This tea was my first exposure to Steeped Tea, and from what I can discern looking at their website and online catalog, you can “join” and become a Sipologist, selling their products through hosted parties, catalogs, etc. They have a variety of products from tea (including white, green, matcha, black, herbal tisanes, etc.) to teaware, scone mixes, cookie mixes, kombucha supplies, and even hot chocolate. A lot of the teaware is very modern with bold, fun colors, but there are also elegant, classic tea sets.
The English Breakfast tea is simply listed as containing organic black tea without any information as to origin of the tea, and they do not provide this information as it is protected as a proprietary blend. The herbal blends and flavored teas do specify all additional ingredients other than tea, though. I am pleased to see that the herbal selection does NOT contain stevia, as I really don’t enjoy stevia and it has become almost omnipresent in herbals.
If I had to guess, I would say this is Indian tea, and may have a touch of Darjeeling in it. There is a prominent lemony note, which is sometimes indicative of high grown tea, usually a Ceylon like Uva Highlands. It is quite brisk and bright and it tingles the tongue. If you like milk and sugar in your tea, this may be right up your alley. I am a Keemun kind of gal, and I take my tea straight, but I found it drinkable even without additions if you like lots of high citrus notes in your black tea. Don’t expect the deep base notes of Chinese black tea in this one.
The liquor is very clear and has nice color, and didn’t cloud even after cooling down to room temperature.
Many companies now have a chosen charity that receives a portion of the profits, usually from specific products that change periodically. Steeped Tea supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and they will also help you set up a findraiser with their products.
Check out their catalog online and see if you find something special that is just right for you!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steeped Tea
Description
Ingredients: Black tea.
Contains Naturally Occurring Caffeine
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
English Breakfast from Taylors of Harrogate. . .
I needed a basic black tea for breakfast one morning – nothing fancy, just something to wash down an everything bagel with whipped cream cheese and chives. Now I’ve gone and made myself hungry!
I grabbed a tea bag of this that I had been given, and not without some misgivings. I just don’t do bags most of the time and I don’t add milk and sugar to my tea, and sometimes the bagged stuff is pretty rough and needs to be tamed. But I wanted to be quick so I could join my daughter for breakfast and hers was already ready. I threw the bag in my Kamjove steeper and hoped for the best.
As it turned out, I needn’t have worried. I steeped it using 205F water to be safe and kept the time short at just under three minutes.
It was a decent cup of tea. I don’t plan to go out and stock up, and it isn’t earth shattering or life changing. What it was, was a decent enough cup of tea that went well with my food, didn’t give me a stomach ache, and didn’t pucker up my mouth and dry me out. It was only lightly brisk and maybe slightly malty.
Overall, it was a decent cup that I wouldn’t pass up if it was offered at a restaurant or hotel. The bagel was definitely star of the show at breakfast, and that’s how I wanted it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Taylors of Harrogate
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
English Breakfast from The Virginia Tea Company. . .
There are so many teas called English Breakfast, and they can be quite different. The original English Breakfast tea is said to have been pure 100% Chinese Keemun. This is the exception rather than the rule today, and you are more likely to find a mix of black tea from Sri Lanka, India, and Kenya. Modern tea tastes in the UK overall run to strong black tea that not only holds up to, but almost requires, milk and sugar – a nice, boot-you-out-of-bed tea.
Having a tender and sensitive tummy, I am cautious with breakfast blends as I don’t add anything to my tea, and with no milk to smooth my morning beverage the day can go dicey if the tea is too astringent. Also, once awake I am generally ready to go and don’t need to kick in the pants.
This fair trade tea is a blend of Ceylon, Kenyan, and Assam teas. I have put them in the order I believe them to be represented in the blend based on the taste. Far and away the top note for me is the lemony taste of Ceylon tea tingling on my tongue. This high citrus note is almost enough to make you think it is flavored! This often indicates that the tea was grown at a higher elevation of Sri Lanka. I put Assam last because I am not getting a huge amount of malty or bready flavor.
I am quite able to drink this without milk and sugar, enjoying the dry tingle of the briskness of the tea without the almost instant stomach ache some breakfast teas give me. I do believe that if milk and sugar is your thing, the tea could withstand it and wouldn’t wimp out under the additions.
If you love a good, black breakfast blend and want to upgrade to fair trade and organic tea, give it a try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Virginia Tea Company
Description
This organic tea is perfect for pairing with your morning meal. The full-bodied flavor can be blended with milk and sugar to create an even better drinking experience.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
English Breakfast from the Virginia Tea Company . . . .
When you need a tried-and-true pick-me-up in the morning, many of us reach for a cup of English Breakfast black tea. But each tea company has a little different take on this style of tea. English Breakfast from the Virginia Tea Company is robust in scent, taste, and texture.
This tea is full and malty, almost chewy, with toasty tones of baked bread. This tea is strong enough to have flavor after being mixed with milk and sugar, and to hold up on its own against the savory flavors of your breakfast.
The first scent and taste are the rich and complex flavors like roasted wheat or leather, followed by the little crisp bite of black tea that we come to expect. There is a hint of earthy smoke at the back of each sip, along with the the less bitter black tea tannins and thicker mouthfeel.
This is a black tea that makes you feel strong and invigorated, while also giving your palette a full-bodied flavor experience. For those mornings where it is hard to get your head on straight, be sure to brew up a strong cup of English Breakfast from the Virgina Tea Company and get back on track.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Virginia Tea Co.
Description:
This organic tea is perfect for pairing with your morning meal. The full-bodied flavor can be blended with milk and sugar to create an even better drinking experience.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
English Breakfast from The Virginia Tea Company. . . .
There are so many teas called English Breakfast, and they can be quite different. The original English Breakfast tea is said to have been pure 100% Chinese Keemun. This is the exception rather than the rule today, and you are more likely to find a mix of black tea from Sri Lanka, India, and Kenya. Modern tea tastes in the UK overall run to strong black tea that not only holds up to, but almost requires, milk and sugar – a nice, boot-you-out-of-bed tea.
Having a tender and sensitive tummy, I am cautious with breakfast blends as I don’t add anything to my tea, and with no milk to smooth my morning beverage the day can go dicey if the tea is too astringent. Also, once awake I am generally ready to go and don’t need to kick in the pants.
This fair trade tea is a blend of Ceylon, Kenyan, and Assam teas. I have put them in the order I believe them to be represented in the blend based on the taste. Far and away the top note for me is the lemony taste of Ceylon tea tingling on my tongue. This high citrus note is almost enough to make you think it is flavored! This often indicates that the tea was grown at a higher elevation of Sri Lanka. I put Assam last because I am not getting a huge amount of malty or bready flavor.
I am quite able to drink this without milk and sugar, enjoying the dry tingle of the briskness of the tea without the almost instant stomach ache some breakfast teas give me. I do believe that if milk and sugar is your thing, the tea could withstand it and wouldn’t wimp out under the additions.
If you love a good, black breakfast blend and want to upgrade to fair trade and organic tea, give it a try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Virginia Tea Company
Description
This organic tea is perfect for pairing with your morning meal. The full-bodied flavor can be blended with milk and sugar to create an even better drinking experience.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
