Each bag contains 2.5g of what looks like ground up CTC pellets. There's very little scent from the dry tea. It smells faintly woody, like a new newspaper.

This tea brews up dark. Before I've finished pouring the water, the tea is already darker than most black teas end up. By the time brewing's done, it's a deep brown-red. The aroma is richer than I was expecting and reminds me of a hardwood forest after a rain. It smells earthy and tannic, like damp oak leaves.

The flavor is crisp, mildly astringent, and quite bitter. It's far less malty than I expected from a Kenyan-Assam blend, but there's a lingering sweetness in the finish. Bitterness is the predominant sensation, but it's pleasant and mouth-watering, tasting similar to gentian root (the flavoring in Moxie soda). Though not surprising in an English Breakfast, this probably goes well with milk. Overall, it's a similar tea to other English brands, occupying a sort of middle ground; it's mellower than PG Tips, but more bitter and flavorful than Yorkshire Gold. As it cools, the flavor becomes a bit softer and rounder as the astringency asserts itself a little more. This is really quite a delightful tea and I'm enjoying each sip. It's easily my favorite Taylors of Harrogate tea so far.

At $4.50 for 20 teabags, it's more expensive than Bigelow or Twinings, but only slightly by weight because of the larger teabags.

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