Blackburnian Tea

Saturday morning I either make a habit of a big Western Style pot of tea to linger over…taking my time to sip and enjoy without a care in the world. No hurry to run out the door to do anything.

Uh, wait a minute…I’m retired! (Screech of brakes)
I never run out the door anymore anyway! Life is grand!

I tell my grandsons all the time how great it is to be old! So what if I look scruffy! No more hauling off to the job or sitting 4 hours in traffic like I used to. (30 years of stress almost killed me!)
Now I can watch TV late and stay in my jammies in the morning!

Life is grand!

I love the name of this tea! ‘Blackburnian’ (some Scotsman in a kilt should surely have served me tea this morning I think).

Just the look of the chocolate Black Tea leaves mixed with chunkier bits of Oolong and I was so ready for a kick start of caffeine.

The wet leaves plumped up into a mahogany fine bark with a little fruit malty scent. The liquor was honey, medium dark brown.

Taking a big gulpy, slurpy sip, my first conversational comment to myself was, “Wow, this is light. It’s sweet enough and not smoky (got to remember that because this company isn’t afraid of smoke) and this is really light and smooth for a black tea.”

I thought about what the Oolong was bringing to the blend. It had to be sweetness and smoothness.
I could feel some astringency but in such a small amount that it hardly counts.

I know some people really HATE Black Tea. (I don’t ‘get’ that at all)
Blackburnian would be ‘the’ tea for those who are sensitive to strong flavors and want a more muted Black cup. No sugar is needed either, it’s sweet enough left alone.

I experimented with sweetening my tea and adding cream which thankfully worked. There is enough body in the tea to hold additions without bogging down into a watery mess or tasting only like the cream.

Again, this is a VERY light Black/Oolong tea blend but Smooth.

Here’s a little bagpipe stuff from Estes Park,CO about an hour away. In 2 weeks I’m going to the opening Tattoo and 1st day of the Highland Games at over 7000ft in the Rocky’s. This might give some idea. This is the largest they say in North America (I used to go to the ones in Santa Rosa just like my Great Grandfather Duncan Cameron).
http://youtu.be/vzelfQ6KbWg

I like black tea.
I like oolong tea.
So, when I saw this tea, I thought I couldn’t go wrong with it.
I am so happy when I am right:)
For some reason, I was afraid that the black tea would overwhelm the oolong, but it does not.
The Oolong is very much a part of this lovely cuppa.
Malty and Nutty.
Fruity and Savory.
The tea makes me think of chocolate (dessert) yet a like it would be tasty with a Dinner.
Very yummy.
Well Done, Brendan!
Another winner in my book.

A very nice blend. I could probably down a pot of this on my own over a tea time. :)

Dry it smells a bit like hay. Earthy and warm. Steeps very light, even at 4 minutes. A bit of oolong in the background but to my tastebuds, the black tea, whatever it is, overshadows it. There is a tiny bit of astringency at the end.