The third and last of my recent batch of free samples from Twinings; thank you again!

The tea bag is more aromatic than most. Brews a rich, strong cup, but the cup is not very aromatic.

Very strong flavor. I think this is stronger even than Twinings' Irish Breakfast, but it is quite different from either of their two breakfast teas, Irish or English.

What I do sense of the weak aroma are tones of wood, smoke, malt, and rice.

Quite bitter and astringent. I find this tea becomes harsh if brewed too long. Twinings recommends 2-5 minutes, and I found 2 minutes was almost too much.

Like all of the three Twinings samples I've tried recently, I would be able to enjoy this tea better if it were less bitter and astringent. The aroma is too weak when brewing for 2 minutes, but it's already too bitter...so it's impossible for me to brew this tea to my satisfaction. I know Twinings can do better, because I've tried black teas from tea bags from other companies, in a similar price range, which were more aromatic and less harsh.

Drinkable but I would not buy this one. My favorite from Twinings is still the Ceylon Orange Pekoe. I was hoping this or the other teas I received in my sample request would be similar or better, but I think they don't come close. I do think this is probably my favorite of the three teas. More interesting than the Darjeeling, and similar to the English Afternoon but much more robust.

The price is steeper though, presumably because of the organic and fair trade certification, pitting it against higher-quality teas.

Add your own review

Login or Sign Up to comment on this review.