The fun thing about tea is that there are so many different varieties from all over the world. I have had tea from Zimbabwe, tea from China, tea from Israel, tea from the UK, tea from Sri Lanka and the list keeps going. Today I get to add to that list with a tea from Malaysia, BOH Tea’s Bukit Cheeding No. 53, a full-flavored Broken Orange Pekoe breakfast tea.
I have never been one for breakfast teas. I like the more smooth and sweet dessert teas as opposed to the robust breakfast ones. This tea is certainly in the latter category. In fact, it’s description highlights the robustness of this tea when it says “Its strong, brisk character stimulates the mind making it a perfect start to the day”. This is not a tea I would have picked for myself but my SororiTea Sisters were kind enough to send me a sample so the least I could do is give it a try.
My first sip really woke me up. When they say strong, robust, brisk, etc., they mean it. It’s certainly an orange pekoe with its sharp citrus zest flavor atop a drying and slightly astringent base. Normally I like my teas plain but I took BOH’s advice and added just a splash of milk. They also suggest adding sugar but I think that might take me too far outside my comfort zone.
The milk helps with the drying aspect of the tea. It’s creamy and has a nice citrus flavor, albeit more pithy than bright. It is still brisk.
This truly is a morning tea and for those who enjoy a great breakfast blend, this could be a nice one to try, especially if you’re a milk and sugar type of person since this tea can hold up to all additives.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: BOH Tea
Description
Robust and full bodied. Strong and brisk for breakfast.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
English Breakfast/Walters Bay -ashmanra
Search for English Breakfast tea and you will find hundreds, maybe thousands. Amongst those many, many teas, you will find a boggling number of different blends. Some are straight Keemun and nothing else, harking back to the original English Breakfast type that was enjoyed in Britain. Some are a blend of Chinese and Indian tea, or of Assam and Ceylon, or Kenyan. And they can be very different.
Walters Bay specializes in Ceylon tea, and this breakfast blend is 100% Ceylon. I have the sachets in individual envelopes, and made note that the website says these contain 3 grams of tea. Great news, because that means it is intended for a mug rather than a little china tea cup.
Even better news is that I have resteeped this bag more than once and still have a good cup of tea, so there is enough here to keep you going through a big breakfast or a long morning at work.
The taste is malty with low briskness. While it doesn’t need milk or sugar by any means, the maltiness means it can take it if you like to add it. It paired well with food, and was enjoyable without.
There is a high honeyed citrus aroma, like orange, that I find in most Ceylon teas. I think this would make a smashing sweet iced tea, as well. There are few deep notes, typical of Ceylon tea. I would classify it as a good, sturdy, reliable Ceylon tea.
From the back of the envelope:
Without question, the care provided to our workers and their families is directly reflected in the quality of our tea. By purchasing this tea directly from a grower, our tea connoisseurs promote social and environmental sustainability programs in our tea gardens and surrounding communities. These initiatives include child care centers, schools, retirement savings plans, and medical care for our tea estate workers and their families. As a grower, our care for the land and its resources is sacred. Like the growers at your local farmers market, we at Walters Bay take great pride in what we grow.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Walters Bay
Description
English Breakfast Black Tea begin with freshly hand-plucked tea leaves in the highlands of Sri Lanka. Our Award-Winning Pekoe 1 black tea grade is meticulously processed during the Western High Grown season. This grade of tea offers a classic Ceylon signature flavor profile that is ideal as an English Breakfast Tea. It is a full bodied tea with a slight malty character and exceptional aroma. Great as a stand alone cup or with a dash of milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bold Breakfast/Dunkin Donuts -TeaEqualsBliss-
Sometimes even the most loose leaf tea-loving fan gets lazy from time to time. That’s why I recently sipped on one of the packaged Dunkin’ Donuts Bold Breakfast Black Teas.
There were two reasons for this. One – was because I was overly lazy. Two – I wanted a black tea I didn’t have to think much about. Enter…Bold Breakfast from Dunkin’ Donuts!
