Second Cuppa

The New Trader Joe’s Original Irish Breakfast Tea

Back in March, I reviewed Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea for this blog. A couple of months later, a few blog visitors posted comments, complaining of a change in the tea. One commenter confirmed that Trader Joe’s had, in fact, changed suppliers for its Irish Breakfast Tea.

My reaction to these comments was twofold. First, I was happy that one of my posts attracted a small discussion; any blogger will tell you how difficult it is to get real comments. Second, I felt compelled to investigate the matter further.

To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the original formula. For an Irish Breakfast tea, I found it quite lacking in aroma, strength, and flavor. I still have more than half of the original package left.

Based on commenters’ laments over the loss of their beloved TJ’s Irish Breakfast Tea, I didn’t have much expectation of its replacement.

The new package is smaller and not nearly as green. The name has changed from ‘Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea’ to ‘Trader Joe’s Original Irish Breakfast.’ The tea bags are now round instead of square and vacuum packed into two 40-bag columns.

I opened the package, plopped a rounder into my mug, added boiling water, and steeped for three minutes. A strong, malty, citrusy aroma greeted my nose. My tongue and cheeks delighted in the heavy, chalky, slightly astringent nature of the tea’s flavor. This is what I expect from an Irish tea!

Curiosity got me. I wanted to find out who the new supplier was. The tea bags are round, so it could be Tetley … but it doesn’t taste like any Tetley I’ve ever had.

I’ve got it! Republic of Tea (ROT) is supplying Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast. The tea bags look identical to the ones on the ROT website, and both companies are based in California. To confirm, I emailed both Trader Joe’s and ROT. I never heard back from Trader Joe’s, but ROT replied with the following:

Dear Citizen Leo,
Thank you for your email. We do not supply Trader Joe's with tea.
Sip by sip,
Minister of Citizen Services

Oh well. Who am I kidding? I’m no sleuth. I’m just an amateur tea expert with a blog, and this case is going cold. Nonetheless, I’m impressed with this tea.

Sure, there are better Irish breakfast teas out there but not by much, and not for $3 a pack. For this reason, I officially recommend the new Trader Joe’s Original Irish Breakfast tea as a Second Cuppa best buy.

Aroma:	Malty, citrusy, mossy
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Chalky, bitter, bright finish
Color:	Dark amber

UPDATE 6/19/2013: Trader Joe’s finally got back to me. I’m a bit shocked by what they said.

Hi Leo,

Thank you for contacting us! The packaging of our Trader Joe's Irish 
Breakfast Tea has recently changed but the actual tea leaves have 
not changed. In any case, were glad you are enjoying it! Please 
know that Trader Joe's and it's private labeled products are 
privately owned, therefore we follow a very strict disclosure
policy alongside our suppliers. Due to this policy, we do not 
disclose any of our supplier information.

Thank you,

Nicki K.
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations

I’m not surprised that they won’t disclose the supplier, but claiming the tea leaves are the same is incorrect. There is a vast difference between the old and the new Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast tea. Somebody gave somebody some bad information somewhere along the communication chain.

Tetley Blend of Both Review

Green tea is believed to offer more health benefits than black tea. Tetley Blend of Both attempts to capitalize on this assumption by offering black tea drinkers the benefits of green tea.

I found this blend, composed of 72% black tea and 28% green tea, at bit odd at first but gradually came to like it. It’s supposed to be prepared and enjoyed like regular black tea. Tetley suggests drinking three cups per day to realize the benefits of one cup of green tea.

It looks and almost smells and tastes like standard British black tea; however, the small amount of green tea adds a pleasant twist. The green tea’s grassy aroma is more dominant than I expected, and the flavor is slightly bitter (from using boiling water, I think). Milk is necessary in my opinion.

As a side note for black tea drinkers, I wouldn’t be too concerned about missing the widely reported advantages of green tea. Black tea offers many of the same benefits, including antioxidants, with extra caffeine to keep you going. Recent studies have shown that black tea drinkers show reduced risk of stroke and heart disease.

If you still want to hedge your bets or simply want find out what happens when black meets green tea, Tetley Blend of Both is not a bad way to go. I’d continue drinking the stuff regularly if the cost of having it shipped to the States wasn’t so high.

Aroma:	Mossy, chalky, and grassy
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Malty, creamy, and a little bitter
Color:	Dark

Clipper Big Breakfast Tea Review

Clipper Big Breakfast Tea has been a part of my morning routine for the last few days. This morning I paired it with a multigrain English muffin from Trader Joe’s while watching the latest news regarding the Boston bombing suspect who was apprehended last night.

Strong, punchy, and bold is what the package of 80 tea bags promises. Clipper’s teas are Fairtrade certified, meaning their sourcing meets certain labor, environmental, and ethical standards. The large, rectangular, unbleached tea bags seem to contain a respectable amount of tea.

While many Clipper tea varieties are offered to US consumers through Amazon.com, I had to order Clipper Big Breakfast Tea through an UK-based, online merchant and pay a ridiculous amount in shipping. I first tried ordering directly from Clipper Teas’ website, but my order was immediately cancelled (without notification) because they do not deliver to my part of the world yet.

The tea was very much what I expected. The aroma was a familiar mossy and citrusy combination. The flavor was astringent, bright, and bitter before the addition of milk. I can say with certainty that anyone who favors this sort of tea won’t disappointed with Clipper Big Breakfast Tea. It certainly was a great comfort to me this morning.

Aroma:	Citrus fruit and moss
Body:	Full
Flavor:	Bright, astringent, and bitter
Color:	Dark

Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend Review

Good decaf tea doesn’t really exist. When the caffeine is removed from tea, so is the flavor, and Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend is no exception.

If you must have decaf tea, though, I can give you a couple of reasons to choose this product. Tetley uses ethyl acetate, a solvent with no harmful effects, to strip the tea of its caffeine, whereas other major use methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.

Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend smells like seaweed, unlike its caffeinated counterpart which has a mossy aroma typical of ‘English breakfast’ teas. It tastes like seaweed too if you let it linger too long on the tongue, but overall the taste is okay compared to other decafs I’ve tried.

I’ve discovered that two decaffeinated tea bags are required to get the same full-bodied characteristic of the caffeinated version. Though I haven’t tried it, I bet a little squirt of honey might counter some of the seaweed funkiness.

As far as decaf tea goes, Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend is all right. I’m just not comfortable calling it tea.

Aroma:	Seaweed
Body:	Full (if brewed with two tea bags)
Flavor:	Nondescript
Color:	Dark

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