What tea did you have this morning...or afternoon?

[Blackhorse]

Good stuff. I’m having a tall mug of the Yorkshire Gold. And I can tell the difference in my cup between their loose leaf and bagged tea. But it might be just the difference between the specific AMOUNT of tea I use that changes the flavors slightly. I know guys that have done a side by side inspection after cutting open a bag…but I haven’t done that yet.

 

[Blackhorse]

English breakfast tea from Capital Tea in Denver, it's a perfect blend.

Tried Capitol’s blend of Irish Breakfast Tea. VERY interesting. It’s not like any other Irish tea I’ve tried…and I’ve tried most all of the teas blended and sold in Ireland & N. Ireland. It’s very, very malty. More so than any other. It’s very nice, just different. I bet it’ll be good iced!

 

[Blackhorse]

OK…now I’m trying Capitol’s ENGLISH Breakfast Tea. Interesting. It’s actually quite similar to the Irish Breakfast Tea in overall profile, being quite malty. Is that heavy on the second flush Assam then? It’s quite nice. Much more flavor forward than other English Breakfast Teas. Not brisk. Smooth. Good stuff.

 

[Blackhorse]

Another new one here…Upton’s Scottish Breakfast Blend. Surprisingly this tastes just like their description, so I’ll just post that.

“Blended from select teas of India, Sri Lanka, and China to appeal to those who favor an eye-opening experience in the morning, this broken-leaf tea yields a cup with a round, full flavor, malty notes, and brisk character. A perfect choice to start the day.”

 

[Timbo]

Another new one here…Upton’s Scottish Breakfast Blend. Surprisingly this tastes just like their description, so I’ll just post that.

“Blended from select teas of India, Sri Lanka, and China to appeal to those who favor an eye-opening experience in the morning, this broken-leaf tea yields a cup with a round, full flavor, malty notes, and brisk character. A perfect choice to start the day.”

View attachment 1406

Sounds yum mate, will have to grab some next tea purchase.

 

[Blackhorse]

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Sounds yum mate, will have to grab some next tea purchase.

Mr T…if you’re thinking of ordering tea, THIS is the one that I put on a pedestal above all others…

https://www.teadog.com/taylors-yorkshire-gold-loose/

 

[Blackhorse]

Well, well, well. What have we here? Second cuppa this morning is Upton’s River Shannon Breakfast Blend. And with this one they hit a home run right outta my preferred flavor zone…or something. This has a profile very akin to Thompson’s Irish Breakfast…bold, smooth, brisk…outrageously excellent. I think it’s gonna edge a Scottish blend outta my top three! History has been made.

Their click bait description: A blend of Tippy GFBOP Assam teas for strength, plus a distinctive, bright Ceylon tea for briskness. This Orthodox Process Irish Breakfast style loose leaf tea is very flavorful.

On a sidebar…comparing my two recent orders…Capitol vs Upton: Both have excellent very high quality blends but Capitol charges roughly about $7 for two oz. while Upton charges the same amount for FOUR oz. Although Upton especially has teas for much more the types I ordered were pretty equivalent in nature…except for the price.

River Shannon Breakfast Blend

 

[Blackhorse]

Got a free sample of this (sample price is usually $4) with my last order. It’s Colombian Bold Breakfast Blend. They grow great coffees in Colombia and apparently teas as well. I don’t get all the chocolate reviewers yap about but it’s very robust with a fine malty black tea character.

Here’s the store blurb: This bold-leaf, breakfast-style black tea blend from Colombia has a warm aroma reminiscent of baking chocolate, with toasty hints. The dark amber cup is full-bodied and honey sweet with a creamy smooth mouth feel that sets the stage for notes of rich cocoa and apricot. The finish is smooth and lingering.

 

[Timbo]

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Mr T…if you’re thinking of ordering tea, THIS is the one that I put on a pedestal above all others…

https://www.teadog.com/taylors-yorkshire-gold-loose/

That looks yum too, the reviews are pretty good. If it's Taylor's gold blend it must be magic as their standard blend is very good.

