Tea Blog

Name: St. Paul’s London Breakfast Tea

Brand: English Tea Store

Type: Black tea, blend

Form: Teabags (stringless)

Review: The English Tea store describes this tea as containing “hints of Earl Grey”: After inspecting the dry leaf of St. Paul’s London Breakfast Tea, I noted that it was a blend of some time of machine-processed (CTC) black tea scattered with a few larger leaf pieces (which I presume was the Earl Grey). I didn’t detect much in the way of bergamot in the flavor of this tea, instead I found it to be a tasty black tea blend with perhaps the slightest hint of fruit (or maybe malt) in its finish. Unlike some English breakfast teas, this one is not harsh or aggressive, so if you are looking for a tea that does not require a heavy food accompaniment, or a lot of milk and sugar, this might be a nice one to try. In fact, I’m considering purchasing a large quantity of it to keep around the house for daily drinking.

Preparation Tips: I tried preparing this tea both in and out of the tea bag. (I tore the bag open and poured it into a teapot.) The leaves are tiny enough that there is no difference in flavor between the two preparation methods. I do advise measuring out your water carefully: If you use too much water, you may end up with a very weak cup of tea. Try experimenting with different water amounts: 6 ounces per tea bag may work very nicely. Try a 4-5 minute steep. St. Paul’s London Breakfast Tea is one of the few English Tea Store brand teas that is only offered in teabags. These teabags are stringless, which means that you will need to have a spoon handy to fish your teabag out of your cup or mug after steeping.

Serving Tips: This is definitely a breakfast tea, though it is mild enough to go along well with many foods (I enjoyed a cup with a pizza omelette) and for sipping on its own.

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