Davidson's Tea Bulk, Irish Breakfast, 16 Ounce

I'm such a tea snob, and I was so desperate for a decent Assam that I could get in bulk that wasn't super expensive. I'm willing to spend quite a bit for good, high grade teas, but I needed an every day black tea that I enjoyed and could still suck up a six cup pot of every morning and also be able to pay my rent. I don't usually do blends, but I find that if you can search out a quality Irish Breakfast you end up coming across some that use a nice balanced blend of Assams that turn out pretty satisfying. This Irish Breakfast is one of those. I was really, really pleasantly surprised with it. It's bold, malty, fragrant. Every time I open the tin I stick my face in it and just sniff. I know I'm a weirdo, but I can't help it. And the leaves after it's brewed, ugh. I sit there with the infuser and meditate over the steam for a few minutes. I then make my husband sniff it even though he's a coffee drinker with no real discernment in this area, but he humors me because he knows that I'm slightly insane and if he doesn't I'll follow him around the house going, "But just smell it! How is that not the best smell?! Smell it!" until he does. He loves me anyway. Happy gal, satisfied tea snob. Came back to order another two pounds of Irish Breakfast and a couple of oolongs and a Sencha, again for everyday. They haven't come in just yet, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic about it. Hoorah. Edit: It's been a few years since I found this tea co, and I'm still diggin' it. The irish breakfast is still my go-to morning black tea, and the quality is still what it was on my first order. The sencha and the oolongs turned out well. I drink the mao jian jasmine pretty regularly also. I find that a lot of jasmine greens have a bit of a bite to them, and this one does but it's a *soft* bite. Not as delicate as something like a snowflake jasmine, but nice and soft nonetheless and yet again, excellent quality for the price. I haven't felt disappointed by a purchase yet and I feel pretty comfortable reccomending this company to those who ask me (I carry a travel tea set in my day purse. People know what I'm about), and others who have ordered have reported back good experiences also. I felt a little concerned when I came back and saw a few other reviews citing questionable quality, but it just hasn't been my personal experience. I wonder if there is significant quality variance between the different varieties, perhaps due to being sourced differently? Hard to say. Still 10/10 for me, will continue to order. 👍

UPDATE 2018 - They must have fixed whatever the issue was because the Irish Breakfast is back to being yummy! UPDATE 1/12/16 - I've been drinking Davidsons English breakfast and Irish Breakfast for many years and it has always been consistent, strong, aromatic and flavorful, but they must have either had a bad crop or changed the tea because the last two bags do not taste anywhere near the same, actually not at all like black tea of any brand. I'm so disappointed, especially since I now have to search for a new organic black tea. The five star review below is from 4/15/2010 when I started with Davidson's and, as I said, it has been so consistent all these years. I just want to warn people that it is no longer the same. __________________________________________________ I was hesitant to order this tea because there were only a few reviews at the time. One reviewer said the tea was -tasteless- and another cited that poor packaging affected the freshness. I'm glad I took the chance because I disagree on both counts. The taste is excellent which is, of course, the most important factor. I love strong, aromatic, flavorful tea and this does not disappoint. I had to add just a teeny bit more (a more rounded teaspoon for one cup) than with the tea I normally drink, Twinings Irish Breakfast, but that is insignificant since this Davidson's tea is half the price. I love that it is organic since I drink a lot of tea. I also thought the packaging was adequate. It is similar to the packaging used for the organic Ruta Maya coffee that I buy and I have never had a problem with freshness. Of course it is best to make sure you press out all of the air before resealing the top...I usually tap it on the counter to settle the contents then bend the top over on itself while leaning over on it, then seal it. As it reduces in size putting a rubber band around it helps just in case you didn't get the seal completely closed. I keep a small quantity of the tea in a couple of old Twinings tins so that I don't have to open the original package so often. I am very happy to have found this tea. I still love the Twinings but it is just too expensive with three people in my family always drinking tea.

Consistently high quality and delicious taste. Such a good value; I have it on subscription.

I bought this for making iced tea. I've tried Davidson's teas before (in a variety sampler) and liked them, and the price was reasonable -- not too high and not too low. So I expected a quality product. And I got a quality product. The tea leaves were large and so far, I haven't noticed much powder (though if there is any, it probably fell to the bottom of the bag so I won't have seen it yet). The iced tea I made from this was quite good, with a nice black tea flavor (and it was strong, which I like!). The bag appears to be somewhat water resistant, so that's good. (I accidentally set it down in a puddle on my kitchen counter but it didn't get the tea inside the bag wet.) I definitely like this for making large amounts of iced tea, and I think the quality and value are good. This *may* not be much above restaurant quality (doesn't bother me and I was happy with the price). It contains Ceylon and Assam teas and probably isn't quite as nice as Stash Super Irish Breakfast. But it suits my purposes and I'll definitely be buying again.

I enjoy this tea & its a good price

English Breakfast. Excellent medium to full bodied black tea blend with good depth of flavor. Full leaf, not broken. More than 5 stars *for the price point*. (It tastes better than a lot of teas that cost more.) It's great brewed weak or strong, with cold or hot water. It makes a very nice iced tea or hot tea, neat or with milk. It's best steeped hot for 3 minutes or steeped cold for 20. However if I forget and leave it steeping too long it's still pretty good. This tea resists getting super astringent and doesn't really turn bitter. It's a tasty, blended tea that's been processed, packaged, and stored with care before it gets to you. It is NOT a single estate, first or second flush wonder, grown during a banner year. My fellow tea snobs: If you don't expect miracles at this price point, you may find yourself well pleased.

This loose tea is best brewed in a teapot or mason jar. I like a mild cuppa, so two heeping teaspoons for 32oz teapot. You need a Rolling boil; under boiling and the leaves don’t sink. Let it brew, I make the food for breakfast, then make cuppa. 8 to 10 minutes brew. I pour milk into my cup before the hot tea. I set a fine mesh sieve over my cup, and pour out a golden tea. Rarely their are a few tea leaves in the sieve. The tea itself is mild tannin with rich flavor. One cup and my day starts. The second cup of tea in the teapot stays in the pot, cools, and tomorrow I repeat the pouring process with cold tea. Two minutes in the microwave and mild and full flavor for another day. We keep our heated house low at 60 at winter, and leaving the tea in the teapot at room temperature never has molded nor turned tannic sour. I plan to refrigerate my pot as summer arrives. This tea is nicer to drink and doesn’t make my tummy acidic than does PG tips caffeinated, and Lyons loose tea. Both of those teas are have something in Your stomach before drinking cuppa. Again I like mild tea, my robust husband says this tea never gets tannic with his 3-4 scoops. Just robust, Carmel color, 🤮

Highly disappointed, almost no flavor and sometimes it would remind me of the sewage water smell