Boston Tea Party English Breakfast Tea

The past few weeks we have been serving Boston Tea Party English Breakfast Tea. Apparently we found the old cardboard container, as the tea is now sold in a sleek black tin, but no matter; the tea wasn't stale (although we secretly like the round tea bags in this old presentation). The tea is a mild, blended black tea. It's smooth (no lingering tannin aftertaste), mellow, but not vibrant or exciting. With its mild taste, this would be a good tea for a first time tea taster or child. However, it was a pleasant tea to pair with homemade blueberry coffee cake.

Lipton Blueberry and Pomegranate White Tea

As the unrelenting summer heat rolls on, we continue to try different options for iced tea. Last week we sipped Lipton Blueberry and Pomegranate White Tea. This blend of blueberry and pomegranate also includes other fruits such as raspberry, black currant, and and blackberry. No blueberry or pomegranate flavor was detectable, although an overall fruity, sweet flavor was present. We preferred this tea iced rather than hot, but are awaiting the results of a taste test from a friend who regularly drinks hot herbal teas. This has a very mild, unassuming, slightly sweet and fruity taste, with a slight fruit aroma.

Dilmah Irish Breakfast Tea

Today in the parlor we served Dilmah Irish Breakfast tea, a nice, strong, unblended, strong-to-help-you-face-the-day tea. Although not a blend, this was a smooth tea, strong, with no pronounced tannin aftertaste that stands up well to milk and agave nectar. It paired well with an egg and bean burrito and tofu bacon.

Celestial Seasonings Peach Cool Brew

Summertime is iced tea time.Celestial Seasonings has jumped into the cold brew market with several flavors, including Peach Cool Brew. Peach iced tea is a favorite in the parlor, and this tea is delightful. A blend of black tea for a little caffeine zing when the summer heat wears you down, and peach for enough natural sweetness that no sugar is needed. Best of all, this drink is ready to cool you off in just minutes. We're not great fans of herbal hot teas, but we lile herbal cold teas, and we love this one. This refreshing drink would be perfect swinging on the porch, lazing in a hammock, or even camped out on the couch with a stack of books. We've been enjoying it with snacks as well zingy pineapple salads, grilled chicken, and burgers. This is a great, readily available iced tea made with Celestial Seasonings quality; we just wish it had one of the cuter boxes for which the company is famous. Ah, well, better a superior content than a cutesy box, eh?

Impra Royal Elixir Tea

This Independence Day, the parlor is serving IMPRA Royal Elixir Knight Tea's Pure Ceylon Tea (big leaf). This a a nice ceylon with a strong, crisp, citrus aroma. One online review complained that this is too reminiscent of bergamot and must, therefore be infused with other teas or oils. However, ceylon tea should have a strong citrus aroma; we here in the US are used to milder ceylon or blends that incorporate ceylon.

IMPRA is a pure ceylon, however (note the Lion Logo from the Sri Lanka Tea Board), with nice, big leaves carefully packed in a foil bag inside a tin, which keeps the leaves from crushing. Those tea drinkers used to a more mellow ceylon may not enjoy the stronger flavor of the IMPRA, but we found it very enjoyable, a smooth, bracing cup. This morning, we served it with an apple strudel. As summer storm clouds scudded across the sky, we felt emboldened to tackle the wind-blown debris clean-up after a few cups. An excellent cup to start or finish the day.

Typhoo Tea

A nice, strong cup of tea that stands up to milk and sugar--that's what we like in the parlor. And this week, we are serving Typhoo Tea, that stalwart British tea. This is the tea to warm your toes after a cold day spent snowshoeing or fishing, the comfort tea you reach for when you just need a good cup of tea to brace yourself to face the world. Because it's blended, there's no individual elements that jump out to a sipper. It's robust and smooth and as good with a sandwich or soup as it is alone.

2012 Iced Tea Winners

The North American Tea Championship has concluded, and just in time for today, the first day of summer. Their website has the winners posted online. So let's all grab a glass of one of the winners or our own home-brewed sun tea or cold tea, and convene on the patio to enjoy these lazy, summer days. Happy tea drinking!