.

For more visit www.TastetheTea.co.uk

What was I thinking expecting loose leaf tea from a tea bag company? Having said that, I think if I can find a fine sieve, this tea will be similar to the bagged version. The price was right at 7.50 for 250g! The size of particle is similar to Twinings English Breakfast. It also tastes better. Little dark right now, so will work on tweaking the brew. By the way, a good tip is that fine teas are much heavier, so use 1/2 as much otherwise you will end up with bitter tea.