Hampton Breakfast Tea by Ahmad Tea

gmathis 7 tasting notes

Last night was proof that my family no longer does severe thunderstorms well. I know Whose hands I’m in—last spring and summer brought living proof of that—but I can’t seem to get that message across to my central nervous system. Hamster heart and clenched muscles.

And it looks like I’m waking up to a day of the same weather conditions, which despite my screaming desire to stay sheltered, I have to go out in for elder care duties.

Therefore, I was deeply grateful that the Xmas Bunny (a subsidiary of Easter Elephant, Inc.) remembered that even yucky birthdays should start somewhat pleasantly and left one last tin of KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON British tea.

Good and stout—the Kenyan in the blend is the most noticeable; the other varieties (Ceylon/Indian) keep it from getting out of hand. First cup straight up for fortification; the second with a splash of half and half, which makes it mild but strong at the same time.

Someday I am going to indulge my inner tea geek (inner? who am I kidding? who doesn’t know that I am?) and do a side-by-side tasting of my beloved British breakfast blends (say that five times fast) and arrange more precisely by strength so I can accurately pick the blend to fit the morning.

Psalm 91 to y’all. Stay safe.

2012-04-14 08:11:17 -0400

I Like This

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Usually, I add milk as the “whipped cream and a cherry on top,” not as an essential ingredient, but this one continues to be strong and dark and acidic enough it just needs a little softening. But for BBB lovers, it’s definitely one to add to your library.

The caffeine kick is welcome. Word count goal for the day is a little daunting. Just 2100 words, but they need to be constructive and comprehensible to fourth graders. Grade level thesaurus, Tommy Emmanuel on Pandora … here we go!

2012-04-21 08:31:22 -0400

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Finally getting around to trying this one with milk…just a teeeeny bit to take the edge off this strong stuff. Perfect. Jeeves would serve this. Efficient, gets the job done, but makes you think it was all your idea.

2012-08-29 08:34:54 -0400

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OK, this one you KNOW you’re drinking. Dark with a bit of a bite, has enough backbone that milk doesn’t put a dent in the kicky flavor.

2012-09-19 08:32:51 -0400

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There are not adjectives powerful enough to describe how I loathe springing forward. Sorry, DST lovers. My poor circadian rhythms are in a tailspin.

Nothing’ll do but tea-based caffeine at its stoutest until I actually see daylight in the morning again. So this may be in the frequent-drinker lineup for a while. When you dole out the leaves judiciously, it has a little coppery-fruity foretaste. As it sits, it just builds more muscle. Muscle I need to drag me through the day, I think.

2013-03-12 08:21:37 -0400

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I keep this one in reserve for mornings when I need to WAKE UP. It is a potent breakfast tea, but not so strong or bitter it can’t be imbibed on its own.

Blends of tea should do one of two things: mesh together so well that you can detect every individual element, or mesh together so well that no one element interferes with the blend as a whole. This falls in Category #2.

2012-08-16 08:31:40 -0400

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Second morning in a row. Big ol’ snowflakes (MAY 4!!) the size of your thumb falling in lazy 3-D on my recently mowed lawn.

We survived the night with space heaters and long johns, baked cinnamon Grands for breakfast, and put on the kettle.

This strong breakfast blend will knock the ice off your ears and probably unclog your drain, too, as stout as I steeped it this morning. With a little milk to take the edge off, it has a dark rye or pumpernickel feel to it.

2013-05-04 08:24:52 -0400