248 Tasting Notes
I received this tea as one of the flavors included in a Twinings variety pack. I like my tea as bold as possible. I was not excited about trying this flavor as I thought the title implied that it was a much tamer version of the macho Earl Grey tea. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, the flavor is lighter than Earl Grey but not in a weak way. There is nothing “sissified” about this tea at all. The flavor is mellow and fruity and strong enough after five minutes of steeping to push aside my first cup of English Breakfast tea. I am keeping this tea in my morning rotation.
I’ve been trying a lot of English Breakfast teas as I strive to find the one that will give me the biggest jolt in the morning for my first cup of the day. The Stash English Breakfast tea has a solid, strong flavor after five minutes of steeping. There is nothing in the flavor to set it apart from some of the other popular brands that I’ve tried, but I do like its higher intensity.
Of the several Earl Grey teas that I have sampled so far, the Stash Earl Grey has the most prominent Bergamot flavor. It has a bright taste that I enjoy as my second cup of the morning, after my first cup of a stronger and more awakening breakfast tea. Although the Bergamot presence will not be denied in this tea, it is not strong enough to mask the very pleasant tea flavor beneath it. Believe it or not, Stash also offers a DOUBLE Bergamot tea formula! I am curious to try it to see if you have to be a Bergamot addict to enjoy it.
When it’s early in the morning and you’re not quite ready for loud noises or shocks to your system, this tea is a nice quiet selection. It’s a very mild breakfast tea, even after a full five minutes of steeping. There is a twinge of malt to the flavor and a slight non-offensive aftertaste. I find it to be a good choice on those sensitive mornings to rev up my metabolism for my next, more daring, cup of tea.
Right now, this is my absolute favorite tea in the world. As it steeps, an intoxicating fragrance reminiscent of fine chocolate cherry cordials or cherry pipe tobacco fills the room. The flavor is equally impressive. The light cherry and chocolate essence lingers on your tongue for minutes after your final sip. The color of the steeped tea has an elegant light reddish hue. My only complaint about this tea is that it is a limited World Market exclusive offering. It is only available In World Market stores from about January through Valentine’s Day. Next January I intend to buy as many containers of this tea as possible so I can enjoy it throughout the year.
When I returned to the land of hot tea drinkers about two years ago, I began by drinking the free Flavia teas provided in the office machine at my workplace. It had been so long since I imbibed hot tea (being a Southerner, I primarily drank my tea ice cold), that I actually thought this tea was great stuff. I guess I was then naive and tea-ignorant. After branching out considerably since those young and foolish days, and drinking several of the finer teas in life, I now find this Flavia tea to be bitter, muddy, and unenjoyable. If it weren’t free for me to drink, I might even use the word, “nasty”.
When my wonderful girlfriend brought this tea home to me, I was a little skeptical. To me, Earl Grey and black tea were synonymous. The thought of adding bergamot to green tea was like adding fudge sauce to asparagus. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by this little gem. The light tasting bergamot and green tea complement each other perfectly. The taste is enjoyably fascinating. Neither the Earl Grey nor green tea flavor overpower each other but both are definitely present and accounted for. I like to use this tea to chase down my first cup of English Breakfast tea in the morning. I find that steeping this tea for five minutes produces just the right balance of flavor. I drink this and all of my teas straight up. Like all of Bigelow’s tea formulas, there is only a slight (and not unpleasant) aftertaste at the end of the cup.
I’ve tried several English Breakfast teas lately and this one by Bigelow is a very pleasant tasting formula. I tend to steep all of my cups of tea for five minutes and prefer to drink them straight up. Using this method, the Bigelow English Breakfast tea has a steady enjoyable flavor, but not overbearing in any way. Only a nice light aftertaste exists when I finish the cup. The price is very reasonable. I will definitely keep this tea in the rotation of my morning lineup.
