Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s a great English Breakfast blended with freeze-dried appples, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and peaches along with matching organic flavors (and some organic lime flavor), a hint of organic marshmallow flavor (for sweetness), and another hint of organic malt flavor to give it a cereal-like component. Ever have a craving for one of those super sweet kids’ cereals? Missing the magic that’s a multi-colored bowl of yumminess and some Saturday morning cartoons? (Do they still have cartoons on Saturdays?) Anyway, here’s a guilt-free option to tickle your tastebuds.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m not sure why, exactly, but something about this Fruit Hoops English Breakfast Black Tea from 52Teas really interested me. Granted, I have a fondness for most of 52Teas’ blends, but, something about this particular blend just resonated with me, it spoke to me and said “TRY ME!” So as soon as I got last month’s package of teas, that’s exactly what I did. In fact, within moments of opening last month’s package, I was tearing into this package.
The dry leaf aroma is very fruity and evokes thoughts of opening a box of fruity kid’s cereal … that smell that wafts out of the box: sugary sweet and fruity. This is the kind of tea that will appeal to the kid in you, and I think that’s what Frank had in mind when he crafted this blend.
But even though this tea does taste fruity and sweet … I like that I’m getting a solid base of black tea. It’s brisk and invigorating and somewhat astringent. The base used here is an English Breakfast Blend, and I taste strong notes of malt – a taste that is further accentuated by the addition of malt/cereal flavor to go along with the theme of this tea flavor.
It’s hard to say what other notes I’m tasting with this black tea, because the fruit flavors are present … I can’t really say I’m tasting a fruit note from the tea and say with certainty that this fruit note is coming from the tea and not the flavoring, right? I think that this is probably a blend of Ceylon and Assam (which seems to be the standard English Breakfast) and I do think it would benefit from a Chinese tea (preferably a Fujian black, but they don’t usually put those in English Breakfast teas – but they SHOULD!)
That said, I do like that I’m getting a strong background of black tea flavor, and with all the other flavors going on, I can’t say that I need more from it. It’s quite satisfying: it’s not harsh, it’s not too astringent, and it has a pleasing flavor and body to it.
Fruit flavor wise, I taste lime. I taste raspberry and orange. I taste subtler notes of strawberry and blueberry and even softer notes of apple. The lime and raspberry are the two most prominent flavors. Because of the way the fruit flavors all come together here, it’s a bit more like a fruit salad or … forgive me for being obvious here: a bowl of fruity, sweet kid’s cereal than it is like a medley of individual, true-to-the-fruit flavors. And again, I think that’s what Frank was going for with this cereal … err … tea.
The one thing that I find myself wanting a little bit more of is the marshmallow flavor.
Yeah, I know there isn’t marshmallows in the fruit hoopish cereal, but marshmallows were my favorite part of the kid’s cereal when I was a kid. Yep, I was one of those kids that picked put all the marshmallows from the box of cereal before my brothers and sister could get to the box. Ha!
This is a really tasty tea. I can’t say it’s my favorite from 52Teas but I can say that I’m not disappointed by it. It’s got a whole lot of flavor going on and I like that. It makes my taste buds happy, and it’s making me long for the days when I could turn on the TV and watch this. Ahh … good times indeed.
English Breakfast Tea from Tea of Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Tea Description:
A Fine Black Tea from the World renown Dimbula Tea Growing District of the Central Ceylon. Enjoy this wonderful tea to a healthier life overall.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing I notice about this English Breakfast Tea from Tea of Life isn’t the tea itself but the packaging. As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for eye-catching packaging, and these “Pop Art” tins from Tea of Life are gorgeous! This particular tin has an Indian Floral style print on it. Beautiful!
And this is a really nice English Breakfast tea. It has a hearty, robust flavor that would take to the additions of milk and honey well, if you care to add them, or if you want something with a little more edge to it, take it straight!
It is a full-flavored tea with hints of malty tones. The sip starts off with a sweet note, followed by some earthy tones that evoke thoughts of leather. About mid-sip there is a hint of citrus that comes through, and this citrus-y note offers a slight “tang” in the aftertaste. It’s an enjoyable tea.
There is a moderate amount of astringency to this tea, but there is no bitterness – although, I’d take care not to oversteep it. Because it’s a bagged tea, I recommend steeping it for not longer than 2 1/2 minutes. But, even though this is a bagged tea, it’s very tasty, and while I’m not usually crazy for a bagged tea, this one impresses me.
This is my first tea that I’ve tasted from this company, but it won’t be the last. The cool artwork on the tin drew me in to this tea … but the flavor will keep me coming back.
American Breakfast Blend from Simpson & Vail
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
One of Mr. Vail’s 15 original tea blends.
