Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Peet's Coffee & Tea Pride of the Port Black Tea

Pride of the Port. The name evokes images of sailing ships, moored at wharves, being loaded with cargo - maybe chests and casks of tea! The pride, perhaps a ship above all others, emblazoned with fresh paint, sits ready to sail. Peet's Pride of the Port brings together black teas from both India and China in honor of a certain tea merchant, related to Peet's tea buyer, and his ship.

The aromas that waft from the tin upon removing the lid are strong, grassy scents. Heavily malty, slightly smokey, and smooth. In some ways, it is reminiscent of a port wine in that the smoothness complements the intensity of other aromas (and flavors, as I know from having sipped this tea before).


Four minutes, twelve ounces of just-boiled water, and a teaspoon and a half of Pride of the Port combine together in the alchemy that is steeping tea to produce a reddish cup. The leaves themselves look beautiful, brown, white, and yellow mixed together. Peet's had recommended four to five minutes, but from the smell of the cup I am glad I did not steep it longer. To me, just from the aroma, it seems rather strong, the maltiness quite heavy!


The flavors - such a smooth bodied tea! The maltiness adds a touch of astringency to the finish, but the body tastes so smooth. It is definitely strong. The body also has a fullness of flavor, grassy aspects and "bright" tones, which intrigues the taste buds and pleases the palate. Four minutes seems to have been a rather ideal steep time after all. I found that the smell of the brewed tea aligned more closely with the finish of the cup than the body itself.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate Pride of the Port a 92/100. As with all Peet's teas, these have now been rebranded as Mighty Leaf-brand teas, following the acquisition of Mighty Leaf by Peet's Coffee & Tea. The tea inside the container is still the same. That said, you should be able to find them in your local Peet's or online.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Peet's Coffee & Tea Pride of the Port is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
Text is copyright 2016, Built from Ink and Tea.

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