Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
Naturally caffeine free, the Lemon, Ginger & Ginseng Herbal Tea is a refreshing and invigorating infusion that balances the lemon and ginger flavours.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Do you ever go through that moment when – as you’re brewing a cup of tea – you think to yourself: what was I thinking, choosing this tea? I actually go through that sort of moment more than I care to admit to.
And I experienced that moment as I was brewing this Lemon, Ginger & Ginseng Herbal Tisane from Rington’s Premium English Teas. I mean, I like lemon and I like ginger and I actually enjoy the two together quite a bit. But ginseng? I think I’ve mentioned more than once here on this blog that I’m not a fan of it. So, what possessed me to grab this tea to try it?
I don’t know. But, now that it’s brewed, I might as well try it, right?
I brewed one bag in 6 ounces of hot water (195°F) for 5 minutes.
The aroma offers a strong lemony note with hints of ginger. I also detect an earthy ginseng aroma. Ugh.
Fortunately, the ginseng smells stronger than it tastes! Happy day!
The lemon is the strongest flavor of the cup and it’s bright and invigorating. It’s not overly tart, it’s more of a sweet lemon note with hints of tangy. But I’m not puckering here.
The ginger is somewhat subdued, it’s not an overly peppered flavor from the spice of the ginger. It’s warm enough to offer some contrast to the zesty flavor of the lemon but not so spicy that it distracts from the lemon. This cup is really all about the lemon!
I can also taste the slightest hint of a cinnamon-y flavor to this. It’s very slight and it complements the ginger in a very enjoyable way.
What I don’t taste a lot of – thankfully – is ginseng. Even when I attempt to focus on the ginseng flavor to determine how much of it I actually do taste, I don’t taste a lot. A slight earthiness – that’s it! And the earthy notes meld favorably with the earthy notes of the ginger and cinnamon.
It really is as I said earlier, this tea is really all about the lemon. This would be something nice to keep on hand for those times when you’re feeling a bit under the weather and want something lively to sip. It would go nicely with a dollop of honey and would be soothing on a sore throat.
It’d also be nice if you’re cold-brewing some basic black tea – add one of these tea bags in along with the black tea and you’ll have a pleasant lemony flavor to your iced tea.
Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by this tea!
Organic Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
As you can imagine, organic tea cultivation is time consuming and requires careful attention. Over the last 10 years we have worked closely with selected organic tea gardens where careful crop husbandry and leaf quality is at the heart of everything they do. Our selected blend delivers a classic smooth flavour with a golden colour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After having tried several of Rington’s Premium English Teas offerings, I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed a few and there have been a few that I wasn’t too crazy about. And then there are some that I was kind of just ‘meh’ about. That is to say that while I didn’t dislike the tea, it wasn’t something that had me jumping out of my seat with excitement either.
This Organic Tea from Rington’s falls into the latter category. I don’t dislike it, but it’s not got me all giddy with joy either. I’m feeling just sort of ‘meh’ about this tea.
It’s got a rich flavor: earthy and robust. It has notes of leather and fruit. The finish is moderately astringent. Not overly so, but I notice that the dryness from the astringency seems to build as I continue to sip. On the down side, I can also taste the paper from the teabag. Not my favorite flavor profile.
The tea isn’t ‘bad’ or unpleasant. It’s just sort of boring. It tastes like a bag of tea fannings which is essentially what it is. The problem is, I’m not wild about a bag of fannings and generally, when I drink a bagged tea, I’m looking for something that doesn’t taste like a bagged tea. I want something that convinces me to think twice about bagged teas – but this one isn’t doing that. This is the kind of bagged tea that makes me feel like a tea snob because it makes me realize just how inferior a bagged tea can be.
Traditional Black Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
Our Traditional Blend contains some of the best teas produced from around the world, selected predominantly from our long standing relationships with family businesses in East Africa and India. Our expert tea blenders taste and choose each individual tea that goes into the blend, ensuring you always receive that unique, refreshing and lasting flavour that makes Ringtons Traditional our most popular blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the different teas that I’ve tried thus far from Rington’s Premium English Teas, I think that this Traditional Black Tea blend might be my favorite. Yes, it’s a bagged tea. Yes, I prefer loose leaf over bagged varieties. But occasionally, I’ll find a bagged tea that’s decent. Sure, I’d still rather drink loose leaf, but when I do find a bagged tea that’s worthwhile, I’m going to say so.
And after having tried the one loose leaf offering from Rington’s the other day, I must admit that I’m finding this one – a bagged tea – more enjoyable than their loose leaf variety.
Why?
Because this tea is smoother. It is richer and more rounded. There’s less astringency. Put simply, I’m finding this variety from Rington’s to be more satisfying than their loose leaf blend. Now, if this Traditional blend were offered loose leaf, I’d be one very happy sipper!
