Ringtons Tea

Here in the UK in some areas, a company called Ringtons deliver Tea and Teabags to your door. Some of their products are also available in shops. Their tea is first class. Has anyone overseas been able to obtain Ringtons or purchased it on line? I would recommend it to Tea drinkers. Even the Teabags are good.

I've never had any. To be completely honest, I never heard of Rington's until your post. It sounds somewhat interesting, though.

They have a U.S.A. website for ordering, and they also sell through Amazon. I may need to try some out. Is there anything you particularly recommend?

For ease of use the 'Traditional Teabags' in the green foil packaging are a good honest product.
Their standard loose tea is popular. I have only tried the regular tea, I don't get involved with anything herbal or flavoured.

Sounds interesting, will keep a lookout for it, or potentially order some.

I received my order of the loose leaf, and I look forward to trying it in the next day or two. It came with a complimentary pack of 20 bags, as well, along with a handwritten thank you on the receipt, so they're already off to a good start with me.

More to come.

Alright, folks. I broke open that Rington's Northumbrian "loose leaf" tea and tried it out a few different ways. My impressions are below.

Summary: At $14/250g (shipped), I neither expected nor received a high-end tea. Rington's advertising led me to believe that I was in for a solid tea that's a step above a good Twinings, and I'd say that's what I got. As [MENTION=106313]Joe Namath[/MENTION] said, it's a good, honest tea. All in all, I am pleased with it. I'm glad I bought it and tried it, and I wouldn't be surprised if I finished up the 250g. When we get to that point, I'll decide whether I want more.

Opening the mylar bag produced mixed feelings. The aroma is lovely and quite inviting—hay and fresh mown grass; notes of citrus peel; another note I can only call “floral.” However, this tea looks more like coffee grounds than loose leaf tea; loose, but hardly loose “leaf.” After brewing, inconsistency of size highly apparent—anywhere from fine dust to “bits” Not attractive in that manner. Now, the tea depicted on Rington's website is precisely what I describe, so no one is playing "hide the weenie," here. Again, this is not high-end tea, but seeing that dust still puts me off.

When it came to brewing, I went about it four different ways, set forth below. Everything was brewed in 16 oz. of boiling water. I'm at roughly 43 ft (13m) above sea level, so we can say that "boiling" is pretty much 212F/100C. Times are somewhat rough--I set the timer as indicated, but it takes me a few moments to get to the brew and decant the liquor from the "leaves."

A – 3 min; 1 rounded tablespoon per 16 oz
B – 3 min; 2 rounded teaspoons per 16 oz
C – 2 min; 1 rounded tablespoon per 16 oz
D – 2 min; 2 rounded teaspoons per 16 oz

Strength/Caffeine: This is some STRONG tea, no matter how I brewed it. If you are looking for a lift, you will get it. Granted, I sipped my way through these four iterations in more of a hurry than I typically would drink tea, but I wound up with a good buzz on. That doesn't happen easily.

A -- The aroma is STRONGLY malty, reminding me of raw wort that I draw off my mash tun while brewing beer. The malt is, by far, the most prominent component of the aroma. The hay, grass, and citrus are all but wiped out by the strong malt. Color is beautiful, rich, deep bronze with orange highlights—very attractive in a glass. When drinking, a brief, initial sweetness on tongue is very quickly wiped out by harsh bitterness throughout my mouth and on my throat. Highly astringent. The flavor is more complex than the brewed aroma—notes of hay and very mild citrus. It's just undrinkable, though, at this strength without adding sugar, milk, cream, or . . . something else, none of which I care for.

B -- The color is, as expected, lighter but still a rich bronze. The aroma is surprisingly more complex than A. The malt not as strong, but hay and citrus are more apparent—more balanced. When drinking, this is much, much, much more pleasant than A. Bitterness and astringency still are quite strong but no longer intolerable. Bitterness almost approaches pleasant, but astringency far too strong to enjoy a full cup, but it'll do in a pinch. As in the aroma, the malt character is moderated, and finish is a good deal brighter with a lemon juice note on the end. Fresh hay throughout. I could actually finish this (but I didn't). Someone who enjoys a very strong tea or a splash of milk or a lump of sugar might enjoy it brewed in this manner.

C -- Color might be a little lighter than B, but by no more than a touch. The aroma is even slightly more complex than B--the malt is stronger, but the finish is even brighter and lemony. As for drinking, the bitterness is much more moderated--all but gone--producing a much smoother, malty finish that still is bright and lemony. That finish begs me to take another sip, especially once the tea has cooled a bit. Hay notes are very mild but apparent, and they provide an earthy balance to both the malt and the lemon. Astringency has calmed (although still quite present), and it does not appear to compound with each sip (as it did in A and B). This iteration still is strong--enough to take a splash of milk or a lump of sugar, but not so strong that it requires one. I did finish this brew. If I tweak the brewing, it will be from this point.

D -- Again, the appearance is very similar to B and C. If it's lighter, it is not significantly so. The aroma, surprisingly, falls between B and C, with the lemon coming through at least as much as the malt. The same is true with the flavor, where the malt is most apparent in the finish. This is the brightest brew of the bunch--the lemon being on equal or stronger ground than the malt. While that almost sounds delightful and refreshing, the bitterness and astringency are stronger than in either B or C--second only to A. It just seems there is not quite enough meat on the bones with this brew, at least not for yours truly. I'll stick with C (or something very similar).

Thanks for that in depth review Doak. Interesting to read for sure

Yes, interesting read indeed. With that much enthusiasm for Tea, you should live in the UK [MENTION=92373]TexLaw[/MENTION]. Really pleased you liked it, and we agree that it is a completely honest product.

Nice reveiw.

I enjoyed another cup late this morning, and I quite enjoyed it. Again, this is not a high end tea, where one might expound about it's nuances for days on end, but it's a good, solid, honest tea.

I'd be willing to bet that, once I run out of this stuff, I'll miss it and end up buying more.

I still need to try the complimentary bags that were included.

So, I wanted an easy cup of tea, this afternoon, and I remembered the tea bags that came with my order of the loose. I'm glad I did. I infused one bag in about eight ounces of boiling water (I didn't measure--just eyeballed it) for two minutes. The result is similar to the loose but on the brighter side. It's a very pleasant cup that could be enjoyed any time of day.

I do like that they use the larger, pillow-type sachets, so that the tea has plenty of room to move around, expand, and infuse. That's much better than those tiny, cramped things on the end of the string that one needs to work as if churning butter.

There looks to be roughly a teaspoon of tea in the sachet, which is what I would expect.

I wish knew which product this was, as I wouldn't mind keeping it handy for convenience or travel. The package has no product information on it. It makes sense that it's their Breakfast Blend, the least expensive option, but it would be nice to know for certain. I know it's not the green tea, and it better not be the Earl Grey!

I live in the U.K. too..My ex wife ran off with the Ringtons delivery man, had a baby to him then decided she was a lesbian...Honestly!

Wow! That brings a whole, new dimension to this tea's complexity!