English Breakfast

This English Breakfast is really hitting the spot right now! I would have to say that for a Keemun there is not a noticeable amount of smokiness. I guess if tea were tobacco, then this would be a smokeless. :) Sorry, couldn’t resist.

The brew is semi-bold, more of a stronger medium fullness in the mouth. Very smooth, with very little bitterness. Has a lot of Ceylon qualities – taste more from a region in India than China. Still very satisfying!

Apparently I’m on a bit of a Harney & Sons sampling kick. I’d like to say I’m going to be methodical about it and stick mostly to these for a while but that would probably be misleading. I have just as much of an urge to go on an Earl Grey, Breakfast Blend, or oolong or pu erh or chai comparison kick, or to do a methodical French tea sampling. I can see myself doing a lot of H&S for a while, but I doubt we’ll be in an exclusive relationship. ;-)

100% Keemun. Hmm. Not sure I’ve had that before? In the sample packet the dry leaves have a dark and sultry smell. Not sweet, more earthy or planty, at least to me. There’s also an interesting sharp note that seems like …. vinegar and salt? Seriously I’m having a flash to potato chip seasoning. I’m getting that note in the steeped aroma as well. Pretty interesting and not something I’ve experienced before. I’m intrigued.

With that aroma I’d expected a sharpness to the taste, but that’s nowhere to be found. It’s incredibly smooth! There’s a sugary sweetness in the finish that follows a woody flavor. No salt or vinegar in the taste. There’s a fullness to the mouth feel, though I wouldn’t describe it as quite full-bodied. Closer to medium. There’s an interesting, almost smoky note in the aftertaste. The tea is a little drying, but I kind of like that so it doesn’t bother me.

Hmm. Not sure exactly how I feel about this. It’s good, but I think I need more Keemun experience before I pass judgment. I’m not sure I’d pick it over a richer, fuller breakfast blend. But you never know.

Wow, another I didn’t review. Whoops. SimplyJenW sent this my way probably a year and a half or two years ago. This is a prime example of why I almost never do swaps, I never seem to get around to drinking the things I get in return. I have had most of this one though, so I’m not sure how I managed to miss reviewing it.

I am not much of an English breakfast drinker as they tend to be bitter assams and other bold teas I don’t drink a lot of. They are nice for a treat though, and I will add a bit of sugar or honey if necessary. This one got the kid gloves treatment of a 3 minute steep so it should be good on it’s own. I get a lot of malt in the aroma, and it has a smell that frequently translates into bitterness. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s easy to recognize.

First sips are a bit lighter than I expected, and with a surprising level of sweetness. This tastes more like Chinese blacks than Indian. Wait a minute, I’ve finally read the description. This is a Keemun? Win! I get some sweetness that is almost lightly floral, not much of a smoke note like I sometimes get. This is a nice keemun and extremely affordable. I don’t see why they don’t just label it as a Kemmun, but whatever works. :)

I bought enough of this for myself and a tea friend to try on a recent, probably once in a lifetime, trip to Harney’s in Soho. I am definitely not disappointed!

Sometimes, Keemuns are a little too smokey for my taste and sometimes have a bitter end (the taste, not that they were thrown out! Then again, I think I have thrown at least one out…..). This one is perfect. It is not as light and refined as Keemun Mao Feng, but it has a good solid base, a full mouth feel, and beyond that, it has me at a loss for words.

Good for you, Harney! I have yet another tea on my shopping list!

Unfortunately (and surprisingly), my sample tasted bitter, smoky, stale and very peaty.

It was smoky not in a good way. :(

Other than this, I love Keemun teas—my favorite so far was A&D’s Jackee Muntz!—and this did not compare. So, based on my sample, I have to give this a “meh” face. :/

It was drinkable with milk…maybe I should’ve added sugar too?

Thank you Sil for this sample.

Is there anyone better to sample an English breakfast tea than an English person? This would be my first cup of the day which starts my marathon off quite late today (it’s 10am). I do aim to post as many tea reviews as I can this weekend while dog/house sitting. May the 4th be with you all.

The pyramid bag is nice and see through so I can note the teas quality whilst raw. The Keemun looks to be of nice quality and consists of small, dark black leaves that have a few golden stem pieces amongst them. It has a malted fruit scent.

In true British style I have added milk and half a spoon of sugar to my tea. Once steeped this tea has a rich, dark malt aroma with a gentle floral tinge.

Sipping reveals a delicious dark Keemun with malt and floral tones and no bitterness. A little smoky but soothed by the milk and sugar which makes it easier to drink more quickly. The floral tones pick up further down the cup and it adds more depth and a slight dry perfume taste. That doesn’t really amount to much though, all in all I would say this is a nice ‘cuppa cha’.

