Twinings, Irish Breakfast

Twinings Description:
A strong, full-bodied black tea from the regions of Ceylon and Assam expertly blended with a hearty flavor and delightful aroma.

The Irish really love their tea and are amongst the most frequent drinkers of tea around the world. In celebration of this tea drinking tradition, Twinings blended a special Irish Breakfast Blend. This tea is best taken with milk and sweetened to taste to bring out the best flavor.

My Review:

I know in years past I have had this tea. It is one of the few Twinings teas that the local grocers routinely put on their shelves along with Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Prince of Wales, and English Breakfast. I even see it in loose leaf on occasion, yet I have no notes of ever having tasted this one. So I was excited when I received a bag in the mail in a swap.

Twinings Irish Breakfast is often reviewed as being like a punch in the face, or a kick in the butt. The reviews also often note it being highly malty in taste. I have to say my experience was different.

I heated my cup of water and added the bag. I let it steep for three or four minutes. I tasted it and found it to be fairly light in flavor, so I put the bag back in the cup and left it. Some minutes later I tasted again. Now it is a lot more flavorful. It is not bitter but it is astringent now. It has a definite drying feeling. I left the bag in the cup until it was empty. This accounts for the dryness.

I do taste some malt but nothing like a good Yunnan tea. It has a small amount of fruitiness late in the sip. I personally am not finding this to be a brisk tea at all. The near smoothness and the intensity of the cup is closer to Prince of Wales than it is to Harney and Sons Irish Breakfast.

This is not a bad cup at all. For me personally though, it is not the kick in the pants I was expecting.