3562 Tasting Notes
My youngest daughter loves Irish breakfast tea from A Southern Season, so I thought I would get this for her to try. She likes it quite well. I am not as much a “breakfast tea” person, but I did think this one was good. It is strong enough to be bracing and, shall we say, strengthening in the morning and has quite enough body and flavor to take on milk and sugar if you like to add it. I think I am still partial to the Irish Breakfast from A Southern Season over this one. Don’t brew this one as long unless you want coffee style strength, as the leaf particles are smaller than SS Irish breakfast.
Preparation
Maybe I shouldn’t have tried this on the heels of two other new teas! My first impression is – this is a very good tea, but I like (love! LOVE!) Vanilla Comoro better. The vanilla flavor is not quite as strong and sweet in this one, which means that my daughter will like it better than Vanilla Comoro.
Preparation
Thanks for comparing the two! I’m still deciding between them both, which to order. I guess Vanilla Comoro is more sweet vanilla-y because there is no caffeine to make it bitter?
That could be it, but Vanilla Comoro has more of the caramel flavor to me, and I wondered if Harney and Sons adds a bit of extra flavor and sweetness to make up for some of the loss of tea flavor that occurs during the decaf process. And perhaps they feel that a decaf tea is probably for night times and would be more of a dessert tea and deserves the extra boost of caramel and sweet! It is my favorite!
This is a great black tea when you want a complex and interesting cup. I would liken it to Golden Monkey, but I really like this one much better. There is a very strong honey aroma and flavor, but a little more natural sweetness than Golden Monkey with none of the astringency. The dry leaves are deep black but there is an abundance of the fluffiest and fuzziest golden tips I have even seen. You can brew this tea at least twice and still have a great cup of tea.
Preparation
This note was written when I was young and foolish. I love Golden Monkey more, more, more! I love you, Monkey! Do not read this review! While Zhen Quo is excellent tea, GM is the bestest ever! And how in the world did I ever find it astringent?? Ah well, we grow and learn!
I agree with Teaplz! This tea blends the chocolate and hazelnut flavors very nicely. I didn’t like flavored teas at first and then found one or two that I liked. But CHOCOLATE tea sounded like an abomination to me! I didn’t think I would ever try any…until I read the description of this one. Also, the fact that I had just fallen in love with Vanilla Comoro gave me the courage to try Florence.
The chocolate is subtle but not hidden. I thought of Godiva chocolates with hazelnut filling when I drank this tea. It has enough body to be satisfying but not so much chocolate and hazelnut as to be cloying. Vanilla Comoro is still my first love, but I will be drinking this one when I want to switch things up a little.
Preparation
This is one of the best Irish Breakfast teas I have tried. It is nice and strong as it should be, but not at all bitter or astringent. I don’t even add milk to this one, just a touch of sugar. This is sold as one of their daily teas and is very reasonably priced. A good bracing cup for morning or to lift a sleepy afternoon. Lots of gold sprinkled in these leaves.
Preparation
Just had three (small) cups of this delightful tea. Aaaaah. The dry leaves smell like caramel, vanilla, and maple syrup. And by caramel, I mean the very best soft vanilla caramel you can get, like Godiva’s soft caramel centers. The sediment in the bottom of your last cup? The first time I made this tea I rinsed that out, thinking it was some fine tea dust. No. EAT IT! Stick your finger in there and get it because it is sweet, light, vanilla goodness.
How good is it? The friend who was trying it with me just ordered a whole pound!
Had my first cup this morning. This is a good Keemun tea, but I think I like Winey Keemun by Grace Rare Teas a little better. I detect a woodsy, slightly bitter scent, but I wasn’t getting dark chocolate. I think I would like this tea a LOT more if I lowered the water temperature just a hair and shaved about 30 seconds off the steeping time. Will add a new note when I try that. That being said, I think this tea is supposed to be a bit bracing. After all, it is supposedly on the breakfast table of the Queen of England, and we know how the British usually take their tea – strong, with lots of milk and sugar! I added no milk and only a little sugar to mine. It could grow on me….
