Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
Aromatic light black tea bags. From our ‘Extra Fresh’ family of teas. A premium quality fair traded aromatic blend of black tea, delicately flavoured with natural bergamot flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Earl Grey Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas: another bagged Earl Grey. I decided to go into this experience with an open mind and determined to find the good in this tea. I feel like lately, most of my bagged tea reviews have been ‘bagging’ on the tea bag. I want to try to keep an open mind because I have, in fact, tried decent bagged teas. Sure, loose leaf is better. Loose leaf is the way to go in about 98% of all situations, but there is the occasion when bagged teas are certainly more convenient even if they aren’t more flavorful.
So I steeped the bag in one of my favorite mugs, using 8 ounces of boiling water for 3 minutes. Now that I’m sipping this, I wish I would have gone with 2 1/2 minutes because this is a tad more astringent than I would like it to be and I think that a slightly shorter steep time might help to reduce that.
My first impression: the flavor is a bit off. The bergamot tastes strange to me, it doesn’t have that crisp tangy flavor that I expect from bergamot.
Again, I want to find the good in this tea, so I’m not tossing it yet! The black tea. It’s alright. It has a pleasant flavor. It’s rich and has a light malty note to it. It is astringent, like I’ve already mentioned. It has a dry sensation toward the tail of the sip.
On the good side: although the bergamot isn’t quite what I expected when I tasted this tea, it isn’t ‘bad’ – it’s just a bit sweeter than I expected from bergamot. It tastes like maybe the bergamot has been ‘enhanced’ by another orange flavor to soften the edge of the bergamot. The black tea has a pleasant flavor. And this tea does taste better as it cools – this would make a really nice iced tea.
I suspect that this might be alright to someone who hasn’t tasted better Earl Grey teas. That is to say, if all they’ve been drinking is other brands of bagged Earl Grey teas, they might find this one to be just as acceptable as some other bagged Earl Grey teas, perhaps even better than others. It’s certainly not the worst Earl Grey I’ve ever tried, but it’s not the best either. But if you’ve tried a really good, loose leaf Earl Grey tea, you’ll more than likely find this one lacking, I’m sorry to say.
Everyday Green Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
Our modern version of green tea. The unfermented tea leaves are processed gently, encouraging the mellow tea flavours to come through to give a smoother flavour with no harshness. Ideal with or without milk!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I had my reservations about this Everyday Green Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas. I think that by now, I’ve shown that I’m a little less than enthusiastic when it comes to bagged tea. That said, I do occasionally find not only what I’d deem ‘acceptable’ bagged tea but what I might even call tasty!
This is one such bagged tea. Sure, I’d be happier if this were a loose leaf tea. But, for a bagged tea, this is pleasant. It’s tasty.
To brew it, I heated my kettle of freshly filtered water to 175°F and put one tea bag into a mug. Then I added the heated water and let it steep for 2 minutes.
It tastes like ‘green tea.’ It’s smooth, sweet and buttery. It has vegetal notes that are a little grassy and a little like lima beans.
The tea is not bitter but there is a fair amount of astringency to this – much more so than I’m used to experiencing with a green tea. It starts out rather subtle and it develops and now that I’m halfway through the cup I’m finding this to have a dry, astringent finish.
Overall, this is alright. It isn’t something I’m likely to stock in my pantry but it’s not something I’d refuse if I were offered it, either.
English Olive Leaf Tea from Rare Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Olives have been cultivated around the world for 5,000 years, but never commercially in the UK until now. The olive grove at Southdown Trees in Sussex is the first and only of its type in the UK.
The leaves are handpicked from the tree, carefully washed, quickly air-dried, then left to cure with the absence of sunlight.
Reaserch suggests that drinking Olive Leaf Tea can help to lower both colesterol and blood pressure and maintain a healthy immune system.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I haven’t consumed a lot of olive leaf tea. But the few that I’ve had, I’ve enjoyed, and I’m really liking this English Olive Leaf Tea from Rare Tea Co.
And this is different from other olive leaf teas that I’ve had. The first noticeable difference: this is whole leaf. It isn’t a bagged tea. It doesn’t come in a sachet. It’s whole leaf, and the leaves look … well, they look like the photo above. Whole and large like that. Not crumbled or broken or chopped.
