Twinings English Breakfast is my favorite of the brands I can find at a supermarket. It has a taste distinct from most black teas I've had, and it's one that I don't really mind.
How Twinings describes this tea is rather accurate. The flavor is indeed "complex." When taking an initial sip, it's hard to make out a distinct flavor. However, in about a second, the flavor would hit me - a robust and bold flavor with a bit of bitterness, and not much else. The tea has a smooth tone to it as well, which allows it to go down easily. Upon drinking this, the flavor is VERY easily divided into three parts: the initial flavor (very soft and robust), the lingering flavor (equally robust but bitter and strong), and the aftertaste (soft and slightly...fruity? I'm not sure if fruity is the right word). It is very distinct, and I could mark the exact period the flavors changed in my mouth.
It has a fragrant smell, a leafy and woody smell that seems to be signature of many black teas available in a supermarket. The scent doesn't quite stand out and it certainly fades from memory quickly, but regardless it is a pleasant smell and it is by no means a bad smell.
Like most of my teas, I brew using my stainless steel electric kettle and filtered water. I brought it to a boil and poured onto the teabag, letting it steep for 3 minutes before disposing of the bag. I drank it without any milk or sugar.
This tea is, to me, certainly better than Tazo's English Breakfast blend to my palette, which features a bitter and acidic aftertaste and a more bitter flavor overall. It is much better than Bigelow's English Teatime blend as well, which has little flavor across the board and reminds me a bit of cardboard with an aftertaste of hot water.
It's a good tea for a good price. It definitely is not my favorite black tea - however, of the three English breakfast blends I've tried (Bigelow, Tazo, and Twinings), I would recommend Twinings over any other.

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Comments:

Alex Zorach wrote: on March 31st, 2017

I don't know if you have access to them, but among Twinings' tea bags I much prefer their Ceylon tea, and also prefer their Irish Breakfast to the English Breakfast. Their Ceylon actually tastes, to me, a lot like what I think of as an English Breakfast tea.

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