Twinings of London

Ok, let me preface this by saying this is my rating for a bag tea. It’s not fair to compare bag teas with loose leaf. The bag will loose 99.9% of the time. Having said that, the Twining teas have been very consistent and make a good cup. This English Breakfast is essentially my yardstick for all other English Breakfast bag teas. It produces a nice color, has a nice touch of malty-ness, and, for me, has just the right amount of caffeine. It takes milk and sugar well, but does fine without, too. You can find it in most chain grocery stores. Again, it will never compete with premium loose leaf, but it’s head and shoulders above the majority of the bag options.

It’s a classic. With a few spoonfuls of sugar, it really is a great breakfast tea. What more is there to say?

Excuse me while I alienate everyone. I hate this tea. I just do not like the flavor at all. No matter how many times I have tried it. I love earl grey. But not this one. ew.

Honestly, being a lover of lightish teas, I enjoy this tea. It’s really light! I don’t really drink any green teas, but I could totally get into this!

Dearest Earl Grey:
I believe you don’t have the right to be in my cupboard anymore. Your wife, Lady Grey, may stay. Maybe I understeeped or oversteeped you. But, hey, my stepfather likes you!

Notes before tasting:

Awesome, sort-of sharp smell
Got it in Black Tea Variety Pack
Other teas in pack are Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, and Lady Grey.
Bought seperately: English Afternoon.

Tasting:

Well, without further ado…
Extremely light, with a really good citrusy aftertaste
Best without milk, but with just a pinch of milk it is OK.

This is one of my personal favorite teas. I’ve been drinking it since I was a wee little lass. Just like a british lil bitch, I use milk and 2 sugars. But actually usally more because I need it to be super sugary. And I put it in my Adele mug like a BOSS. It’s always brewing at my house. Add a scone or a pastry and YOU GOT SOME BUSINESS!!

This is probably the first tea I ever bought on my own so it has that comfort flavour for me. Using up the last bag that someone sent me in the mail in a yarn/knitting swap as it is 3 a.m. and I just don’t feel like emptying and cleaning my pot and strainer for some loose leaf.

Not much to say about this tea that hasn’t been said before I’m sure. A basic black earl grey. My taste buds have changed since I have become more aware of tea over the years and I don’t have much bagged outside of restaurants but this is still enjoyable. Not overpowering with the citrus (though I hear they are changing that) and just the right amount of bergamot.

Usually made willy nilly. Pour water into cup, add bag and wander away. Remember tea and come back. Add some milk and a splash of sweetener for comfort if I have it around. Drink tea. Enjoy. Not much thought required.

I was looking for a cheaper breakfast tea that still was of good quality so I decided to try this one. I’m pleasantly surprised. My first few sips were a bit bitter but I think I might have over steeped this one just a bit. However, it doesn’t seem so bitter now. Added a vanilla cream and sugar.

Delicious! Dee-lish!

Not at good as Lupicia’s Earl Grey (which surprised me because this is Twinings!), but still a good substitute when I’m craving that bergamot flavor.

It’s not overly strong bergamot, which I guess a lot of users dislike this blend for. But nevertheless, I still like it!

I don’t want my bergamot eating a hole through my stomach. This tea contains just enough to let me know what I’m drinking without making me woozy.

With just a little bit of sugar, this tea has me ready to tackle anything!

I can’t help but compare this to English Breakfast. It’s a little darker, a little malty-er, but still a robust black breakfast tea.

I actually might like it more! It’s missing the bite that English Breakfast sometimes has. It’s smoother and milder and just a great addition to an otherwise dull, rainy morning.

Also, the cheesy aftertaste is gone that I experienced yesterday. I definitely blame the tap water. It can no longer be trusted. No more funk here!

It’s equally as good as English Breakfast. But I still think the English has a little more get-up-and-go pep! But the Irish is definitely just as good. Yum!

Hmm, I taste something funky going on.

Lacking a good night’s sleep, I reached for this upon arriving at work with my eyelids still crusted shut. I don’t know if it’s just because I bought my first Brita water filter after returning from a vacation to find the kitchen flooded with dirty water and knowing I can’t possibly make myself drink water straight from that faucet again.

Or maybe it’s because my mind is considering the possibility that perhaps milk marked for expiration today shouldn’t go into my tea, especially since it’s the same milk that was in my fridge when the power went out for 24 hours. Thank you, Hurricane Irene.

Regardless, there’s definitely something funky going on here. I’m not at home, so the Brita water filter would have no effect on this straight-from-the-boiling-hot-water-tap water. And I haven’t even poured the milk of questionable integrity into it yet either. Yet still, funk. What could it be?

I added a little Truvia and it just made the funk more pronounced! Perhaps I need to re-roll this morning. I’m blaming the water quality at my work. What could be in this water to make my Irish Breakfast Tea have an aftertaste like cheese??? I’ll be back…

A great cuppa to wake you up, definitely. I added a small amount of milk and it tasted like, well, BLACK TEA. Either way, freaking great tea, you can bet I’ll buy more from Twinings.

It is interesting that one of the most reasonably priced teas is also one of the most consistently best. I haven’t found a Twinings tea that I didn’t like…a lot…yet. The Twinings English Breakfast tea continues this tradition with a very robust and flavorful blend. The flavor bursts with a zesty and gallant zing. Visually, even the beaming amber color seems to shout out great taste. As always, I steeped this tea for a full five minutes. This is perfect for my tastebuds but it may be a little strong for some.

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.

Ah, I just love my English Breakfast. It never disappoints. Thank you, Twinings!

This is what I was raised on. Perfect with cream and sugar, this is something to constantly keep in your cupboard. Thank you, Grandma June, for introducing me to this classic tea!

It can be strong, so I usually don’t steep it as long as others do. It’s so tasty, but be careful you don’t drink too much of the caffeinated version in a short period of time. I made that mistake once and couldn’t figure out why I was shaking. :)

If you’re a fan, you should also try Afternoon Tea and Ceylon Uva (available from Lupicia).

Twinings English Breakfast, superb BUT! here in australia there is a 100 t bag pack that is entirely different in it’s ‘Unique’ english breakfast flavour. Only the 10 pack individually sealed t bags have the ‘original’ great flavour. So… capitalism wins again folks farm it out to anywhere that can put it over the user. as a jew once said " Tea! what is it good for?"
Neil

I hoped that brewing this tea for 3 minutes and 45 seconds instead of my usual 2 minutes and 45 seconds would overcome its watery taste. It did not.