Britannia Teas and Gifts
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1 rounded tsp of leaves for 250mL water, bare.
The best jasmine tea I’ve ever had. I try not to hoard this one, and I do drink others for variety — and to remind myself of just how good these pearls are. Balanced, nuanced, clean and almost intoxicating. No bitterness, no bad flower taste, no sharp leaf. Magic potions must all start with jasmine.
The owner of Britannia Teas warned me I would not be able to ‘go back’ to other (and less expensive) jasmine teas once I tried the Jasmine Dragon Tears. She was right. Not perfumey, not bitter, but certainly not weak … and the jasmine ‘hit’ lasts and lasts. Demand may increase the price of these hand-rolled tears, but I don’t care.
Preparation
3 tsp for a 500mL pot @ 100C, steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.
I made this a little strong, but it was also a matter of emptying the packet.
My local indie tea shop, Britannia Teas and Gifts, is shifting to online. The bricks and mortar store is gone. I will remain an online customer, and I most definitely need to re-stock on this beautiful blended black tea.
Bright, winey, and malty, with a good body.
Preparation
1 TB for 450mL water, bare.
Bliss. Such an enticing blend. Very bright today, coppery, full on sunlight and warmth. The maltiness is like a favourite jacket on a windy day — just right. Notes of cream and smoke, and no bitterness, as I’ve said many times before and will likely say many times again. Just grand.
One of my dreams is to make this blend in a Breville. (Ohhhh, how I want a Breville tea maker!)
Preparation
1 heaping TB for 450mL water, bare.
It’s baa-aacck!
My local tea shop, Britannia Teas and Gifts, had run out of this blend for a while, but I found it again on Tuesday. Immediately bought 100 grams. At $11.75 CAD per 100 grams, it’s not a cheap tea, but, being fair trade (yay), organic, and totally delicious, it’s well worth every penny. (Imagine, tea-pickers being paid half-decent wages. It has got to be back-breaking work. Big salute to all tea-pickers this morning! Big salute, too, to the estates which look after their workers properly.)
As I’ve said many times before: a thoroughly excellent black tea blend. Creamy, malty, a wee bit smoky. Never bitter. Cream and heft from what tastes like a really good 2nd flush Assam. (I am guessing here.) Lots of Chinese black tea smoothness, mostly likely from a goodly dose of Keemun. Tiny “bite” of what tastes to me like Ceylon, but the bite is not astringent — it sparkles. Bright and deep, this tea comforts and fortifies.
Seriously, this one is worth ordering. Britannia Teas will ship. http://www.britanniateas.ca/
(Full disclosure: no, I do not work for Britannia Teas. The owner is a friend of mine, and we’ve become even better friends over the last few years, and over many different teas, but I would not recommend her stock, and the effort of ordering it, if I did not think it exceptional.)
Being out of this tea was a loss. I am delighted to have my tin full again.
Preparation
1 rounded TB for 500mL water, drunk bare.
Nor’easter, day two. Rain and wind just battering us. Some areas have lost electricity. I should make tea in a pot and cozy, just in case.
A perfect day for drinking LOTS of tea. I’m about one cuppa each away from finishing tins of my faves — including this beauty. Robust. An almost creamy mouthfeel. Some malt, some smoke, some wine. Slight astringency. No bitterness. Never boring. Rich.
Preparation
1.5 TB for 500mL water, no milk or sweetener.
I file this one under ‘Cup of Tea That Could Save Your Life.’
Dry leaves smell like sunshine and malt and a very faint whiff of smoke. Long leaves, like Yunnan black needles, that unfurl beautifully.
A slight pinch more tea prevents bitterness after a longer steep and makes for a heavier body, too. Malty, slightly astringent but never murky.
Deliciously strong without tearing the skin off your mouth or the enamel off your teeth. Not bitter. Quite fortifying. Verging on Orwell territory again: a cup of tea that can make me feel braver, wiser and more optmistic.
Preparation
Drunk bare, no milk or sweetener.
I steep around. An intense affair with Captain Assam’s High Seas Elixir now just a happy memory, I come back to my old standby, this particular organic and fair trade English Breakfast blend from my local teashop, Britannia Teas and Gifts.
This tea will gently but definitely wake you up. Pretty sure Assam’s in the blend, but I taste much more Keemun this morning, and that beautiful winey-ness is so civilized, almost decadent on a lazy Sunday morning. I ate too much salt and sugar yesterday, and I’m sure I can feel the tea (and my rooibos chaser) balancing out my electrolytes. I did steep this morning’s brew maybe a minute too long — somewhere around 6 minutes, I recalled I hadn’t set the time — and it’s slightly bitter on the aftertaste. But that’s okay. My own fault. This tea can do no wrong, so long as you treat it right.
This is a full leaf blend that is also a real reat to watch infuse through clear glass.
Preparation
My favourite black tea blend, ever, and I have drunk many. While David’sTea’s David’s Organic Breakfast gives this blend a serious challenge, Britannia’s English Breakfast remains my Writin Tea, my comfort, and, when needed, my wake-up. I am not sure what’s in this blend, but I will guess at a goodly amount of Keemun (winey), Assam (malt and heft) and possibly Ceylon (brightness). Deep and complex, with many tastes dancing in the mouth. I never let myself run out of this one. I steep it just over three minutes but have drunk it after 5+ minutes. Can get a little tannic and astringent around 4-5 minutes, so just treat it nice.