Organic English Breakfast

I am super out of it this morning, when unfortunately I need to be super on top of it because I am giving a lunchtime seminar. Hoping this tea will give me a jump-start.

I got two sachets of this for free with my last Harney order (it seems like one of the standards they throw in). I have never been a fan of English Breakfast… I don’t know what it is. I love many Chinese blacks, and there are flavored blends that I love that are 100% Keemun, so it can’t be that I don’t care for Keemun teas. Maybe it’s because they seem designed to be taken with milk and sugar, and I don’t usually drink my teas that way. However, today, I steeped it as strong as I could (with only 197°F water available to me) and then dumped a pile of milk and sugar in it. It’s decently tasty this way, though it certainly won’t become a regular part of my morning routine.

This is one of the samples that came with my recent Harney’s order. I usually don’t reach for breakfast versions because I prefer a little more flavor, or just a really strong cup of PG Tipps or Red Rose with lots of milk and sugar. This was surprisingly good, though. It is very smooth, and is actually just as drinkable without any milk or sugar added, which I can’t say about a lot of other teas. I don’t think I would purchase any of this with all of the other wonderful flavors that Harney’s has, but I wouldn’t turn down a cup either!

-Silken pyramid-shaped teabag with a tag.
-Teabag smells sweetly malty. Tea liquor aroma is sweet and toasty.
-Tea liquor is a thick dark brown color.
-Heavy and malty flavor and finish. Lightly sweet aftertaste.
-Milk and sweetener optional.
-Good tea. A balanced and smooth cup that is good on its own or with milk and sweetener.

This was another freebie I got in my last order. It’s kind of strange that I haven’t tasted their version yet!

I sniffed the sachet before hitting it with the water and it smelled promising. I generally like keemun, so it seemed like a good idea. However, as I drink it, I am disappointed. For something with such a nice aroma, this is kind of bland. It’s bitter and dries my mouth without any kind of depth or complexity. It reminds me a lot of how disappointing Mighty Leaf’s breakfast blend was. Just cheap-tasting and lame. Sorry, Harney, this one’s a miss.

Since I’m up at my parents, I brought along all the sample sachets I got when I last ordered from Harney.

This wasn’t bad, I just don’t think English breakfast is anywhere close to my top choices for a black blend. It ended up being steeped a bit longer tan I wanted so I had it with milk, which generally lately I have felt pretty meh about.

It wasn’t as hearty as I would like, because of that, but otherwise it would have been too strong/bordering on bitter. Blah! Well, it’s just yet another thing where it’s like if it was around, I’d drink it, but I wouldn’t actively seek it out.

Like it seems many others, I got this as a free sample with one of my recent orders.

It’s okay. It is relatively smooth and not really bitter. I think milk and sugar might drown the tea taste, though, since it really isn’t very strong, even after about 4 minutes steeping. It’s nothing I’d turn down, but nothing I’ll stock up on. Which is probably a good thing, considering that I still have at least 2 Black Friday/Cyber Monday orders to arrive… I don’t need to discover any more must-have teas! :)

Dry: This is my first time drinking a sachet tea, but it looks like shorter black tea leaves in a silk or nylon-based teabag (I think I read it was silken on the wrapper) with a string and the H & S logo. There weren’t any directions, so I just plopped it in boiling water like normal English Breakfast teas.

Steeped: Dark brown clear liquor. Smells mellow, slightly malty, and sweet. I added a dash of whole milk as this kind of tea is usually meant to be taken with milk and/or sugar.

Taste: This is a nice breakfast tea, though I was surprised to learn it is 100% Keemun. I must be spoiled by Teavivre’s Keemun as this one was somewhat unremarkable. It is smooth, easily drink-able, somewhat malty, and has a sweet aftertaste. No smokiness or astringency noted. I like it and I’d drink it again, but it wasn’t my favorite breakfast tea ever. Thank you Harney and Sons for the free sample!

Sample sipdown.
I confess, I am not much one for breakfast blends, but I must admit that this was very nice. Even the teas I dont like from H&S, I can tell are good teas.

This is surprisingly smooth sans additions. Hmm, maybe I need to change my opinion of Keemun. Sometimes I try it and it’s God awful. Other times, like now, it tastes fine. Enjoyable even when milk and sugar are added.

It’s not very brisk for a breakfast tea though, in my opinion. I require a little more oomph in the mornings. It’s lacking the strong, full-body of Ceylons that I love so much. That’s my go-to breakfast tea.

This is okay, but it’s not quite there. I agree with others that it really lacks complexity. It’s just sort of one-sided, like one note in a song. I am glad I got the chance to try it though, thanks to the lovely Cliffside Inn where I spent my mini-moon! :)

Yuck! This is some nasty tea. It’s Keemun? really? I don’t like Keemun, but this doesn’t even taste like that. It has a strange sickly-sweet flavor and a pasty mouth feel.

This was a surprising tea to me. I have had it a couple of times now [I’m not one to keep writing reviews for each infusion of the same tea, I write about the first impression because that’s the one that counts!] and I noticed that the longer it steeped, the more it’s character and nuances bloomed; now this is NOT a blooming tea mind you.

The scent starts off smoky then the longer it steeps, the aromas are a hint of smoke, leather and nuts. This blend and its description are similar to Yunnans but with a bit more complex character yet not as much as other English Breakfast blends. This blend has a somewhat thick feel on the tongue but not as full or chewy as an Assam; it has a slight brighter, cleaner appeal to it like a Ceylon. It is a very nice tea to have in the morning or early afternoon. I would say this tea is on par with the Tippy Yunnan by the same company but with a bit more body and complexity. I would recommend trying a sample…it’s a good tea.