Organic English Breakfast

This was another freebie I got in my last order. It’s kind of strange that I haven’t tasted their version yet!

I sniffed the sachet before hitting it with the water and it smelled promising. I generally like keemun, so it seemed like a good idea. However, as I drink it, I am disappointed. For something with such a nice aroma, this is kind of bland. It’s bitter and dries my mouth without any kind of depth or complexity. It reminds me a lot of how disappointing Mighty Leaf’s breakfast blend was. Just cheap-tasting and lame. Sorry, Harney, this one’s a miss.

This is surprisingly smooth sans additions. Hmm, maybe I need to change my opinion of Keemun. Sometimes I try it and it’s God awful. Other times, like now, it tastes fine. Enjoyable even when milk and sugar are added.

It’s not very brisk for a breakfast tea though, in my opinion. I require a little more oomph in the mornings. It’s lacking the strong, full-body of Ceylons that I love so much. That’s my go-to breakfast tea.

This is okay, but it’s not quite there. I agree with others that it really lacks complexity. It’s just sort of one-sided, like one note in a song. I am glad I got the chance to try it though, thanks to the lovely Cliffside Inn where I spent my mini-moon! :)

Still working my way through my CTF samples. I’m not usually an English Breakfast person, but I picked up a sample anyway to try.

This one brewed up a reddish brown mahogany color, with the distinct aroma that definitely says English Breakfast to me. The flavor isn’t super powerful, probably because I only steeped it for 3 minutes, but it’s light and pleasant, and nicely rounded. Steeped longer it would likely become a more robust tea. I enjoyed this cup, but I’m not likely to get more, more because EBs still aren’t really my thing than its not a pleasant tea.

This was a surprising tea to me. I have had it a couple of times now [I’m not one to keep writing reviews for each infusion of the same tea, I write about the first impression because that’s the one that counts!] and I noticed that the longer it steeped, the more it’s character and nuances bloomed; now this is NOT a blooming tea mind you.

The scent starts off smoky then the longer it steeps, the aromas are a hint of smoke, leather and nuts. This blend and its description are similar to Yunnans but with a bit more complex character yet not as much as other English Breakfast blends. This blend has a somewhat thick feel on the tongue but not as full or chewy as an Assam; it has a slight brighter, cleaner appeal to it like a Ceylon. It is a very nice tea to have in the morning or early afternoon. I would say this tea is on par with the Tippy Yunnan by the same company but with a bit more body and complexity. I would recommend trying a sample…it’s a good tea.

This is a pleasant tasting tea, but it did not seem to have the body and brightness of Harney’s regular English Breakfast. Its adequate, just not special.

Harney & Sons – Organic English Breakfast (black). Sachet. Appearance: medium and short black tea leaves without additives. Liquor: reddish-brown (standard tea color). Smell: bright. Taste: traditional breakfast blend, with assertive, bright flavors. Moderate astringency. Decent without sugar, which is somewhat unexpected for a breakfast blend. As with a lot of blacks, sugar improves the tea by softening the edges. 5/10.

So disappointing. I love Harney and Sons teas and I love English Breakfast, but this is 1 I simply cannot like. Bland, bitter, without complexity, and too “dark”. I’d rather drink coffee.