East Frisian

Unusual tea. When drank fresh and very hot, it’s almost a hot tea with a slight cheerios flavor. When it’s cooling, at first i thought it was growing bitter, but was actually the malt and honey coming out. Not bad at all but not a favorite from the company. The taste is certainly not boring or average, it is smooth and in no way artificial, but I’m not crazy about the maltiness that comes through when it starts cooling.

I only had a sample of this that I ordered with my last restock of Florence, Paris, and Scottish Morn, so this is already a sipdown. A pleasant one for sure though- at least for people who like strong black teas. This blend is more in line with Scottish Afternoon if I had to pick another Harney tea to compare it to, but I still prefer my beloved Scottish Morn to either. I think it is the Darjeeling- I just tend to gravitate away from it towards Yunnan, Ceylon, etc. If you love Darjeeling though, then this might be perfect with the soft hints of it around the edges. East Frisian is traditionally enjoyed with cream and rock sugar from what I understand, but I only added milk and it was quite tasty. A touch of citrus and strooooong malt to welcome the new day. Yum!

I love this tea. I’ve gone through a tin of it each winter for almost a decade now. It has the magical ability to chase away the winter chills when nothing else can. And let me tell you, as someone who hates being cold, I appreciate anything that helps me warm up when the temperature drops outside.

This is a wonderfully robust blend. The mix of Assam, Ceylon, and Darjeeling is lovely. There’s lots of malt and bread notes as well as a light lemony flavor and a bit of a honey note. The flavors are consistent throughout the cup. There’s also some astringency at the end of the sip. I know some people don’t like that, but I’m a fan. This blend is designed to take cream and sugar well, and it does. For those times that I want the tea sans additions I’ll steep it for three minutes. Today I let it steep for five and I added heavy cream and sweetener. I regret nothing.

MzPriss’ Unflavored Tea Box – Tea #29
I noticed this looked partially CTC, and I knew Harney’s teas are usually brisk regardless, so I went with a short steep! East Frisian should be brewed with rock sugar in the bottom of the mug and cream at the top without mixing. Though DrJim kindly supplied a couple sugar crystals with this one, I had a honey stick that Maria recently sent with teas I bought so I thought I’d use that instead. The honey is in the shape of a spoon! So cute. A little difficult to get the plastic off without melting the honey in my hands! I tried a little of the tea without sweetening first, and it WAS very brisk and astringent so the honey could only improve it and it did. It seems like the honey may have had another flavor in it too, but I couldn’t tell what it was. The tea itself is a lovely bready malty cup. The second steep was much tamer even without the honey, and even sweetened itself up a bit.
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // just boiled // 2 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min

This is a delicious black tea. Very strong and hearty, but not bitter at all. It’s kind of “roasty” in a coffee-like way, which probably explains why this coffee lover enjoys it so much. I’m sure it would be great with cream and sugar, but I enjoy it without any additions. I bought a sample with a Harney order because the description of dreary East Frisia and their tea culture sounded so intriguing. This is now one of my favorite black teas, and I ended up purchasing a tin of it after my sample was gone.

A satisfying beverage in the morning or on a cold noon in the winter. The blend is very strong when brewed and I suggest steeping the leaves under 5 minutes. Recommended to people who love strong black teas and suggest to take it with a bit of sugar and cream.

East Frisian Blend is my morning cuppa. I find it nice on the tongue (lots of flannel) and delightful with a little milk and honey. I always bring the water to a full boil and steep for four minutes. I’ve tried many other ‘breakfast blends’, this is the one I come back to.

This tea has a pleasant aroma and a dark color. It has a nice, full-bodied flavor, with just a very slight hint of dryness or bitterness, which I expect would be absent if steeped for under five minutes. I think the flavor opens up with cream and sugar. This is a good cup of tea.

A decent black tea. I think it calls more for a dark sweetener and lemon than cream and sugar. I had mine with milk and caster sugar. I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink it, but it’s a definite “wake up” kind of tea (or a “sleep is for weaklings” kind of tea, really).

I recently tried the two Upton East Frisians and this one. For me the Upton BOP blend was a winner by a long shot. I had to reduce the temperature and brew time from the standard recommended by Harney & Sons (they recommend 212/5 min for all black teas) or it was bitter. Once that was taken care of, I just didn’t care for the taste of the tea.