When I think of what an English Breakfast tea should taste like, after having a few good-quality loose and bagged brands early on, most others have fallen short. However, this one hit the spot right away at a motel, and a few days later at home too, living up to the standard. It left me wanting to try more of both this one and others from the same company.

The tea brewed up dark and thick-looking, quickly. The aroma was rather mild, so I expected the usual motel-obtained, bagged EB tea. However, the flavor blossomed strongly and deeply! This stood out well compared to some of the mass-produced, not-bad/not-great EBs often found in lodging from companies like Twinings, Tazo, or regular (not "Steep") Bigelow version. As advertised, this tea has a stout flavor, heavy on the smooth, malty Assam (which I like) but with some obvious sharpness of the Ceylon presence. It's a nicely balanced combination, and for its bags, Choice seems to be shredding good-quality leaves of each origin.

There's apparently some African tea in here too, though I can't detect its influence as much, except perhaps as a catalyst or enhancer for the others. Regardless, it's a rich, strong and straightforward, unpretentious bagged EB that can serve as an archetype. I would love to have rated it higher, but for the pleasant but modest dry-bag and in-cup aromas.

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