When grading teas that claim to be British I always ask myself one thing… would my Grandad drink this? He is Welsh and in his 70’s, he does not drink anything other than traditional bagged black tea. If it would be good enough to serve to him then it must be a true British tea. And with that reasoning I have concluded that this is indeed a true British tea, not strong enough for me to be considered a breakfast tea but more of an all day, every day tea.

Almost forgot about this one. We went out for a nice brunch last Sunday at Lydia’s (really, really good Italian). I asked for hot tea, expecting Lipton, hoping for Twinings, and they brought a box of Harney & Sons! Bagged, sure, but at a restaurant that isn’t tea oriented, I’ll take it!

I actually don’t drink English Breakfast much at all. This was good. A nice well rounded black. Smooth and hearty. My palate is not so advanced as to be able to pick out Keemun vs Assam vs Ceylon so I can’t speak much to that. All I know is that it was a bagged tea at a restaurant that exceeded expectations.

If I could have kept the server from wanting to refill my cup with coffee it would have been a perfect brunch. :) She actually did it once. I thought maybe she was bringing more hot water so I didn’t stop her. She remembered about the time the coffee hit the cup that I had tea, even though it looked like their coffee! She almost did it once more, but caught herself in time. It was actually kind of funny.

Aaaah. This is my kind of Monday! I’ve finally got a new tea to taste and review. I’ve been so busy getting married and keeping up with work tasks that I’ve had to push new teas down on my priority (and financial) list. It’s been a while since my last tasting note so my typing fingers and brain are a little rusty. But, here we go anyhow…

I’ve wanted to try Harney & Sons teas for quite some time. I’ve heard and read great things about their products. But, until this weekend, we didn’t have a local outlet from which to purchase them. I thought their on-line shipping charges were a little steep (no pun intended) so I didn’t buy any from their website either. Now, thanks to our local Fresh Market, we can purchase Harney & Sons English Breakfast and Earl Grey teas at discount prices.

When I opened the big black tin, the aroma that burst forth was like that of pipe tobacco in a tobacco shop. It was sweet and rich.

I steeped the short black leaves for five minutes at 212 degrees as recommended on the tin. I didn’t notice any particular smells wafting from the teapot during this process. The color of the liquor was a bright golden amber.

At first sip, the flavor was sweet and a tad earthy. The taste intensity was medium. The flavor remained mostly consistent after subsequent sips, but I did notice slight twinges of malt and the tell-tale woody and leathery flavors of keemun later on. There was no bitterness present in this brew.

Although this tea does not have bold flavors, it is, nevertheless, a smooth and pleasant beverage for those mornings when you don’t need something shouting at you to wake you up. There is still plenty of good flavor to get your morning off on the right foot.

My new place of work has maybe 20 selections of Harney & Sons in bag form. I will take advantage of this. First up is their English Breakfast. I brewed this for just over 2 minutes. The result is a good strong eye-opener. It’s smooth with mellow cocoa notes. I really should steep it longer next time to fully extract the flavor and strength that a good breakfast tea should posess. I know I have written some bad words about their customer service and total lack of communication but they do have some very nice tea.

I received a sample of this tea from a swap with an acquaintance on Ravelry.

My dogs often wake me way too early in the morning, and they are not patient about waiting when they want/need to go out. So, many, many mornings I stumble blindly out of bed, let the hounds loose, and grope my way blearily towards the tea kettle. When I am in that state, I want a good, stout breakfast tea that will stand up to a bit of sugar and milk. Something that will metaphorically kick my arse into motion, and not something that is necessarily refined or subtle.

This tea fulfills that requirement for basic stimulation, but adds to it a smoothness, and a sweet caramel smokiness that makes those 5:00 am wakeups into something almost pleasant.

Almost. I’d still rather sleep late, to, say, 5:45 am.

1 tsp for 6 oz

OK, now this is a pleasant tea! Been looking for something inexpensive that tastes decent for a daily morning tea, and this might be it!

It’s not as intense and smoky as the Hao Ya B. But, it does have some Keemun character in a lighter, smoother version. Brewed as I did, there is really not much astringency to speak of (just a little in the finish), but there is definitely flavor.

I think this Keemun is a great value. I’ll have to try a side by side comparison of all the ones I have soon.

I’ve been drinking this tea almost every morning for a while now. I was really excited to try this tea when I first got it, for I was lacking a good Keemun for quite some time. Initially I thought it was very thin and light. Somehow, over time, I’ve grown to like it quite it a bit.

There isn’t a whole lot that stand out about it per se. It’s slightly sweet, peppery, and delicately smokey. Sometimes I’m not in the mood to analyze flavors (the dreadful morning hours)- I just want that reliable, familiar friend to wake me up.