The flavor is sweet and very similar to the taste of a light green tea. It tastes a little lighter and a little sweeter than most green teas. There is even a slight buttery taste and texture that is similar to what you might experience with, say, a Chinese Sencha. It’s a little lighter than that in both flavor and texture, so it’s more like a light Chinese Sencha.
There is also a pleasing savory tone to this. On the Rare Tea Co. website, it is stated that this is enjoyed with “Pan con Tomate” which is fresh tomatoes with oil and garlic on toast. I can see how this tisane would make a delightful complement to this dish, and it has me wondering what type of flavors the tomatoes and garlic bring out in this beverage. I may have to try it myself!
Since this is so similar in taste to a green tea, I think that this would make a really nice substitute for those who must limit their caffeine intake but miss their green tea. It would also be a nice drink for later in the evening when you want the flavor of green tea but not the stimulation of the caffeine.
Assam English Breakfast (2014) from Steepster
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tea Description:
Assam is home to big, full bodied black teas and this is a classic from the region – a perfect cup right out of bed or for an afternoon pick me up. Our Assam Breakfast is sturdy enough to take milk but is wonderful on its own as well.
Taster’s Review:
This Assam English Breakfast from Steepster – another from their “first flush” Steepster Select box – impresses me as a remarkably smooth Assam tea. Typically, I find Assam teas to be a very rich and hearty tea, but sometimes that rich, robust flavor teeters on the edge of harshness and can be bitter if steeped for even a few seconds too long.
Conversely, I can’t detect even a hint of bitterness with this tea. Granted, I was careful with the steep time (I steeped it for 3 minutes). But, even at that three minutes, I don’t notice even the slightest bitter intonation. It is sweet, a little malty and full-flavored. Even the astringency here is on the mild side.
That said, I don’t know that this would make a really good breakfast blend. It’s that sturdy and almost harsh character that makes Assam a good tea for the additions of milk and honey. This is so smooth and nicely round that I think milk and honey – or other sweetener – is not only unnecessary but would likely overwhelm the wonderful qualities of this tea. No, I like this tea just the way it is.
It isn’t edgy the way some Assam teas can be. Instead, I get to enjoy the rich, classic malty notes of an Assam without the sometimes bitter bite that comes with Assam.
A really good Assam! Well done, Steepster!
English Breakfast Black Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
A richer, more complex version of a traditional English Breakfast, we’ve blended Indian, Chinese and Ceylon Black Teas to produce an outstanding aromatic and full flavored Breakfast tea that can stand alone or be served in the traditional English manner with milk and sugar.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted a lot of English Breakfast Blend teas over the years, and you would think that because the teas have the same name, that they’d be the same. Not so. I’ve tasted some English Breakfast teas that focus just on one tea (usually a Ceylon, but sometimes an Assam), and some that are blends. And even when they are blends, the teas used in the blend are not the same from tea company to tea company.
This English Breakfast Black Tea Blend from Simple Loose Leaf is a blend of Ceylon and Indian FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe) Black tea and Chinese teas. I suspect that the “Chinese” tea used here is a Keemun, as I can taste that fruity, wine-like sort of taste that I might experience from a Keemun, with just a hint of smoky background notes.
I taste notes of fruit – sweet and even a hint of tarty tones in there too. There is an earthy quality to this, and maybe just a touch of malt. It’s a pleasing, well-rounded, full-flavored black tea.
It’s also a strong, robust tea, certainly worthy of a “breakfast blend” title. It has some kick to it – this tea will help you shake the sleepies that want to hang on and keep you in bed. And as lovely as a day in bed might sound, some days you just need to kick it in gear, right? This tea will get you on your way.
I drank this tea straight with no additions. It’s an edgy tea, and that edge can be softened by the addition of the milk of your choice and/or honey (or sugar). I like it served hot, then again, I prefer most teas served that way. This would also make a good iced tea served with a wedge of lemon or try brewing it with a sprig or two of mint to impart a refreshing mint flavor to the iced tea.
Don’t forget about Simple Loose Leaf’s special promotion for the month of April! This month is DOLLAR MONTH which means that you can get your first month’s subscription to the selection club for just $1. Yep! One dollar! Wow!
Just use this code: 1DOLLARMONTH when you subscribe to the selection club. Seriously … this is the best deal for great tea going! It’s a great way to give the club a try. I love this club, and I love the company. They are top-notch when it comes to customer service, and that’s something that’s very important to me.