Twinings of London

There are high force winds and crazy rain outside from the tropical storm to the west, but I just couldn’t stay in the office for lunch. So I ventured out, came back soaked of course, and am now freezing. I just may get hypothermia… maybe I’ve been watching too much Survivorman though.

So this tea is really warming me up! I put some honey in it, and now it’s really comforting too. Surprised to find another good green tea with mint, and its ease of brewing makes it better for work. While the mint is actually just a flavor and not real mint, it tastes quite good and is perfectly blended.

There really should be official “storm fun” days in florida to be away from the office. I love walking in the rain.

Earl Grey has been been my long time favourite, I like to let the bag steep for about 5 mins, then add a dash of milk.

This is my favorite tea. I drink it every morning.

This tea isn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t buy it again. I liked it well enough hot, with or without honey, but it didn’t stand out to me. I’ll probably leave it at my parents house just to have a bit of variety in tea. On a side note, the only orange I noticed was maybe a hint of orange blossom in the smell once brewed.

Whew! What a strong black tea you are!!

This tea is above and beyond one of my favorites. It tastes to me what BPAL’s Mad Hatter cologne smells like. So very a merry unbirthday, to you Twinings. Twinkle twinkle…little bat….

Not a bad chai, it definitely helps clear up the sinuses. However it is not my favourite although I don’t know how long it’s been in the cupboard so that may make a difference :D I had this with milk

I have KeenTeaThyme to thank for sending me a bag of this. Thank you!

Twinings is a company (or shall I say “are companies”?) that confuse me. It seems like there are two different companies: Twinings and Twinings of London. There are two different websites and they appear to have different teas. This has confused me for several years now.

Anyway… this is from Twinings of London. Since the package in the picture and the packaging of the teabag that KeenTeaThyme sent me appear similar, I’m going to forge ahead with the belief that I’m putting this tasting note in the right place.

This is really not so bad for a bagged tea. I’d certainly prefer loose leaf as I’ve said many times, but, given its limitations as a bagged tea, this one stands up to those challenges pretty well. It is a good, strongly flavored tea. Rich and hints of malt. Sweet caramel-y undertones. And I’m not getting a strong bitterness from it, and I even steeped it for a full 3 minutes which I don’t normally do except that it is a bagged tea and because I have to pour the boiling water into a teacup to steep it (I guess I don’t have to brew it this way, but, it seems the most convenient method of brewing a bagged tea), and the temperature drops when being poured into a teacup even if it’s been warmed (which it hadn’t been), I decided to go for the 3 minutes.

Gah… I feel like I’m babbling. So, I’m going to stop now. This is really quite a decent tasting tea. Not the best I’ve had when it comes to Irish Breakfast blends, but, I didn’t expect it to be since it is a bagged tea. But it is drinkable.

I never had much tea growing up. Or rather, I actually had plenty of tea, but it was all of the monolithic Southern Sweet Tea variety, i.e. inexpensive bags of orange pekoe unscientifically brewed and loaded with sugar and ice. Refreshing and affordable and culturally comforting, but my youthful imagination craved something more. The thought of hot tea seemed absolutely exotic and the epitome of hoity toity poshness, lifestyles of the rich and famous and all that. China cups and saucers and haughtily poised little fingers. Very much outside of my realm of sweating glasses of Luzianne attracting flying insects. And what tea seemed the height of that hot-tea paradise I had yet to enter into? English Breakfast Tea.

Just see it through the eyes of a dingy girl of eight or nine years or so. English Breakfast Tea, boxes of it shelved a bit above the stuff her mother uses to make that common, everyday beverage of iced tea, little boxes from foreign brands, a product that’s never been in the cupboard at home. How it comprises all the allure of tea drinking amongst some phantom notion of upper-crust gleaned from snippets of Masterpiece Theatre productions. English— a very faraway land when you’re in South Carolina. Breakfast— why, who ever thought to drink tea at breakfast, when everyone here drinks it during the day and night? Tea— not stuff in a pitcher in the fridge, no, this is tea for pots and cups, steaming liquid colored with milk.

Then came the day, in my early teens, when I acquired a sampler box of Twinings tea, with accompanying funny look from the parental unit when I asked for it at the grocery store, as if in confirmation that, yes, this one’s going to be a bit of a snob. How I gloated over that box, with its seal from the Queen, and I sampled the samples with excitement and reverence. And what did I find, in those fateful few bags of Twinings English Breakfast Tea? That it’s all right, but I rather vastly prefer Irish Breakfast Tea. XÞ

But seriously, it is a solid, reliable tea, but simply not one of my favorites from Twinings. In bags and loose leaf alike, it seems to brew up on the weak side, and there’s this very slight peculiar taste which I can’t quite pinpoint… it is almost a waxiness, but that may just be my tastebuds acting wonky. Otherwise, it takes its milk and sugar nicely, as is to be expected, and has a classic if not especially outstanding taste, mildly malty, smooth and with little astringency. I find it nourishing without being too strong, if it’s one of those days when you want a breakfast tea, but something on the less kick-in-the-pants end. And on the whole, I actually prefer it in the afternoon, food optional. A decent fair-to-middling tea which I brew from time to time, especially if I am engaged in something in which I shall be distracted from properly sitting down and enjoying a cup, but still want something nice and hot and flavorful. In that respect, this tea is undemanding and consistent, great for writing letters or worrying about something— it assuages the thirst without my feeling bad for not using much concentration in appreciating it.