The sip starts out sweet. I taste delicate notes of honeyed caramel. The tea has a robust character – it has a nice, satisfying round flavor. A little earthy, a little flowery, and a little fruity. It’s very smooth with no bitterness and very little astringency. Very, very little astringency – as in virtually none. I like that.
This tea tastes great hot and it also tastes really good as it cools. I had finished about half the cup and then I needed to step away and came back to a cold cup of tea – and it still tasted really great. It doesn’t need any additives to taste good – it just does.
It’s one of those types of tea that you want to keep on hand when you just want a no-fuss cup of tea.
Northumbrian Blend Loose Leaf Black Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
Our oldest and most traditional tea for original strength and flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The cut on this Northumbrian Blend Loose Leaf Black Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas is a very fine chop. It’s a very finely cut CTC, so when you’re brewing it, you want to take that into consideration and measure out a little less tea. The smaller the leaf, the more surface area that’s exposed to the water – so therefore it brews faster and stronger than a whole leaf tea would.
But that doesn’t mean that CTC teas aren’t good. Sure, I’ll be the first to tell you that whole leaf teas are some of the best teas you can get, but a finely chopped CTC doesn’t mean that it’s not a good tea. I’ve tried many CTC teas that I’ve quite enjoyed. It just means that you need to be mindful of the size of the leaf when you’re preparing the tea.
So when I brewed this, I measured out a bamboo scoop of the leaf and then I shook the scoop a little to let some of the leaf fall off the scoop and back into the package. I ended up measuring two ‘scant’ bamboo scoops of tea into the basket of my Breville One-Touch. Each ‘scant’ scoop is about 3/4th of a scoop. Maybe just a little more than 3/4th scoop. Then I added 500ml of water into the jug of the tea maker and set the settings for 205°F and 2 minutes. Again, because this is a smaller cut, I went with a slightly lower temperature and a little less time to avoid a bitter cup of tea.
Did it work? Yes it did. The tea is rich and what I want to call ‘stout.’ It’s a hefty, strong tasting tea. It’s not quite as ’round’ as some other teas that I’d call hefty or strong. It’s not quite as full-flavored and well-rounded, but it’s still a mighty bold cup of tea.
It’s got notes of earth and leather as well as some floral background notes. Toward the end I pick up on citrus notes. There is a fair amount of astringency to it but it’s not bitter. I would like to say though that if I had oversteeped this tea – it would definitely be bitter so don’t let that happen!
This tea would take the additions of milk and honey well should you wish to add them. I drank it straight up and found it enjoyable, although the second time that I drank it, I did so with a drop or two of cream and found it a much more enjoyable drink. The touch of dairy (not a lot, a little less than a teaspoon) helped round out the tea and as a bonus, it softened the astringency a bit.
Breakfast Blend Black Tea from Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rington’s Premium English Teas
Tea Description:
The Breakfast Blend 100’s is a hearty blend of the finest Assam and Kenyan leaf teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After having a few less than exciting experiences with some of the teas I’ve tried from Rington’s, I wasn’t sure what this Breakfast Blend Black Tea had in store for me, but I braced myself, thinking I probably wouldn’t really care for it. But you know what? This is actually quite pleasant!
The flavor is bold and robust. I’m not getting a lot of astringency from this tea and there’s no bitterness. To brew it, I put one tea bag into a mug and brought the kettle to near boiling (205°F). Then I poured 8 ounces of water into my mug and let it steep for 2 1/2 minutes. I’m not sure if it’s the slightly lower temperature or the short steep time that contributed to the smooth, pleasant flavor of this tea, but I’m finding it enjoyable.
Maybe I’m not quite the snob I thought I was. Ha!
Yes, after having experienced several very disappointing bagged teas I had resolved that maybe, just maybe, I had crossed over to the land of tea snobbery. But I’m not hating this bagged tea as much as I thought I would so maybe I just had a few experiences that weren’t up to snuff and I’m not quite as snobbish as I thought I was.
Sure, I still prefer loose leaf and I shudder somewhat when I encounter a bagged tea. I still put my nose up when I pass the tea aisle in the grocery store. But, I can appreciate the convenience of the bagged tea – it’s certainly easier when you’re away from home to pop a bagged tea into a teacup and add hot water than it is to do the loose leaf thing. And it’s nice when you can find a bagged tea that you actually like. (I’ve had so many disappointments when it comes to bagged teas that I’d find in a hotel!)
All that aside, I’m finding myself quite pleased with this cup of tea from Rington’s. The flavor is strong without being too aggressive. It has a lovely malty note and a rich taste. While I’m drinking this straight up, I’d imagine that it’d take the additions of milk and/or honey (or sweetener of your choice) quite well. And this would be a nice choice for iced tea, too!