Traditional English and Irish Breakfast teas are generally quite robust blends. This version, for standard American tastes, is comprised of teas from India, Sri Lanka, China and Formosa. It is full-bodied and malty with a bright amber cup, but unlike our English and Irish teas, it has a delightful flowery bouquet. It can be enjoyed as is or is excellent with milk, lemon or sweetener. American Breakfast is a blend that is a perfect choice for your first cup of the day.
Brew tea at 212º – steep for 3 minutes.
Tasters Review:
I was so excited I was able to drink one of Mr. Vail’s original blends (one of the first 15, even!) I’m also really excited they made mention of both English and Irish Breakfasts in the product description as well as mentioning the black tea blended base is made up of teas from India, China, Sri Lanka, and Formosa. With all this in mind I can’t help but think of what America is made of…immigrants – we all are! People from all over the world make up America so it puts a smile on my face that all of this also goes into this American Breakfast Blend of a tea.
My Father’s Mom’s Family was 100% Irish! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, by the way! I nice day for everyone to be a little Irish, eh!?
I can taste the English and Irish Breakfast comparisons, here, but I can pick up on the floral notes, sweet-woodsy notes, a bit of smoke, and even hints of citrus – naturally speaking.
This is super tasty! Much of what I look for in a Breakfast/Black Tea with a little extra something! I really like this blend of teas from S&V!
English Toffee Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
English Toffee Matcha is perfectly sweetened for being the best addition to many favorite sweets and other baked products like cakes and biscuits. Its sweet toffee essence makes it the perfect flavor for many treats for both special occasions and ordinary days. This sweet flavor is also ideal for adding to the sweet taste of many bland tasting treats and making them more edible and enjoyable. English Toffee Matcha makes the perfect choice for many children snacks.
Learn more about this Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
I have a serious sweet tooth. But I also know that I shouldn’t eat too many sweets, because it isn’t good for me, my teeth, or my waistline. But those sweet treats are so hard to resist! If you’ve a sweet tooth like me, here’s what I recommend to help keep those craving at bay: stock up on flavored Matcha like this English Toffee Matcha. It really curbs the craving for something sweet and chocolate-y because it TASTES like a liquified English Toffee bar, but, it doesn’t have all the fat and calories of the candy bar.
Seriously! All that’s missing is the crunch of the toffee bar!
I prepared this Matcha the way I would normally, using water, but instead of adding all the water I would for my serving, I held off on about 1 – 2 teaspoons of water and instead added about that much of half & half (that’s all I have in the fridge right now!) and the result is a latte-ish bowl of Matcha that is sweet and delicious and very dessert-like!
I taste the buttery rich, caramel-y toffee, with nutty notes and hints of chocolate. This, together with a bit of sweet Matcha flavor – and you’ve got something truly YUM that is also good for you! How do you go wrong with that?
The only thing that I can find to complain about with this Matcha is that it disappeared too quickly from my bowl.
Yorkshire Tea from Taylors of Harrogate
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Assam, African
Where to Buy: British Isles
Tea Description:
A proper tasting cuppa. Pure and simple.
Founded in 1886, Taylors of Harrogate is an independent family business, dedicated to the pleasures of good tea and coffee. The family business has been buying and blending fine teas for over a century.
In every cup of their tea you can taste the skill, creativity and craftsmanship of Taylors’ tea blenders. Taylors’ employees visit tea estates personally to select only the finest seasonal hand-plucked teas.
By investing in long-term partnerships and paying fair prices, Taylors is able to make a positive difference to the quality of the teas and the lives of the growers. The company is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership and is committed to the ethical sourcing of tea.
Every year Taylors donates at least £100,000 (approx. $190,000) to environmental and community projects overseas. Since 1990 Taylors has planted over 3 million trees across the world with the charity Oxfam.
Taster’s Review:
This is quite simply the perfect English tea! 
A very dear friend of mine, from the UK, sent me a huge box of this tea awhile back and I was surprised when I discovered it was not just some regular ol bland black tea! Imagine my shock and horror that a bagged tea could be so rich, malty, and delicious!
This tea also does come in loose leaf so I provided links to both, but if you look around the site a little you will find you can get it in different quantities as well. My b
ox has 160 bags and on those days when I just can’t seem to navigate my tea stash, let alone, proper brewing, I grab a bag of Taylors and Harrogate Yorkshire and all is right with the world!
This tea is rich, complex enough, and has just the right amount of malty flavor to kick me into high gear in the mornings. It has a rich full mouthfeel and the tea itself is quite robust! Yet, it is not bitter whatsoever and the astringency that exists within the cup is the right kind of astringency that should be there in a fine black tea!
Of course being a good bold tea it can take well to cream, milk, sweeteners, anything you may want to add to it.
Now I did link one of many places to purchase this tea, however it can be found in many places both online and in stores. I have seen it in many of my local markets, as well as at our local British Shop.
If you are looking for the perfect English style tea to sever for a tea party, a cream tea, high tea, ANY kind of “tea” situation or celebration, get some of this. Its just as they say, “A proper tasting cuppa. Pure and simple.”
