Customer Reviews

Twinings English Afternoon Tea, Tea Bags, 20-Count, 1.41 oz. Boxes (Pack of 6)

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I have enjoyed Twinings teas for, oh, more than 20 years now. I was immediately suspicious of this new blend, if only because Twinings seemed to be attempting to capitalize on people's renewed appreciation for the tradition of afternoon tea. Too often, especially in America, this meal is referred to as "high tea" to make it sound like a fancy event, even though high tea and afternoon tea differ in ways that have nothing to do with elegance. English Afternoon Tea sounded a little quaint, and Twinings already offers so many varieties of tea that it was hard to believe there could be anything new that would be worthwhile.

As it happens, this tea is my new favorite. It doesn't have the dainty flavorings or fragrance of Earl Grey or Lady Grey, my former favorites, nor does it contain the thundering levels of caffeine in English or Irish Breakfast Tea. Instead, it includes elements from both ends of the spectrum. Like the Lady and the Earl, it has little enough caffeine that I can toss back cup after cup without getting jumpy. And like the breakfast teas, it has more of a bold black-tea edge that in this case isn't masked by bergamot or citrus notes. But with English Afternoon Tea, this edge is mellower and more refined than in the breakfast teas. It has more interest and character than a simple orange pekoe (the baseline for black tea) but without resorting to bitter or acerbic flavors.

Any tea drinker should enjoy English Afternoon Tea. It's surprisingly good, and despite the name, it's a fine way to start the day. I only wonder why Twinings didn't come up with it sooner!

One final thought: Adding a little milk to tea--never cream, although at afternoon tea, it's properly called cream--causes the tannins in the tea to attack the milk proteins. As a result, the tannins are neutralized and won't attack your tongue. What this means for you is that the tea will cause less of the dry, mouth-puckering sensation you might have encountered eating walnuts or drinking dry red wine. If you've never tried milk in your tea, I recommend adding just a little.

For a fascinating little blurb about how tea led to urbanization (who knew?), click here. This brief book excerpt is interesting, and not only because it includes the wonderful phrase "microbial holocaust"!

http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/2007/07/did_tea_drinking_lead_to_urban.php

I tried this tea after reading some favourable reviews and I really enjoy it. It's similar in strength to the English Breakfast, but I think it's a bit sweeter in taste. I think it has a nice, rich scent to it. Usually I drink the English Breakfast tea, but some mornings I'll drink this one when I want something smoother, less bold.

Not too strong, but full of taste. Great price, convenient delivery.

This is available in many grocery stores too, and is partway between the cheap and fancy teas, price-wise. The freshness and flavor are top-rank, though. It has all the good points of an afternoon tea: strong enough to easily take milk or cream, a floral topnote that doesn't evaporate in a few minutes, a rich fresh-kilned-wood middle, a dry flat base that isn't bitter, and incredible sustain on the after-taste (great with shortbead, poundcake, etc). The freshness on my box was great, considering the individual packets let some flavor out. Not watery or wimpy like a Tetley or Bigelow, but not hard or bitter either. Only St. Dalfour had more top aroma, but it didn't have the nice middle wood this tea has. This really exceeded my expectations, and I didn't even dump it from the bag to bump flavor.

For whatever reason, most of the tea that I was served as a visitor and at places where you buy tea in the UK tastes more like this than any other tea I've encoutnered in America. It was divine to find it, because it takes me down memory lane, and I love the taste. Don't get me wrong, I still drink the Twinings English Breakfast and Earl Grey, amongst others, and Chai when I feel like it, but this tea is just lovely, and is authentic!

Incidentally, I've never liked any tea sold in the US better than Twinings for flavor on all the types of tea save Chai teas. Twinings chai is kind of weak--Celestial seasonings does a better job, just at chai, if your looking for something you can get in most places in the US.

I found this tea a while ago in a local store and bought some to try. It's excellent! This is the tea I go for first in the afternoon and evenings. It has great depth and flavor. It's good that Amazon sells it in boxes of six packages, as I drink it that fast.

Last summer, Twinings must have been trying something and was selling a decaf version of this tea. My wife fell in love with it (she cannot drink anything with caffeine), but the product went away. She finds Irish Breakfast Decaf to be good as a second choice. I wish Twinings would come out (again) with a decaf version.

I used to prefer any Ceylon or orange pekoe tea when drinking black, until trying this "English Afternoon" tea by Twinnings. It just has a distinctive flavor that I have not tasted anywhere else. It's difficult to describe, so I would suggest trying a single box somewhere before committing to the case of 6 here. I have this product on subscription now due to my 3-cups-a-day habit! It's not too bitter, and it has this well-rounded flavor and full bodied mouthfeel (for a tea!). I love it!

It also seems to have a natural sweetness to it (especially compared to Ceylon), and I highly recommend it with milk and sugar. Enjoy!

This is my favorite tea anytime of day.There is a hint of sweetness to the tea, and a depth of flavor. It's a great blend, but hard to find. I'm so glad Amazon carries it!

I love tea and the best teas I have found are by Twinings. The English Afternoon Tea is very good. It's very
soothing and relaxing. I have a hard time getting certain selections of their teas in the stores. Since I can get exactly what I want on Amazon.com, I have been ordering the Twinings varieties I love. It is well worth the money.
I haven't bought any tea in the stores since I started getting them on line. It's the only way to have your tea.

I had never heard of English Afternoon tea until I ordered an array of teas to enjoy this Fall and Winter. This is not a brisk, strong tea at all but very satisfying, nonetheless. It has a mellow flavor while retaining the basic character of black teas that I enjoy so much. I will be reordering when supply begins to dwindle. Friends and coworkers have been pleased when I share, too.