Irish Breakfast

Reading the descriptions of some Irish Breakfast teas is enough to make the faint-of-heart steer clear. I guess I just don't prefer tea that promises to "put hair on your chest." Most I've seen include Assam in the blend, and I've discovered (on my tea quest) that I'm just not that into Assam tea. Too malty. So I don't normally bother with Irish Breakfast teas. Desperately needing another new tea (ha!), I thought I'd smell the Irish Breakfast at Teavana yesterday. The fragrance was much closer to English Breakfast than to the robustly described Irish Breakfast. No malty hints, although Assam is listed in this blend. I bought 2 oz. to sample, and I was pleasantly surprised. Stronger than my usual English Breakfast (my everyday tea of choice has become E.B. from Gong Fu), so this may just become my go-to tea with a kick! If you're a coffee drinker wanting to switch to tea, give this a go!

Name: Irish Breakfast
Source: Teavana
Price: $6.60 for 4 oz.
Recommended steep time: 2-3 minutes
Comments: A blend of Assam, Nilgiri and China Black. 3 minutes was plenty strong for the first steep! I may try 2 minutes next time. Caffeine content seems to be high. 1 cup is enough for my morning, so I appreciate the strength remaining in the leaves for a second, caffeine-free steep.
2nd Steep: Good with 5 minutes of steeping.
Rating: 4 cups