English Breakfast- HT Blend

I got a tin of this today with my Harney and Sons order, I am lazy for using teabags but they sure are easier to use at the office. :)

Now this tea says it is a blend of Ceylon Kenilworth and Kenya Milima. I did try a sip just plain and I found it to be very smooth and almost velvety in flavor initially but the aftertaste is strong and kind of snuck up on me over time. I ended up adding soymilk because that’s normally what I would do with a breakfast tea. It is indeed mellow but I’m not so sure about the full-bodied part. It has some nice cocoa notes but it is a bit high on the tannic side for me, or I would have given it a higher rating. I’ve found some other African tea blends to be a bit on the tannic side as well.

This won’t be a repurchase item for me, but I’m glad I tried it.

Apparently not to be confused with the gold/black tinned “English Breakfast” tea from Harney and Sons, this one is in a silver tin and is labeled as “HT Blend” on both the tin and their web site and is different from the gold/black tin which is 100% Keemun. The silver HT tin says it is a blend of Ceylon and African teas.

Steeped this for quite a long time – 5 minutes or more – after which it became more tannic. However, even at 4-5 minutes the tea is not as strong as some other English Breakfast teas I have tried. It’s quite good, though, and I love the nice tin it comes in and the high-quality pyramid sachets. However, I have now seen this on the web for between $5-$6 (US), but I bought it at a Biggby Coffee shop for $9.99… clearly marked up more than it might be at a grocery store or online shop. I would say that I prefer Twining’s English Breakfast Tea over this tea, but I like my tea relatively strong with milk/creamer and sugar/Splenda.

Overall on my scale of common English Breakfast Teas I have tried, I would rank this somewhere between Republic of Tea and Stash at the bottom end of the scale, and Twining’s at the upper end of the scale.

Beautiful English Breakfast. Smooth and mellow with a lovely body. Normally I’m an Earl Grey gal, but this definitely growing on me.

I adore this tea. I have been drinking English Breakfast with my father since I was 8 years old, and it remains a fast favourite, even though I drink flavoured tea more often. I got a tin of this tea for Christmas (2011) and by the beginning of the next February, I am down to two tea bags. I think it is because this version of English Breakfast is creamier than others, which have an earthier flavour. I love it.

Good Stuff. I made a Tall Cup (16oz tumbler, 2 satchet) and it was slightly much, but good flavor all around.

Update: Added a bit of sugar and it lessens the stomach weight.

This English Breakfast seems to be a different blend than Harney’s English Breakfast that is a 100% Keemun. The tin says it is a blend of Ceylon and African Tea. I will have to compare this one to the other at some point, but I find it a relaxing cuppa. I wish I had a greater knowledge of what makes an English Breakfast tea great. I should probably get some of the standard ones before I really make a judgement. I would buy this again…unless I like the Keemun version better.