I couldn't tell if English Tradition was an English Breakfast an English Afternoon, so against such traditions, I drank it in the evening in America.

Of the three black teas from Farmer Brothers (FB) that I have reviewed, all of which were surprisingly tolerable, this product has been the best across the board. As with "Black Tea" and "Earl Grey", the tea got densely dark, fast—more so even than most other finely chopped bagged teas I've had. Following a recommendation from Alex Zorach to test the product for color additives by running some cold water through it, I didn't see much (if any) color, so...good news! It must be just a very tannic tea. The wet-bag and even dry-bag aromas were stronger than the other two from FB, and the taste smoother, somewhat malty, and a little less bitter, the aftertaste persistent yet pleasant than the others, hence the noticeably higher rating. As advertised by the company, the flavor also was a bit earthy, but not enough to be a turn-off (i.e., it didn't taste like mud). The distribution address on the wrapper was on Farmer Brothers Drive in Northlake, TX, and I got this at a hotel in Southlake, TX, so maybe it was just extra-fresh from having been hauled only a few miles across the lake on its last ride.

I can't think of any better food-service teas I've had, and this tops some pretty good band-name offerings. FB probably should stick to black tea. They have a winner here, and the other two I have reviewed were better than average as well, especially for food-service bags offerings. Beyond that, however, their tea products have come across as mediocre at most. On their site, FB states they use, "mountain-grown teas from premium origins", but not what teas and what origins. They seem to have done a good job selecting black tea, so why be so vague? Inquiring minds wonder...

Add your own review

Login or Sign Up to comment on this review.