Teapigs Whole Leaf Tea (English Breakfast, 50 temples) by Teapigs

Real robust tea taste. Best of the teabags. Price has gone up due to importing.

Tea Pigs English Breakfast (the one with the rooster!) is probably the best black tea there is. Of course, that is just my opinion! Strong, but not bitter. Stands up to milk. Packaged in wrap that would appear to help guarantee freshness. After opening and using some, I usually have to switch to a Ziploc because the wrap is a bit brittle. I give credit to Tea Pigs for not just putting the tea bags in a box.

I drink a lot of black tea and have tried dozens of brands, from discount to high end, and have found this tea to have just the right combination of flavor, smoothness, and richness. There is no bitterness and the flavor has depth and complexity. I know - sounds like a wine review :) You have to brew it with nearly boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes to get the full flavor. It is a bit more expensive than most, but worth it. One caution is that the "tea temples" sometimes rip when you pull the tag away from them - do it carefully.

I’ve been looking for a replacement for the old PG Tips blend and this comes pretty close. It’s a tasty blend, brews a strong cuppa quickly and mellows out nicely with a bit of milk. The bags are packed full of leaves and can be used for a second, acceptably strong cup, making the price more reasonable. I have not had problems with the bags tearing, but I I have been treating them rather gently since the string is attached in 2 places.

The taste is quite excellent, to me it is reminiscent of Mighty Leaf Breakfast tea. What I don't like is the waste incurred when pulling the string loose from the tea bag (there are 2 attachment points that need to be freed to steep the tea) and having it rip a hole in the bag. No matter how slowly and carefully I do it, I lose 2-3 bags out of each pack of 50.