Twinings

I have a bit of a dry scratchy throat and a bit of a dry sniffy nose today. I am hoping it’s from not sleeping well and not from getting sick. I thought some warm tea would be soothing and picked this out at the last minute from the cupboard. It tastes exactly like you might think a lemon and ginger tea would taste. I’m not super fond of it though. I had originally thought I’d like it more than I did. I did steep it for less time and liked it better this way. I believe this one was a gift from mom, who sometimes buys me tea when she buys herself some.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

I like Twinings English Breakfast with milk, and sometimes a brown sugar cube as well. But this time I decided to try it straight, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s not a fabulous morning cuppa that will blow your mind, but a reliable and affordable (this is very important because I drink a lot in the morning, esp. with milk) breakfast blend.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

This time I had it straight. Just standard English Breakfast, nothing special, but not bad. I added a little bit of warm milk to finish up the latter half because it turned a little bitter, and that rounded it out. If I’m actually having breakfast with this tea, I will drink it straight, but otherwise I will add a bit of milk. Overall, a solid budget tea, like most other Twinings tea. I prefer Irish Breakfast, though.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

It’s morning and I needed to wake up, so I made a strong cup and added some milk. Basic English Breakfast, nothing special but so far I like it. A bagged tea I wouldn’t mind. I will have to try it straight sometime.

Last night I stepped on nasty sheet of ice without realizing, fell down, and almost broke my nose. Well, I didn’t break my nose, but I woke up this morning to find out that my right foot is too swollen to fit into my clogs even half way. Every step was painful and getting from the bed to the kitchen was such a chore, and I was limping at the speed of a sea turtle at a dune.

Why am I bothering to write this misery in this steepster-verse full of happiness and joy and kindness and tea? Well, because I did make it to the kitchen, and while making myself an ice pack, I boiled some water so I can make myself a cup of tea to make me feel better. And this Prince of Wales was the one I chose. Usually this is too mild for breakfast, but I was aching and cold, and just wanted mild, soothing tea past my throat.

This tea is like an everyday friend, not overly friendly or gorgeous or welcoming, but calm and elegant, always ready to give a smile when you’re feeling somewhat down. Not a cheer-up tea, but a tea that makes you think that it isn’t all so bad. Oh, and “everyday” includes the price tag. Likely to be a staple on my cupboard.

Let’s see, this is my fourth cup of tea today and second cup of Prince of Wales. And I have to say that for a tea bag, this does the job very well. It’s a mild Chinese black good for cold late mornings or in the afternoons.

Since I am not very adventurous when it comes to Chinese Blacks (I tend to stick to one or two for a long time), this may be a staple on my cupboard for quite a while. When I run out of tea bags, I’ll order some loose leaf.

Second try. I don’t know what went wrong the first time, but this is a solid basic Chinese black good to enjoy anytime of the day, though you would have to like mild tea. For me, that is what I like about this tea.

Sometimes I want to take a break from all those assertive teas I enjoy and relax, without frills or flavors. This is pretty good for a bagged tea in doing that job. One of the staples on my cupboard is an affordable, mild, but drinkable Chinese black, and this is a candidate. I will have to try the loosed leaf version.

I am hesitant to give this tea bag a low rating, and here is why:

I like Chinese Blacks when I want a mild cup of tea straight. I smelled this tea and liked the calm but smoky scent. When I say smoky, I’m not talking about extremes like Lapsang Suchong. For me, the most noticeable characteristic of Chinese Blacks (Keemun, for example) is the slight smoky flavor in the otherwise round cup.

I liked the tea for the first couple sips, but later on there was a strange astringency that I did not expect from this tea. It was not from oversteeping, so I am wondering if I should use more water; I used a bit less than the standard, reading other people’s review that it was too mild. I am not sure what went wrong, but it was an unpleasant experience. However, I try again in a day or two and write another tasting note.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

It is currently 7:30pm. I have an exam tomorrow, so I made myself a thermos tumbler full of Irish Breakfast with a splash of warm milk to keep me awake. It’s a malty, masculine tea and goes very well with milk, and sugar too, if you feel like it.

Twinings version of Irish Breakfast is, like others noted, on the strong side, somewhat rough; the “drill sergeant” metaphor isn’t far off. I have yet to try this straight, and when I do I will write another tasting note. I am on a search for my favorite Irish Breakfast, and plan on trying several different companies before I order my loose leaf tin. I wouldn’t count this one out.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

I really wanted to try this tea because a good friend of mine, who hates bergamot and therefore cannot stand earl grey, said she liked this tea, and described it as a “lighter earl grey.” Light, yes, but definitely different from earl grey. The citrus note stands out more than, say, the lavender-like intensity from earl grey. I sometimes add milk to my earl grey but I think this Lady is best straight, though I will try it with a bit of milk on my next try.

Overall, it was a light tea, and though I prefer Earl Grey, it was a nice change. I saw the loose leaf before and they were quite pretty. I would like to try some, but it is not my favorite tea; I don’t see myself buying a whole tin.

Ugh, so dull. I have to start trying this with something else… sweetener, milk, paired with another tea… it just doesn’t do anything for me.

I don’t have much to say about this blend, really. It’s pretty generic. I greatly prefer the Bigelow Vanilla Chai, probably just because the vanilla note really sticks out in that blend and makes it a little bit unique. This tea needs more something… more spice, more chai, more flavour in general. It’s pretty non-descript and kind of boring!

I haven’t tried this more than one or two other times, so I thought I’d give it another go today. Pretty unspectacular… a slightly spiced up plain black tea. Nothing awful, but I won’t re-purchase when I run out.

Had this in my cupboard for who knows how long, so I pulled it out to try today. I have to say I don’t like it quite as much as the Bigelow Vanilla Chai, but it’s not bad. I didn’t add milk and that might make it more enjoyable. Not much else to say about this one!

Pretty good and refreshing. Be careful not to use boiling water, as the tea will aquire a bitter aftertaste if you do so. This tea really has a plain simple flavor that it is hard for someone to go wrong with it.

Light in color, light in flavor. Astonishingly good for something you can buy at the supermarket. Darjeeling tea is almost never strong, but sometimes a rousting and nearly spicy flavor emerges from the small, lightly cured second-flush leaves. This is not one of those Darjeelings. But it is very good. It has a complex, delicate, floral flavor, is free from bitterness, and should accompany those contemplative moments that you claim for yourself over the course of the day.

I recommend drinking this tea plain after brewing it in a pre-heated mug with very hot water for a very short time (~2 minutes).

However prepared, it will disappoint those who prefer strong tea.

Each teabag is individually wrapped in a material that is not quite plastic and not quite paper. This arrangement succeeds in keeping the tea fresh for a year or two.

This is such a nice cup of tea. It is a blend of many teas and I wish I knew which ones they blend. This tea is very mild (yunnan like) and I can taste the yunnan in it. No bitterness or astringency and very complex. Its one of my favorite twinings teas.