English Breakfast

[water]

I know there are a lot of tea lovers on this site, so I am looking for a recommendation from everyone who cares to share an opinion on the subject.

I should confess that I am a little more pedestrian in my preferences than some here. Give me a cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey and I am on my way. That being said, does any one have a favourite English Breakfast? For years I have been exclusively a "Twinings loose-tea tin" man. However, I would like to try something new and thought this would be a great place to ask for suggestions. Anyone?

 

[Scotto]

There are several good, not too expensive options at Harney Teas, which you can get mail-order or at B&M stores. The Irish breakfast is nice, as well as the Supreme breakfast. If you like something smokier, then the Russian Country blend is good.

I personally migrate to unblended Chinese teas in the morning, such as a good Yunnan or a Keemun. SpecialTeas is a good source of these - they are a good middle-of-the road-price vendor.

If you want the really good stuff, there are lots of other options as well, but you'll pay through the nose for them.

 

[Dennis]

I am a fan of the company Upton Teas (http://www.uptontea.com). They sell Sampler Sets of various tea types and it is a phenomenol way to try teas before you buy. Hmmm... reminds me of a certain Decant Club....

 

[guenron]

I know there are a lot of tea lovers on this site, so I am looking for a recommendation from everyone who cares to share an opinion on the subject.

I should confess that I am a little more pedestrian in my preferences than some here. Give me a cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey and I am on my way. That being said, does any one have a favourite English Breakfast? For years I have been exclusively a "Twinings loose-tea tin" man. However, I would like to try something new and thought this would be a great place to ask for suggestions. Anyone?

Water,
Should you ever run across The East Indias Company "earl Grey" it is a taste adventure well worth the small expense.

 

[Scotto]

I am a fan of the company Upton Teas http://www.uptontea.com). They sell Sampler Sets of various tea types and it is a phenomenol way to try teas before you buy. Hmmm... reminds me of a certain Decant Club....

I think Upton's teas are almost all past their prime. They should cut down their number of items and focus on quality. I have had a lot of really poor tea from them. SpecialTeas does samples also, and there quality and service are exceptional.

 

[Dennis]

I think Upton's teas are almost all past their prime. They should cut down their number of items and focus on quality. I have had a lot of really poor tea from them. SpecialTeas does samples also, and there quality and service are exceptional.

Hmmmm... Could be, could be. My last purchase from them was about 2 years ago as I have not been drinking much tea since. Previous purchases I made were all top notch so I continued to go with them. I'll give SpecialTeas a shot on my next purchase (maybe autumn).

 

[ouch]

If I were ever to suggest brewing tea that came in a bag, my lovely and demure wife, light of my life, would punch me in the nose harder than that 118 lb. Dominican kid that dropped me like a bad habit in the ring in 1973.

 

[billyjeff2]

I had a very tasty cup o' tea from the Mighty Leaf Tea Company. You can order from their website.

 

[NMMB]

James,

You mentioned in the WH post that you are on the east coast of Canada so I'll suggest JustUs. I am not very familiar with their teas (tried a few at their cafe in Wolfville - but I'm not a BIG tea fan), but they roast some of the best coffee that I've ever encountered. If you happen to also be a coffee fan you couldn't go wrong picking up some of their beans (or get them pre-ground, if you wish). The only warning that I would give is that their darker roasts (French, especially) aren't as good as their lighter-medium roasts... but, being fair, it is tougher to get a good dark roast (and it could just be that I don't like darker roasts as well).

 

[lathermaker]

Try www.scentbyspirit.com

This woman blends amny of the teas by hand and really knows her teas.

Lathermaker

 

[yasuo200365]

James,

I start the day with a Twinnings breakfast tea. At work however I drink the South African Rooibos/Red Bush tea, I find it refreshing.
The following website tells you all you need to know & more ...,
http://redbush.com/

Regards
John

 

[water]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I placed an order this morning at SpecialTeas for a 1/4lb of English Breakfast, Fine Earl Grey, and Ceylon Kenilworth.

 

[javyn]

I like Upton as well, but I agree that they should focus more on quality, less on variety. Their black teas can be great, but the whites and greens are substandard. Can't speak for the Wulongs.

I prefer Irish Breakfast to English. English Breakfast generally has a Keemun base, which is maltier and more chocolatey tasting than Irish. Irish Breakfast is essentially just Assam, with maybe a touch of Ceylon for briskness, which is much better imo.