I’ve been known to roll my eyes at some bagged teas that claim to be ‘bold’ only to find out that they aren’t bold at all or even close to being so!
With this tea – I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! For a bagged tea – this WAS pretty bold! It brewed really dark and the black tea flavor stood up to the test, too! Even the 2nd infusion wasn’t too shabby!
A mighty fine way to start your day or kick your butt back into gear during that midday lull!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Dunkin Donuts
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Nepali Breakfast/Nepal Tea
When prepping breakfast, I learned that I can’t use my toaster oven and kettle at the same time. That was an interesting discovery that made for a two-step breakfast: bagel first (since the toaster oven was already on) and tea second.
Another discovery: Nepali Breakfast by Nepal Tea is not a straight black tea like I thought it was. When I opened the package, I immediately got a big whiff of masala spices which surprised me. Upon closer inspection of the package, it turns out the package says black tea + spices so I guess this confusion is just on me. Oops.
Anyways, when brewing this up, I did so according to the company suggestion on the package which is to steep the tea in boiling water for 5 minutes. That is against my usual steeping parameters but hopefully Nepal Tea knows best.
After steeping the tea I brought up the Nepali Breakfast page on the Nepal Tea website only to notice that the site says to use not quite boiling water for 4-5 minutes. I also noticed on the Nepal Tea website they recommend steeping this with milk and/or sugar. Again, I did not see this until after I steeped the tea so I did not do this.
Trying the tea, the first thing I noticed is how much sugar probably would have helped this tea. I normally don’t add anything to my tea (unless I am having a latte or smoothie, etc.) but this tea is more bland than the scent of the dry leaf would have you expect. I think perhaps sugar might coax out those spices nicely since nothing really stands out. With that said, despite the fairly harsh steeping parameters, there is no bitterness or astringency here. Mostly just some cinnamon, a touch of clove, maybe a little pepper and a smooth black tea that doesn’t really impart much flavor.
I think this tea has potential but for me it fell short. The smell of the tea really had me thinking I was in store for a punch of spice but barely got a tap on the shoulder.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Nepal Tea
Description
Start the day the Nepalese way with our unique Masala Chiyah.
A blend of Orthodox, CTC teas and our special masala spice mix. Experience the color of CTC, flavors of Orthodox with the ‘zing’ of the home-made spice mix.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Power Breakfast/Stash Tea. . . .
I received this sample a few months ago and honestly I put off trying it. I just don’t use caffeine to wake up in the mornings. I had mate once or twice before and didn’t care for it much, and I am afraid that if I drink a lot of caffeine at any time besides breakfast I won’t sleep for days.
Today was the day. I had a sweet breakfast planned and an early work schedule. It seemed the perfect time to try it and I figured I could always sip it and toss it if I didn’t like it.
Then I smelled it while it was steeping and said, “Oh, baby!” It smelled like coffee at first and I don’t even drink coffee, nor I am particularly attracted to the smell of coffee. But this was calling my name. Another sniff or two and finally I pulled the bag out and gave it a sip.
Lapsang! That was what my first thought was on tasting it. And I love lapsang as long as the base is nice and strong, instead of smoke laid over weak and watery tea. And this had a solid breakfast tea base.
Maybe a real coffee drinker would not agree, but I get a hint of coffee, lots of lapsang-like smoke, a little toasted nut, and definite breakfast tea aroma.
This was really good, smooth, and very drinkable with no additions but able to take milk and sugar if you like it.
While this isn’t a highly nuanced cup with layers of different flavor notes to tease out, it is a really good, serviceable cup of tea that gets down to business and satisfies.
Because this seems to be unavailable at present on the Stash website, I am linking to a vendor who still has this available. You can still find it here and there online.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black/Mate
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Description
Wake up with this tasty brew. The bold, rich flavor of premium black teas is complemented by the smooth taste of yerba mate. Delicious iced or hot, plain or sweetened.