Barry's Classic Blend

was so busy looking for a teapot and cups at the thrift stores, and a bunch of other things that i didnt realize that i hadnt had any tea until after dinner.

my mom and i were looking around at world market and saw tasting booth for this so i had some and tho i didnt like the first irish breakfast i tried, this one was ok. good, even. (or maybe it was just coz i missed having tea today or my tastebuds are getting used to it hahaha)

liquor: dark gold
taste: strong enough that i can sip but not gulp, it was perfectly brewed by World Market
effect: enough caffeine to make me more alert

as im not a breakfastfast tea fan, i would rather buy other teas but would be happy enough to drink this again.

Drank some with a halibut-shaped sugar cookie (adorable!) at the Acapelicans concert the other night. Couldn’t bring myself to drink any of the other offerings on the table, so I went for my good old classic!

The scent is so refreshing. Reminds me of Typhoo in its strength, but is obviously an Irish Breakfast blend instead. Super quick steep, and didn’t become bitter although I left the tea bag in and never added milk or sugar. Probably downed the mug-ful in no more than 10 minutes, which is plain crazy. I put this on par with the Twining’s blend I’ve been raised on, as it has so many sentimental connotations for me…

Solid and robust. Very good for a bagged tea. Deliciously malty. Can get bitter. Not fancy, but nothing to sneer at, either.

OK – second attempt with this tea and I did a couple of things differently: I slightly underleafed, and I promptly stopped the brewing process after 3 minutes exactly. It made quite the difference! This is still a strong, solid black tea that can handle (really is best with) full fat milks, but brewed this way there is not a trace of bitterness. There is still a slight tannic quality, but much less than when I tried it the first time. I still want to try this iced, and am very glad I could salvage it – I was afraid I had to ditch it since it’s so far past the “best by” date.

About the best of the builders’ teas.

This is my favorite bagged tea. It is strong, yet simple. It works well with milk and sugar, and is really just your basic Irish Breakfast. I’d give this to a new sipper, but for the more experienced tasters I would offer something a bit more high brow. Still, when I’m on the go it is easy to throw a few of these into a bag and jet. It doesn’t need much steep time.

Taste: very strong and full-bodied, with a nutty first sip and a heavy finish. Very tea-ish. Simple.

I find this to get too strong really quickly, but when it’s steeped carefully it’s perfect. Advice: drink while eating scone(s).

Four of us for afternoon tea at the pub, two big pots of this classic Irish tea. It ain’t fancy, which may be why I liked it. Surprisingly awesome with the smoked salmon.

Drank last night with some Bailey’s in it (Irish tea all around) and then left the pot out overnight, so drank what was left this morning. So good.