English Breakfast

I seriously can’t believe I am the first one to log this!

This is pretty good…a little bit on the light side of English Breakfasts but still pretty good.

It’s clean, it’s a little smooth and has a hint of peppery-goodness. Not too shabby.

The only thing I would change is the strength/boldness…I would increase it…but I like things strong, I guess. Overall – a nice one to have on hand for friends and family!

Sadly, a sipdown. Well, technically I have a teeny bit left, but not enough for its own cup, so I’ll probably experiment with blending it with something else. Anyway, I brought it to keep me company on my first day of my last semester in school (probably ever). Today, it tasted a little sweeter than normal. Not sure if that is due to scent contamination in my tea drawer or just my sleepy state, but it was quite pleasant. Considering my love for EBs, and this one in particular, I will probably reorder this at some point when I allow myself to buy teas again.

Here’s Hoping Tea Box

I really enjoyed this blend! Malty, slightly sweet, with just enough briskness to make it refreshing.

Got this one as a sample from my order from The Persimmon Tree. Made it up this morning to drink, although I would much rather still be in bed sleeping than drinking tea this morning, but work awaits.

I actually find this one to be pretty strong. Possibly this is a function of putting less sweetener in than usual, but it seems quite bold to me. Peppery and smooth, it is a nice tea, nice flavour. I have too many other wicked high end plain black teas to buy this, but it’s nice.

This one’s pretty too; I guess Persimmon Tree’s teas brew up nice hues in general. It has all the trademark characteristics of an EB blend while seeming a bit lighter and a lot “cleaner” tasting. It’s almost refreshing, relatively speaking. I like how despite that cleanness there’s also an element of black pepper, almost spicy. Delivers if you’re expecting an EB while being just distinct enough in a pleasant way to hold your interest.

This sample from k s was welcome; as (wouldn’t you know it) I was awake hours too early on a Saturday morning—gentle rain on the roof is such an unnatural sound of late, it woke me. So I steeped this a little long and strong to get the bleary eyes open while watching a Veggie Tales kids’ show on one of the few analog channels left in our area. (Haven’t Veggied since my son was a little ‘un. They haven’t changed much.)

I’m seeing “peppery” in the reviews for this one; may be I was just too sleepy to notice that. My sleepy brain registered “starchy and crusty,” but in a good way, like rye bread toast crust.

I don’t normally drink English Breakfast. I find them either too beige or too brutish, but that’s just me. This one impressed me with the dry leaf smell. It was like cherry pipe tobacco and maple syrup. The tea itself is very smooth. I had braced myself for throat grabbing harsh. It was much, much, lighter than I expected, so no brute here. There is an interesting peppery note that wasn’t hot and spicy, just flavorful. It is slightly malty with a lingering aftertaste. Not exactly beige. It may, or may not be what you want from an EB but I liked it. The first mug was 3 g, 195 F, for 2.5 minutes – because EB often hurts my stomach. For giggles, the second mug with new leaf was 3 g, 212 F, for 4 minutes. It made little difference. It was slightly more robust but really still a comfortable, yet forgiving tea. If you need tea to shout at you in the morning, this probably isn’t it. If you prefer a calmer voice saying, you can do it, maybe this will speak to you.