English Tea Shop

I don’t like licorice in tea which is odd because I love to eat it. This tea has it in it but it’s such a mild, mellow blend that it really doesn’t bother me. This tea is true to it’s name, it really is a “calming” blend. Flavours mingle well and it’s a lovely tea to have before bed. I can mostly taste peppermint, cinnamon and licorice. I can’t detect the lavender. Very soothing!

Strong taste of peppermint, but sweeter than the black tea version.

Spicy, flavourful, and warming. I like this tea with milk and sometimes a touch of honey.

It’ about time I finished this one up. It’s from ~3 years ago. The flavour has faded slightly, but I still get delicious tannins and anise, which is what I came for.

This tea is super tasty! I love the anise and spices together. The tea is spicy, however the sweetness for the licorice flavour is really nice with it. The black tea gets bitter if the teabag is left in too long.

I didn’t enjoy this tea, however I don’t enjoy melons so my person opinion should not sway you from trying this tea. It was presently floral and fruity. There was a sweetness to it, however it was a bit acidic as well.

Just tastes like strong peppermint. I do appreciate that the tag bags smell sugary like actual candy canes, however.

It is really nice with milk, but I find the mint a bit strong.

Cold brew amazingness.

This is not only the best English Tea Shop tea I’ve had (by far), but it’s also the best cantaloupe tea I’ve had, including Lupicia and Butiki. And it’s definitely the best TK Maxx purchase I’ve ever made, ha. This is a seasonal blend which is part of ETS’s Christmas collection for some reason, but next time it comes around I think I might pick up another tin. Every time I drink it I can’t get over the accuracy of the melon. Every. Single. Time. Cold brewed it’s even more accurate, though the liquorice sweetness does come out a little more this way. I used my last 3 teabags for this cold brew, but I’ve replaced the water to see if I can get another batch out of it. This has definitely been one of the biggest surprises to me in my tea discovery journey, and one which will in all probability be a repurchase.

Sipdown 156/397

I was ambivalent at best towards this tea when I first tried it, rating it a measly 51, but over time I have grown to appreciate it so much more! I still don’t like to eat cantaloupe melons, but the flavour of this tea has really grown on me. I brew it completely differently than how I used to, which I’m sure plays a huge role in my much improved opinion, but I also think my tastes have changed and developed a lot in the last few years. I give this a very short steep in not-quite-boiling water to fully release the flavour without bringing out any accidental astringency, and it’s just authentic, pure unadulterated melon. The black tea is tempered by the lower temperature and only lends a slight malt note if you’re concentrating. There’s no cinnamon, and a slight liquorice root sweetness at the back of my throat at the end of the sip, which is the only reason I’m not rating this even higher – I would rather these ingredients were just removed altogether. We’ve been on quite the journey together, this tea and I, and I never would have suspected it would end in me actually considering repurchasing this in the future!

I’m not the biggest melon fan, but I like this tea occasionally when I want something light. I chose it today because it’s quite old and about time I moved it out, plus I wanted something ‘springy’ because I’m excited that winter is over. Every time I brew this tea I am taken aback by the scent – I always forget how dead on it is! After a few seconds of brewing the honeydew scent is intoxicating. I brewed this for 5 minutes instead of my usual 3 because I was preoccupied with inhaling the steam. The base tea does overpower the flavour of the melon a little in the sip. The scent is pure melon but in flavour it is definitely in the background. I have no complaints about this, as I said melon isn’t my favourite thing and it’s nice as it is. The tin this came in states that this blend has liquorice and cinnamon pieces in it, which baffles me. I have maybe 6 or 7 of the 50 teabags left, and I have never noticed any liquorice or cinnamon notes once. Maybe I will next time now that I know they’re supposed to be there. The tea base does become more pronounced when steeping for five minutes (I sometimes use two teabags when steeping to strengthen the flavour of this tea) but it also becomes somewhat astringent, which is a problem I’ve never had with this one before. It’s actually one of the few black teas I don’t get any astringency from usually. Top marks for the flavouring, even though it isn’t really my thing, but the black tea base is pretty generic and could use some work.

This tea tastes like Christmas in a cup! Predominantly cinnamon with a touch of orange and licorice. I can’t taste the apple, vanilla or any of the other ingredients. Cinnamon is definitely the shining star here. Reminds me of what holiday potpourri might taste like if you boiled it in water and drank it. A festive, holiday tea!

Green tea with a predominant mint flavour and a slight hint of cinnamon and ginger that is barely noticeable. I like green tea and I like mint tea so the combination is perfect for me.

Elderflower is the dominant note, and its very pleasant indeed. Light, sweet without being cloying, and fresh.
This turned out to be a very refreshing tea!
Sipdown!

Second working cup of the day.
I did not expect to like this. I’m not exactly sure why, maybe because the last tea I had from the English Tea Shop was something I did not care for at all. Hmm.
But this was actually very pleasant indeed. I found it very refreshing in the middle of the day.
I don’t get overmuch blueberry out of it, but I did get a gentle fruitiness, and the delicacy of the elderflower. Turns out I quite like elderflower!