In Masterpiece Theatre terms, I would go for something heartier if you’re a great, strapping lad or lass who wants a cup with a big fry-up breakfast before a long day of roaming about the moors or whatever, but it’s perfect, brewed weakly and served on a tray, if you’re a pale invalid in a dark-curtained room who might only manage to nibble a little toast of a morning.

Very refreshing indeed. Will try it chilled.

Seems a bit too mild and weak for my tastes (I have enjoyed Twinings British Breakfast and Irish Breakfast before, so perhaps I just like stronger teas). Seemed “refined” but maybe a little too watery. My friends in the UK thought it was funny that we could get this tea here in the US, but it’s apparently hard to find in the UK… perhaps they think it’s too watery, as well. Would I buy it again? Maybe… but not if I could find something more robust. It’s better than some, but not as good as most, if you follow my line of thinking.

This is another tea I bought, mainly because I like Earl Grey. It is really one of my favorite [fruit flavored] teas. Surprisingly, I haven’t had all that many different brands of it, nor do I have it as often as I would like. ://

One of the reasons I like it so much is because I find the aroma almost INTOXICATING! Nice aroma greeted me right away filling the air around me. :)) How I have missed this tea! Sometimes I think not having a tea too often [even a favorite tea], is a good thing. It makes me realize & appreciate how special the tea is! Sometimes I’m an odd egg.

The cup is a nice light brown color with a fantastic bergamot aroma. The tea base is probably Ceylon, which I like, but I think the tea base could be a little stronger. The bergamot seems to cover up the tea flavor more than I would like. :// Less bergamot flavoring would help accomplish this, giving more balance to the tea flavor itself. A longer steep & hotter temperature might also bring out the tea flavor. I’m not sure if the bergamot is all natual, which does make for a better cup of Earl Grey.

More tinkering and a review update may be necessary. Overall, this is a nice cup of Earl Grey, and worth the price-although not my favorite brand. A fine hot cup of tea, and I can’t wait to cold brew this soon. :))

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY EVERYONE!! :))

This song is by Brian Setzer. He’s an underrated guitarist and he’s a good singer. It is a bit different, but I like it!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVpz9k5myno

Cupped & Reviewed: Wednesday, July 4, 2012.

I’m not gung-ho on bagged teas generally, but I was looking for a cheap, decent black tea mainly to try for cold brewing. I had this about 7.5 years ago, and I thought it was O.K. I decided to have a hot cup, and so I did.

Most bagged teas aren’t very aromatic, but I did smell a nice black tea aroma from the box, which stated “Best Used By 2015”. It did smell quite fresh. The cup was a deep brown with a decent aroma too! After cooling, the taste was full and flavorful, but not astringent or bitter. The Ceylon tea seemed to smooth out the more robust Assam character-very nicely I must say. Keep in mind I did carefully watch my steep time and temperature.

Overall, this tea is better than I remember it, and satisfying enough when I need a relatively smooth, hearty cup quickly. A dash of milk could even enhance the flavor if the mood strikes me, and it sometimes does. :)) I will try cold brewing this and posting a review in a couple days.

Cupped: Saturday, June 30, 2012. Reviewed: Sunday, July 1, 2012.

I drink this in the office Monday – Friday in the mornings. This is usually my first cup of loose tea of the day if I am not drinking coffee. This can be mixed with Yerba Mate during afternoon tea.

Ok I think I figured it out. 2 Sugar in the Raws! This always seems to work for me. It tastes good and I can even taste the tea now. Much better! I can definitely drink this every week day. Level up, 20 points.

So I’ve tried preparing this every way I know how to. In a big cup, a small cup… with cream and sugar, sugar-creamer, almond milk, honey, straight… and still have not had a real decent cup. I think the tea just isn’t strong enough. Straight it’s just blah. I don’t know what to do with it and have plenty of bags left. Would love a suggestion! 

Better than average. Stands up to milk and sugar, and is very consistent. A good “go to” tea. More refined than PG Tips or Tetley.

A good alternative to English Breakfast for some variety. It’s a little lighter, but no less tasty.

This one of the better Twinings chinese blacks. It isn’t amazing but it isn’t terrible. Its smooth and mild and has the least dusty taste compared to others. It isn’t strong enough for me in the morning but it is a nice relaxing tea at night. I’d love to try their loose version of this, maybe its got more of a bite.

A good, cheap tea that is very nice at any time of day. The black tea is not very rich, but has a light taste and aroma that blends well with the bergamot flavor. I love Twinings bagged tea because you can steep it quickly and have a nice light tea, or steep it long and have a deep flavorful tea; you cant really mess it up!

This was the bagged version. As far as bagged tea goes, this is a good choice. It is smooth and not bitter. Good with just a tiny dash of milk. I took this to my Mom’s for convenience’s sake since I had limited time and supplies.