I actually bought this as it was 100% Keemun to mix with my Lapsang Souchong. I decided to try it alone this morning. Its actually a very nice tea all alone. Its a very mild Keemun and easy to drink w/o sugar or milk. I can taste a very slight sweetness on my tongue as I sip. The kick I get reminds me of morning coffee and is very eye opening. A very enjoyable cup and I will drink more of this in the mornings.

TEA. ENGLISH BREAKFAST. HOT.

This was a free sample from Harney and Sons.

It was a bagged tea.

I am not a big fan of breakfast teas, but I found Harneys version to be quite pleasant. I find a lot of breakfast teas can be very strong and quite bitter. I brewed this tea for a shorter period of time, just because I was scared it could get bitter. I prefer not to add any milk or sweetener to my black teas. Harney’s version of English Breakfast is a smooth tea, no bitterness noted. It is creamy with a very slight sweetness to it. I love that it is 100% keemun and not a blend. There is a very slight, kind of sweet aftertaste.
I would most likely not purchase this tea for drinking, but I am happy I had the chance to try it.

Not a bad tea, but rather too mild for my tastes.

A solid tea that brings to mind 400+ year old hard wood furniture and tapestries, an old stone home, a comforting fire in the fireplace. Aged? Classic? Vintage? Historic? Maybe all these things, maybe not. A tea that tastes from another time, and takes you there.

Chapters (Canadian bookstore for those who don’t know), I found, carries a LOT of loose-leaf tea accessories (to which I mean pots with infusers, mugs with infusers, infusers by themselves, travel tea tumblers with the removable infusers…), but NO actual loose-leaf teas. All of the teas they have are bagged. Whoops. Although there were still some good teas there (“full leaf sachets”). Harney and Sons being one of them. And I had remembered seeing a tin of Paris sachets the last time I’d visited, and thus I returned today to purchase it—only to see that there didn’t seem to be any (and I don’t say ‘any left’ because I remember, distinctly, that they had four Harney and Sons teas out, and they still did, but none were Paris; maybe I was mistaken?). But I’m sure they had had some! I noticed in their giant variety sample pack for thirty dollars that Paris was included, but I didn’t really want to buy the whole giant chest of teas. Curses!

So I opted for this one, because I always enjoy a good morning tea. Opening the tin the smell is strong and divine. Very tea. It brewed quite light, and the smell of the wet teabag and the tea itself is very faint, and… different.

Granted, I’ve never really tried Keemun (that I know of), thus excuse my naivety. The tea is nice, light, and slightly (but noticeably) sweet. The ‘tea’ taste that I’m more used to IS in there, but it’s mixed with other tastes. Almost a sort of greeny taste (if you removed the vegetable). There’s something stronger in the aftertaste. Robust. Not sure. I really rather like this. I don’ts think it needs anything (certainly not any sugar), but if made a bit stronger it would probably be good with a splash of milk.

Edit: …And also mildly, faintly peppery but in a good way, and I like this very much. And did I mention that I liked this?

I don’t know what I was thinking this morning. Apparently I thought this was going to be a light, gentle, quiet tea, so I used TWO tea bags in my first cup. With 2% milk.

And I’m OK. My hands are not shaking. In fact, 4 hours later, I am about to have another cup, this time brewed with 1 silken bag for about 5 minutes. No milk, sugar, half-and-half, or lemon.

[Pause] [Sniff] [Pause] [Slurp] […Pause…]

When I sniff I can catch that sharp, almost vinegary smell someone else mentioned. It’s rather nice, like malt vinegar or even balsamic.

First unadorned sip is strong, definitely “fills the mouth” (if I’m beginning to understand that term) with the flavor of tea, and then retreats with almost no aftertaste. I could get used to drinking this black. Must try this experiment with my Assams later.

Now it’s cooled down a little and I can take bigger sips. It’s a bit puckery but pleasant. That’s “briskness,” right? H&S doesn’t seem to think it’s very brisk, as they only give it a 1 on their scale of 1-5. Maybe I am a wuss, after all.

This is my first China tea of this new exploration, and I believe it is the first Keemun I have ever tasted. The knowledgeable tea buyer at my local British import shop guided me to it when I asked whether they carried a pure Keemun. It’s not clearly identified as such on the bagged tin, although if you read the back it says “Produced in late spring in Annui Province, China handplucked, fully oxidized.” I believe on the loose-tea tin it does say “Keemun” in fine print.

Courtesy of Janefan! I love sachet tea bags- they’re convenient while retaining all the goodness of loose leaf tea. I had this for my morning tea, and it was a very smooth Keemun with a pleasant sweet aftertaste. Not a sugary flavor, but just natural slight sweetness of tea. It would be also good other times of the day as it is not very strong.