Advent Day #1

Season’s Greetings, tea lovers!

We are sorry we took a bit of a fall hiatus, but we are back! Lauri had the wonderful idea to order us a Fortnum & Mason advent calendar so we could review each of the 25 teas, and I was so excited to get started! Fortunately, she chose me to review on day 1! So please get ready for a day-to-day review of some of the world’s favorite British teas.

Tea #1 - “Royal Blend”

Because it is a familiar tea, when Michelle and I were dividing the advent calendar (forgive the peek behind the curtain...) I gave it to her, but as we were working out some of the details, we decided it would be fun to both review a couple of them. And since I have my body weight in Royal Blend, and since this is the first day of advent, here is our head-to-head review of Royal Blend.

Fortnum & Mason describes this tea as “smooth and honey-like,” a tea blended for King Edward back in 1902. I love that this tea is set to turn 123 and continues to be a favorite! I agree with their description and want to add that I sipped this tea during a morning meeting and found it to be a fabulous “wake-me-up” tea! It is delicious without anything added, but I am sure it would be lovely with cream, sugar, honey, or anything else you enjoy in your tea. Fortnum & Mason recommends serving it with milk. This one could certainly serve as your everyday tea. It is a combination of Sri Lankan Pekoe and Assam. Interestingly, “pekoe” refers to the fine hairs or “fuzz” on the underside of the tea leaf. Pekoe tea is considered high grade. Assam is considered a richer, heftier black tea, and it is grown in Assam, India, in the northeast, the most-productive tea-growing region in the world. The combination makes this tea a must-have! Highly recommend! 8/10

 

Royal blend tea by Fortnum and Mason is the real deal tea: just tea, no flavorings, no other ingredients. It is a blend of “flowery Pekoe from Sri Lanka and Assam” that does not disappoint. In fact, it is my “go to” tea when I just want a nice comforting cup of tea.

 

Fortnum and Mason suggests brewing for three minutes and enjoying specifically with milk. I must admit, I've never tried it without milk, so I don't know how the milk changes the integrity of the tea. But, with a splash or a glug as I enjoy, of milk and two lumps of raw brown sugar this tea provides a soft place to land. Very subtle floral notes and a very gentle tea flavor, the milk does not distract from the overall experience. 

 

Since this is a favorite of mine, I feel somewhat uncomfortable giving it a rating, lest it seem disingenuous somehow. But, for what it's worth, I'd give it a 9 out of 10. It isn't perfect; it isn't a specialty that knocks your socks off. But the reliability and comfort of an everyday friend is darn near perfect to me.