 

[Blackhorse]

Well…Taylor’s makes it, but Yorkshire is a separate brand, or something. I have the Yorkshire Gold (which is very different from their standard Red) in both bags and loose leaf. I would strongly recommend the loose leaf and will only buy mine from TeaDog which gets the fresh stuff directly from the UK. It’s not uncommon for companies to package their blends “for the American market” as not quite so bold as those intended for sale in the UK. Aside from their incredible selection TeaDog has the real thing.

And while I’m at it…So far as ordering blends within the USA? From my experience NO ONE has the selection in terms of breadth or depth compared to Upton. One of the things I really appreciate is say you want an Assam. They have really solid offerings from super low cost up to single estate best in the world stuff. Their lineup of first and second flush Darjeeling is incredible. Want a Himalayan or Nilgiri? They’re the place to go. Japanese teas? Yup. Upton is the place to go.

 

[Blackhorse]

Another loose leaf tea…Miles West Country Original…a blend of teas from Africa and India. To me, it has an excellent balance between astringency and maltiness. Very, very highly ranked in the UK.

Although Miles West Country Original may be unfamiliar to many tea drinkers outside of England, for the last 4 consecutive years, Miles has been included in Best Brands magazine top 5 UK Tea & Coffee brands. For 2017, Miles is ranked number 2. This outranks all other UK tea companies.

 

[Blackhorse]

Another Colombian loose leaf…COLOMBIAN BREAKFAST BLEND ORGANIC

With its robust character and full mouth feel, this organic black tea selection from Colombia is a great morning eye opener. Notes of sweet milk chocolate predominate in both the aroma and the dark ruby copper cup. Hints of Burgundy and malt provide a lively complement to the rich flavor. A smooth finish completes an exceptional tea experience. A staff favorite.

Hmmmm. Every time a review blabs on about chocolate flavor notes I sort of shrug…so yeah, if they say so. I guess I lack a real active chocolate flavor zone, or something. I get the rest of the description though. This is a very friendly high malty, low astringency pick.

 

[Blackhorse]

Back to the bold with Colombian Bold Breakfast Blend. Made a big pot this morning from which I’ll have a few cups and then turn the rest into iced for the afternoon. Though I don’t think the BOLD variety tastes any more bold than the other option mentioned here, I do think it has a better flavor. Of course it’s the more expensive of the two…though not by very much.

Here’s a question for all:

Do you typically use milk and sweetener in your tea…and if so, what?

 

[D.L.Ruth]

I usually do either milk or cream withe sugar

 

[Blackhorse]

Deciphering Tea Grading Nomenclature…confused? interested? don’t give a hoot?

Check it out here:

https://www.uptontea.com/tea-nomenclature-ftgfop1-etc/a/tea_nomenclature/

 

[Blackhorse]

Getting off the ground on a Monday morning with a big pot of Upton Scottish Breakfast Blend.

 

[Blackhorse]

Oooooo…interesting. I’ve recently started dumping stale teas from their tins and using the tins for new teas that were delivered in envelopes. In one instance I dumped some decaf Earl Grey that was my wife’s that she seldom used. After a good double washing with hot soapy (Dawn) water and a thorough drying I put the new tea into the tin. Then after a few days in the cupboard I used it fir my morning brew…and it had gained just the slightest tinge of Bergamot. And it’s actually really, really good. Interesting.

 

[Blackhorse]

Upton’s Scottish Breakfast Blend. Not a good tea…a great tea.

 

[Blackhorse]

Monkey Picked Oolong from David’s Tea with my gourmet lunch (Skippy & Blackberry Jam sandwich and chips).

 

[Blackhorse]

Into some estate tea this morning. In India, etc., a “farm” where tea is grown is called an Estate. Different growing areas are known as gardens. So a “Single Estate” tea has to come from just the one Estate so it represents a specific climate, soil, growing season, etc.

This morning: Doomni Estate TGFOP 1 Assam (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe - Grade 1)

Upton Description (works for me): “Sprinkled with golden tips, the bold, dark brown leaves of this 2020 Assam selection produce a hearty, complex cup, redolent with a rich maltiness. Rich notes of cocoa are supported by hints of malt and a stone fruit sweetness in the dark amber-copper liquor. A whisper of spice may be found in the lingering finish. A staff favorite.”