Second Cuppa

Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea Review

The box is green of course, with an image of a fertile Irish landscape by the sea. Second flush Assam paired with Kenya tea creates ‘a hearty, full-bodied blend,’ reads the copy on the package of Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea.

The pleasantly sweet aroma of the dry tea leaves sets a high expectation. Add boiling water, wait for 3–5 minutes, and you end up with something slightly tamer than Irish tea should be.

Earth, moss, and tree bark come to mind when trying to describe the aroma. Gone is the sweetness of the dry leaf. Also missing is the astringent punch common among Irish tea brands like Punjana and Barry’s.

But Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast tea isn’t a complete dud. I drink it occasionally in the late morning or early afternoon to help my brain function. It’s a simple, smooth tasting tea at an affordable price.

Aroma:	Mossy, earthy
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Smooth, kind of flat
Color:	Dark

Bewley’s Gold Blend Tea: Smooth Move

Another Irish tea review, another notch under my belt. It seems I’ve gone through most of the major Irish brands except for Nambarrie.

Bewley’s Gold Blend Tea lives up to the ‘Gold’ in its name — that is, if ‘Gold’ means a rich, rounded taste. Included in the blend are Assam, Kenyan, and Rwandan teas.

This tea does not offer great contrast in aroma and flavor; it’s a simple, singular tea with a creamy texture and smooth ending — no bright notes or astringent finish.

Brewed for the right length of time — 2–3 minutes in my opinion — the resulting tea has a full, thick, and silky body. This tea is still strong, so I take mine with milk and honey. Be careful not to oversteep.

Aroma:	Mossy, chalky, sweet
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Creamy, malty
Color:	Dark amber

The Subtlety of Stash English Breakfast

Stash English Breakfast - Black Tea

Stash English Breakfast features an interesting blend of teas: Ceylon, Assam, Nilgiri, and Keemun. A smoky Chinese black tea, Keemun once defined English tea until being surpassed in popularity by Assam, a malty Indian tea.

If it’s a bolder tea you expect — think Tazo Awake or PG Tips — you will be disappointed. I would describe this tea as subtle and smooth. I can taste the smoky Keemun, detect the malty Assam, and maybe even a little of that bright Ceylon (I haven’t a clue what Nilgiri tastes or smells like), none of which are pronounced. Five minutes of brewing doesn’t produce any bitterness.

Aroma:	Smoke and citrus
Body:	Medium
Flavor:	Mild and smooth with a medium level of astrigency
Color:	Medium amber

Full English Breakfast, Deep in my Heart … and Arteries

Should you ever find yourself in Austin, Texas with a particular craving for British bangers, back bacon, fried eggs, fried bread, roasted tomatoes, and mushrooms, you’re in luck. Yes, there’s a place that serves the aforementioned in addition to tea and other British foods, and it’s called Full English Cafe. Though difficult to spot, this tiny place just off Manchaca Rd. (on Southern Oaks Dr.) is worth the search.

Big British Breakfast - Full English Cafe

High Tea

Besides upscale hotels and restaurants, there a few places to enjoy afternoon tea in the United States. Full English Cafe fills this void successfully, offering High Tea (really afternoon tea unless you’re stoned, of course) almost any time of day in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere. For a reasonable price, you get a tiered tray full of made-from-scratch sandwiches, scones, cakes, and biscuits (cookies) served with a pot of tea or coffee.

Full English Breakfast

Full English Cafe offers three versions of English breakfast, which vary in measure and quality (free-range vs non-free-range eggs and meats). Made in-house, the bangers contain locally sourced pork.

For those days when the Big British Breakfast isn’t big enough, you can add more bangers, bacon, eggs, cheese, salad, bread, tomatoes, mushrooms, and even Heinz beans — all available as side items.

Round out your English breakfast with an English-style pancake — thinner than its American counterpart, pan sized, and traditionally topped with lemon and sugar. If you need a more compact breakfast, try one of the Full English Cafe’s breakfast sandwiches, served on bread from Sweetish Hill bakery.

Order off the ‘On Toast’ portion of the menu for a lighter breakfast or snack. On toast options include two fried eggs, butter and marmalade, and of course Heinz beans, the perfect catalyst for extra wind at your back.

Tea

A great place to enjoy a proper cuppa with your friends or solo, Full English Cafe features some British household staples from across the pond as well as some local Austin blends from Zhi Tea. Order PG Tips, Tetley, or Twinings English Breakfast by the cup or pot.

Other brand-name teas available include Lipton Yellow Label and Brooke Bond Red Label. Chai latte (hot or cold) and Austin Breakfast, Dragonwell Green, and Ginger Peach Oolong from Zhi round out the tea menu.

Other British Foods

Full English Cafe serves supper on Friday and Saturday night. The supper menu is a surprise and may include shepherd’s/cottage pie, bangers and mash, various pasties, and sausage rolls.

It’s hard to do this place full justice in a blog post. Just visit and see for yourself. Cheers.

Barry’s Tea Gold Blend Review

The first thing I notice about the aroma of Barry’s Tea Gold Blend (tea bag version) is the last thing my palette is left with after sipping it: a sharp citrus quality that reminds me of the clementines (mandarin organges) that are now in season.

This full-bodied Irish tea is both robust and smooth. Three minutes of steeping does not produce significant bitterness. It has the maltiness you’d expect from a tea of this kind with a bright, mildly astringent finish that lingers on the tongue for a while.

Barry’s Tea Gold Blend goes well with a splash of milk. A small amount of honey or sugar is good too.

Aroma (brewed):	Sweet and citrus like
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Bright finish with moderate astrigency
Color:	Dark amber (even though it’s advertized to be golden)