Tea Series Challenge: Day 13

Hello and Welcome to Day 13 of the Tea Series Challenge!

So, full disclosure, I have been writing these posts, so far, in December.  Yesterday was Christmas and I got some lovely tea and mugs, so today you get some pictures of the mugs I received.  

The picture above is a mug from my mother.  It comes with a loose leaf strainer and I think it’s super pretty with lovely colors!!  Today’s tea is pictured next to it even though I didn’t use this mug today.  It just felt odd to not have today’s tea in one of the pictures.  

The picture below is the mug my nephew got me.  I love the shape of it and the size.  I really should have used it for today’s tea, just to match the name of today’s blend, but it hasn’t been washed yet.

Getting to today’s tea, I wanted something simple and robust for the morning after Christmas and so I chose English Breakfast tea.  

There’s not much else for me to say about it other than the ratings, so let’s get to it:  

Appearance/Color

In a white mug today, the tea is a deep reddish brown.  I only steeped it for about 4 minutes (I know, 1 minute less than the recommended 5), but it’s still really dark.

Aroma

Tea!!  There’s really no other aroma I can smell, and the tea aroma is just so reminiscent of what I think of as the base tea smell that I don’t really have another word for it.

Flavor

Similarly, the flavor here is black tea.  Since I didn’t over-steep it there’s no bitterness.

Body or Mouthfeel

Several sips in, the only way I can think to describe the mouthfeel is that it’s a little watery but also smooth.

Astringency/Structure

I think it’s fairly light actually, despite being a black tea.  There’s no backing away from the flavor, which is what I think I meant earlier when I used the word “robust,” but it’s not earthy really either which would make it taste heavy to me.

Aftertaste/Finish

Again, it’s pretty much just tea.  

Conclusion

I got what I wanted this morning, which was a really decent English Breakfast tea.  There weren’t really any surprises and it was just really pleasant and simple to drink.