Great British Tea Store

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Recent Tasting Notes

15

Why do tea companies insist on creating these black/green tea blends? I have yet to try one that actually tastes good and this is no exception. I steeped it at a lower temperature than the packaging suggested and kept the steep time short, but I still found Prince of Wales to b e quite bitter and astringent. It also has a bit of smokiness to it…I’m guessing that’s from the gunpowder green? All in all, a strange and rather unpleasant blend.

This was my very last sample from the giant Great British Tea Store sampler pack I ordered this fall. It has taken me months to get through them all, but I’m glad I purchased it. I enjoyed at least half of the samples I tried and all the ones I didn’t like have helped me to more clearly define my preferences when it comes to tea. And there were a few truly outstanding blends that I tried along the way…particularly their wonderful Irish Breakfast. I definitely see myself ordering from this company again…just not this particular tea!

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Smoke

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
AllanK

Try Chocolate Covered Strawberry from Discover Teas. It is a black/green tea blend and is delicious.

Inkling

Mmm, that does sound good! Glad to hear that someone managed to pull this blend off successfully, because my experiences so far have not been amazing.

Anlina

I quite like Angel’s Dream from Metropolitan Tea Co, which is a black green blend.

Inkling

Thanks for the suggestion! I do NOT need more tea right now, but it’s good to hear that there are enjoyable black/green blends out there.

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40

I’m struggling to figure out what, exactly, this tea tastes like. Roasted vegetables, maybe? The beginning of the sip tastes like it could be a green tea, but there’s a toasted flavor that lingers in the aftertaste. It’s smooth and silky as you’re drinking it, but a bit of astringency is leaving my mouth feeling dry after finishing my cup. Drinking this was an interesting experience, but not something I’d reach for again.

Flavors: Astringent, Roasted, Vegetal

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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30

I’ve really been enjoying white tea recently, but this one missed the mark for me. I don’t care for the base, which has a slightly musty flavor. And the flavoring was weak…no vanilla at all that I could detect and just a hint of slightly sour citrus flavor. Definitely not something I’d drink again. But on the plus side, I only have three more samples from Great British Tea store to sipdown my entire sample pack!

Flavors: Citrus, Musty, Sour

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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20

This tea is so confusing! From the name, I thought it was a straight-up oolong, but reading the ingredients I found out that there is black tea and green tea in here as well. I’ve never had such a mix of bases! And how in the world are you supposed to steep it? The label says to use boiling water, but I was sure I’d end up with a nasty, bitter brew doing it that way. I went for 180 degrees for 3 minutes and it still came out slightly bitter, but it’s drinkable. I’m not getting much orange at all, just a lot of jasmine floral and a bit of a grassy vegetal flavor. Very odd!

Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Grass, Jasmine, Vegetal

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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30

I like Earl Grey, but I definitely prefer it with a black base. This one just tasted strange to me…a lot of sharp bergamot flavor along with a slightly bitter, grassy green tea base and just a hint of smoke. I finished my cup, but I don’t think I’d drink this one again. Then again, this was a bonus sample with my Great British Tea Store order, so I certainly can’t complain!

Flavors: Astringent, Bergamot, Bitter, Grass, Smoke

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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65

This is a strong, full-bodied breakfast tea with a nice cocoa flavor. Black, it’s a bit too astringent for my tastes, but it mellows nicely with a splash of milk. Overall, I enjoyed my sample, but I wouldn’t re-purchase; I prefer the Irish Breakfast blend from the same company.

Flavors: Astringent, Cocoa

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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30

I really wasn’t a fan of this one. I tasted a bit of the pomegranate flavor, but the vanilla didn’t come through at all and there was a surprisingly sour aftertaste that I found quite unpleasant.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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65

I believe this was my first experience with straight white tea! This brewed up to a very pale, golden liquid with a light floral scent. The flavor was quite mild, with floral and vegetal notes and just a hint of sweetness. It was pleasant, but not something I would really gravitate toward again, as I prefer a stronger flavor.

Flavors: Floral, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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40

I tend to prefer rich, full-bodied, malty black teas that hold up well to milk. That being the case, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this one. It had a sharp muscatel taste and quite a bit of astringency.

Flavors: Muscatel

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

This is different from any other oolong I’ve tried so far. It has a very warm, slightly nutty flavor that reminds me of a good loaf of whole wheat bread. It’s not my normal cup of tea, but I quite enjoyed it!

Flavors: Bread, Nutty, Wheat

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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75

This tea had a surprisingly strong honey flavor with just a hint of raspberry. The black base didn’t really come through, but there was a slight astringency to the aftertaste. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I would re-purchase.

