Barry's Classic Blend

Drank some with a halibut-shaped sugar cookie (adorable!) at the Acapelicans concert the other night. Couldn’t bring myself to drink any of the other offerings on the table, so I went for my good old classic!

The scent is so refreshing. Reminds me of Typhoo in its strength, but is obviously an Irish Breakfast blend instead. Super quick steep, and didn’t become bitter although I left the tea bag in and never added milk or sugar. Probably downed the mug-ful in no more than 10 minutes, which is plain crazy. I put this on par with the Twining’s blend I’ve been raised on, as it has so many sentimental connotations for me…

Solid and robust. Very good for a bagged tea. Deliciously malty. Can get bitter. Not fancy, but nothing to sneer at, either.

This is my favorite bagged tea. It is strong, yet simple. It works well with milk and sugar, and is really just your basic Irish Breakfast. I’d give this to a new sipper, but for the more experienced tasters I would offer something a bit more high brow. Still, when I’m on the go it is easy to throw a few of these into a bag and jet. It doesn’t need much steep time.

Taste: very strong and full-bodied, with a nutty first sip and a heavy finish. Very tea-ish. Simple.

Four of us for afternoon tea at the pub, two big pots of this classic Irish tea. It ain’t fancy, which may be why I liked it. Surprisingly awesome with the smoked salmon.

I find this to get too strong really quickly, but when it’s steeped carefully it’s perfect. Advice: drink while eating scone(s).

About the best of the builders’ teas.

Drank last night with some Bailey’s in it (Irish tea all around) and then left the pot out overnight, so drank what was left this morning. So good.