I found this expired tea tin, never opened and safely sealed, in a small import store when I was home over break. Knowing how well Assam teas can keep, I was curious to try it, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this tea much more aromatic than I would expect for something harvested around 4 years ago.

The leaf is pleasantly aromatic and has a soft, bready aroma that hints at being floral. As I pour water over the leaves, fruity and spicy notes come out. The flavor is very pleasant: both bitter and sweet. Strong toasty notes, especially as I drink the whole cup. Smooth, but full-bodied and with a pleasant edge.

It also resteeps well, I was able to steep it two times and get a flavorful second cup every time I drank it.

I'm sure this would have been an outstanding tea, had it still been fresh when I tried it, but I was impressed with how enjoyable it has been even ~2 years past its expiration date. I was sad to find that Taylors of Harrogate has discontinued this whole line of teas. I live for these sorts of teas, and it looks like all Taylors of Harrogate is focusing on these days is flavored teas, which I think is really sad because I think of them as being one of the classic brands of British-style black teas.

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Comments:

Tchuggin' Okie wrote: on January 8th, 2018

Impressive! What a find, especially given the quality you're reporting. I haven't had a favorite tea go extinct, yet, but recall a similar experience finding a six-pack of 7Up Gold (a soda I loved, but too few others did to sustain its production) at an obscure small-town market somewhere on the Great Plains about five years after it was discontinued. Had one can a month and savored the last one to the last drop. Maybe you'll be rationing this tea too. ;-)

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