Flavors: Astringent, Honey, Raspberry

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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85

I’m guessing this would be better as an iced tea, but I did enjoy it hot. It has a great juicy, natural strawberry flavor. There are papaya pieces in this too, but I really only taste the strawberry. The green base is smooth and sweet with little astringency. Overall, a very nice fruity green tea.

Flavors: Strawberry

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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80

This is the first gunpowder tea I’ve tried, so I must admit that I’m not quite sure what it is supposed to taste like! It was fun watch those tiny pellets expand into nice big tea leaves as I steeped it and there is an intriguing smoky aroma coming from my cup. There’s definitely quite a bit of smokiness to the flavor too…along with another taste that I can only think to describe as autumn leaves. It’s very robust and flavorful for a green tea and just the slightest astringent bite. Ordinarily, this isn’t the sort of thing I’d go for. But on a cold November day, a cup of tea that tastes like a burning leaf pile is somehow hitting the spot!

Flavors: Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Smoke

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Nicole

Love the name!

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20

There was way too much lavender in this sample! It completely overwhelmed whatever bergamot flavor might have been there, so instead of lavender earl grey, it just tasted like lavender-scented black tea. And until I added milk, it was also quite bitter. Not something I would drink again.

Flavors: Bitter, Lavender

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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75

This was a pleasantly smooth yet flavorful English Breakfast tea. Nothing special, but I enjoyed it!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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40

I’ve enjoyed the other rooibos blends I’ve tried from Great British Tea Store, but this one was a disappointment. None of the rich, creamy chocolate flavor I was hoping for…instead, I’m tasting mint, which wasn’t in the description at all. This was a disappointment!

Flavors: Mint

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
carol who

It can be hard to find the perfect chocolate tea. I still haven’t found a rooibos chocolate that I like.

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100

This may be my new favorite breakfast tea! It’s wonderfully rich and full-bodied with sweet caramel and cocoa notes along with the typical malty flavor. When I drink it straight, I notice a slightly bitter aftertaste. But a splash of milk takes care of that and leaves me with a beautifully smooth, flavorful cup.

Flavors: Caramel, Cocoa, Malt

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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90

To me, this really didn’t taste any different than the plain Irish Breakfast tea from Great British Tea Store. But that’s not really a bad thing, because I love their Irish Breakfast!

Flavors: Caramel, Cocoa, Malt

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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85

I’ve enjoyed every sample I’ve tried from Great British Tea Store and this chai was no exception. I accidentally over-steeped mine, but it wasn’t bitter at all…just VERY spicy (which made it perfect with milk.) Not getting a lot of vanilla, but a good balance of cardamon, cinnamon, and clove. A very warming winter chai.

Flavors: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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65

This is one of those “teas” that’s really just a bunch of different dried fruits and flowers. In spite of having both rosehips and hibiscus, this one wasn’t too tart for me. However, I also didn’t find it terribly flavorful. I agree with Leah Naomi that it has a “generic berry flavor”…it’s pleasant enough (and would probably be better iced) but it’s nothing special and nothing I feel the need to re-purchase.

Flavors: Berry

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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75

I’m always wary of rooibos blends, as they can be quite nasty if they’re not flavored well. But Great British Tea store seems to do them quite well! This one probably needs to be sweetened to really have that gooey sweet flavor I associate with pecan pie. But on its own, I still find it quite tasty! A nice nutty/pastry flavor with a pleasant aftertaste and none of the offensive woodiness often associated with rooibos. I also smell some caramel in the blend, but I’m not really tasting it in my cup.

Flavors: Caramel, Pastries, Pecan

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

This is tasty, and definitely does have a bakery toasty aspect to it. It steeped well twice, but the third steep was pretty weak. I will happily drink this should I ever come upon it again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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80

Great British Tea Store seems to have figured out how to do flavored rooibos teas well. This has a nice fresh, natural lemon flavor without the offensive woody taste I tend to associate with red rooibos. And despite the name, it’s not too tart, just nice and fresh!

Flavors: Lemon, Lemongrass

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

Although I enjoy straight black tea, especially with meals, I’m not very good at identifying the different flavors and scents of various types and blends. Hoping that as I continue to try different teas, my palette will become more refined!

This particular black tea is different from any of the others I’ve tried so far from Great British Tea Store. Instead of the rich, malty flavor I’m used to, it has more of a sharp, assertive taste. It’s also quite astringent. With a splash of milk I did enjoy it, but I don’t think this is one I would re-purchase.

Flavors: Astringent

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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