For breakfast, I just drink Brooke Bond Red Label teabags from the Indian grocery. Extremely potent Assam that is excellent for breakfast. This is the tea you'll find in an Indian family's kitchen where Masala Chai is made.

For daytime/evening drinking I just ordered some Long Jing and Shou Mei from funalliance.com. The 2006 harvest is just in, and I am awaiting my shipment from Hong Kong.

Oh yeah, how can I forget the area where Upton shines....rooibos. That is my sleep time tea.

 

[water]

I should also say that I really enjoy a tea called "Prince of Wales" from Twinings. It is described as a "bright liquoring tea with Keemun character with a hint of Oolong." Since I am just really at the level of introductory learner, that does mean a whole lot to me; all I can say for sure is I like it a lot. I have also read that it has a little "Lapsang Souchong", which apparently lends the smoky flavour that really makes it enjoyable for me.

Anyone care to recommend more teas that might be similar to the above description?

 

[SSLStudio]

If I were ever to suggest brewing tea that came in a bag, my lovely and demure wife, light of my life, would punch me in the nose harder than that 118 lb. Dominican kid that dropped me like a bad habit in the ring in 1973.

OUCH that hurts... Im with you on this one. I cant stand tea in a bag. I made once a very good HAUL on ebay from an Austria tea seller that didnt know how ebay works and she had a load of tea from her store auctioned. I smelled my chance and hauled everything in for ridicilous prices I still have tea up the wazoo , ranges from Arab tea, to chinese Lychee tea (nice ! ) , but my most favourite at the moment is Fresh Mint tea home grown from Greece a friend of mine specially brings it with him when he visits his father in Greece. I have enough now to last me a year its very healthy for the body. I also received some kind of mountain tea very weird looking leafes . it is supposed to give you super powers for your STICK I wont explain what I mean but those with vivid imagination will figure it out. I have a small can I stuffed with mint tea and I usually bring it to work. we have here all kinds of pickwick tea bags at work..dont touch the CW products.

 

[squire]

Afternoon James,

Prince of Wales is essentially a fermented black tea from the Anhwei Province of China. As a group sometimes referred to as the "Burgandy" of teas due to their rich flavor and lack of bitterness. Much less tannic than the black teas of India, Assam for instance, and can be appreciated without the addition of sugar, milk or other common additives.

Keemun is within the Anhwei Province and is one of the trade names used for this fine tea. Prince of Wales and Russian Caravan are another two often encountered I suspect in part because they conjure up an image and are easier to pronounce.

Any decent tea importer should have a reasonable selection and if they don't know what Anhwei is take your trade elsewhere.

Regards,
Squire

 

[Ken]

Squire,

Today, the term "Russian Caravan" is used as a name for various shippers' blended teas. What the ingredients are in each will vary but they are not pure Keemun (and may not even contain any Keemun). James Norwood Pratt writes that they all appear to have a smokiness resulting from some Lapsang Souchong in the blend, but, for example, Mark Wendell's Russian Caravan claims not to have any smoky tea added. People who want Keemun should ask for it by the name Keemun (Prince of Wales is the proprietary name for a Twining's Keemun blend).

Ken

 

[MSimcox]

Since I live in Los Angeles, I am lucky enough to have the Chado Tea room, I buy thier Chado Breakfast by the pound(since I technically live half way between L.A. and the O.C. I really cannot get there as often as I wish). When I feel particularily rich, I buy Brendan's breakfast, its a little more than the Chado Breakfast, but its made up of a mix of Assam and Yunnan

Last time I was there I bought 3 lbs and divvied it up and sent it out to friends.

www.chadotea.com

As for my favorite tea, its thier Mauritius they describe it as, Our most popular tea. Broken leaves with fannings like process. Strong fine cup of tea with vanilla taste to it. Day time tea.

It truely is Tasty!

 

[Iandm]

We always used to use Barry’s tea in bags. Don’t think they do a plastic free bag yet but I may be wrong.
For preference I use a mix of gunpowder green tea and spearmint in an infuser type pot.
Also have the same mix in fill-your-self tea bags for work

 

[Yuritau]

I've been enjoying the Imperial Earl Grey from Silk Road Teas in Victoria, BC lately.