Red Rose

When I first arrived in the Great White North from England in 1993, this was the tea that was sold and served everywhere. If I didn’t bring a bag or two of Tetley with me to a meal, this is what I drank. It’s an above-average black tea blend with a standout Assam character. It’s produced cheaply and sold similarly so don’t expect the Queen to accept a cuppa generica, but it’s a solid backup tea.

This is the default brew of the diners and basic restaurants in my town. Thus, I’ve had it a hundred different times all pretty much served the same way. In a scalding hot metal tea pot that is sure to leak upon pouring and burn your hands. If I’m lucky they bring it to me without the bag in so I can at least be aware of the steeping time and maybe they bring a pitcher of milk. Usually I’m stuck with creamo at the table and sugar or splenda if I want to sweeten it, as I usually do for I find it sort of bitter.

I guess I can’t say that I’ve actually tasted this tea pure so maybe I am selling it short. I associate this with coffee mugs of milky sugary heat that I’d have one after another while chain smoking and gabbing with friends late until the night. So less of a flavour and more of a good memory tea.

Such a nice, classic tea. Mother used to buy htis tea when I was a kid, so when I was shopping for black tea to make my sun teas and I saw this one, I grabbed it. It makes for a decent iced tea, but I think it does even better as a hot cuppa! I add some sugar and a bit of milk, and I’ve got a sweet, creamy spot of hot tea!

Of course I’ll continue to make my iced tea with it as well. Tea in bulk is best when you’re burning through iced tea during hot weather!

I’d also forgotten about the little trinkets they’d included in the packaging! Found me a little blue fella in there! Hahaha!

Drinking more of this, since it’s the only tea (besides straight rooibos) that my husband has mastered brewing. Hey, if he’s making the tea I won’t complain!

I feel like a fraud…

With dozens of beautiful, high-quality loose teas in my cupboard and all I want to drink is this. Plain Jane, grocery store Orange Pekoe. I suppose I could blame this pregnancy, baby #2 doesn’t appear to be a tea connoisseur like my first one was (who even at 20 months old enjoys a sippy cup of cold, fruity rooibos).

I’ve literally tried a little bit of everything: Green & Fruity (rooibos made me gag), Genmaicha (had to dump it), Earl Grey (normally a favourite, but now only tolerable when in London Fog form), Kanpe (couldn’t even get past the dry smells, let alone brew it), Birthday Cake (again, the rooibos)… and since I hate to waste teas I’ve just stopped trying.

Hopefully this “morning” sickness goes away soon (I’m 12 weeks along, so it should be ending in the near future) because just the other day I picked up all the new teas, but can’t bring myself around to trying them since I feel like reviewing them now will make the ratings all skewed…

My mother never liked tea because she thought it tasted like “dirty dishwater.” I never understood that description until I tried Red Rose. I love black tea and usually like super steeped and black. With this tea I need it barely steeped with a lot of sugar and milk. Even then it still tastes weird.

This is a good basic tea. When I want something that isn’t too strong, but still tastes good, I drink Red Rose. It’s great for mornings when you want to wake up with a cup of tea but your taste buds aren’t ready for anything too strong/flavorful yet. It’s pretty plain, but unlike Lipton, it doesn’t bring to mind boiled dirt. The little animals are cut too.

This is more of a comfort drink than anything for me. My mother always had some in the house, storing the bags in a tin. It was something warm to turn to when you were not feeling well, cold or down. I’ve always thought the color and smell pleasant, and even though it’s nothing spectacular, it’s special just because it was my first tea.

This isn’t a bad Irish breakfast, really, but it’s not the best. Red Rose is a go-to comfort brand, I think, and costs less than most others at the grocery store. It’s a decent buy when I can’t afford Twining’s.

This tea will forever remind me of cold winter nights spent with my boyfriend and his family: his mom would make a pot of tea every time I was over, pour in a good amount of milk and a teaspoon of sugar… so delicious. I’m sure it’s just your standard black tea, but it’s definitely the kind I drink the most, now. I love it.

Plus, it comes with a little handmade figurine!

So I bought a box of this tea since I had only tried one teabag in the past. I actually really like this tea. It brews nicely and doesn’t get bitter. My husband particularly likes this tea. It doesn’t taste like lipton’s cardboard. It tastes somewhat different.

First, thank you Queenoftarts for sending this to me! A nice, non-bitter, easy going bagged black tea. I like it better than lipton’s black tea. Works nicely with sugar and milk. Should have tried this years ago :)

Pretty standard and not much to say other than a black plain bagged tea. It’s not unpleasant and doable in a pinch. It’s just not memorable or very bold or special either.

This is the tea my grandma drank.
A little milk and honey, and it tastes like home…

please if you want to start drinking tea dont drink this..this is by far the worst tea..i dont want to go any further, its just so cheap

Kind of my default tea because it’s what was in the cupboards growing up. It’s got a familiar flavour with a little bit of milk, a great pick-me-up afternoon tea. Plain or if steeped too long it goes a little bitter. I always have it on hand for homesickness or when I need to wake up and don’t feel like brewing coffee.

Great black tea for all-day drinking. I could have a cup of this any time and prepared pretty much anyway. Dependable, quality taste from a trusted brand.

A yummy black tea – simple, light, and great base tea for teapot combinations!

Initial Review: http://www.witheringleaves.com/red-rose-original-black-tea