Life happens and things change. Based on mediocre reviews, I figured TJ’s English Breakfast wasn’t worth the effort. I once raved about their Irish Breakfast tea but have since settled on Tetley UK as my everyday, go-to blend.
But when on vacation, detached from the workaday rut, you tend to be open to new possibilities. Such was the case when visiting Southern California recently.
I’d exhausted the better tea options (Lipton Yellow Label and Wissotzky) available at my in-law’s house, so I decided to replenish my supply on an impromptu Trader Joe’s excursion. Along with milk, Puffins Cereal (Cinamon), tortilla chips, and banana muffins, I brought home a box of tea.
All I want from an English breakfast tea is a full body and a bright finish. When I say bright finish, I mean I want to feel a little bite, astringency, tannin — whatever you may call it — on my tongue. It’s a simple request, yet so many brands fall short. Not Trader Joe’s.
It may not offer a complex flavor profile. Nor does it have the fullest body. But TJ’s English Breakfast blend has that uplifting ending every tea in this category should have. Mildly so perhaps, but it’s there.
There’s a Trader Joe’s downtown I need to check out for teas, among other things. As it is, I’ve been on a Punjana kick lately.
Enjoyed your review, Leo. I drank TJ’s Irish Breakfast for a lot of years, wanting, I think, to be more Irish than English, but began finding it harsh. Switched to the English, and yes, it feels a little thin at times, but does the job.