Davidson's Tea Bulk, Irish Breakfast, 16 Ounce

Silver Needles is the most prized type of white tea one can buy. Davidson's Tea gives you this fine tea at a good price for the volume of leaves.This tea has a white fur on each little leaf. Supposedly, this is because it is picked from the top two leaf layers of early (immature) tea. For those who have not had Silver Needles before, it has a much more subtle tea flavor than does green tea. For some, this may not be as pleasant to drink, so before you put out the money for an entire pound, you may want to try it in a less expensive way first. For myself, I do prefer green and even black tea, but white tea has some health advantages I seek.As others have mentioned, you can definitely get at least three good brews out of this tea. Also, the tea does not leave you jittery from caffeine as similar amounts of green or black tea would. This is, in part, because it has less caffeine than the others, appears to have a stronger concentration of differing antioxidants, and it has more theobromine and theanine--both of which soothe and calm people. You are left amazingly alert but calm as you drink this. If you have something to do that requires a lot of concentration, drinking this tea greatly helps you focus. I cannot fully describe just how strong this effect is, but your mind functions as well as if you had just had a great night's sleep, coupled with a vigorous workout (depending on how much tea you used or how long the initial brew took -- the more the better). The effect seems to be most noticeable starting 30 minutes after drinking the first cup and lasts many hours.Without a doubt, the tea tastes best if brewed at something below 170 degrees (probably 160 is best). I have taken to using a kitchen thermometer if I'm in doubt as to its relative temperature. It takes longer to brew, but the taste stays more agreeable.On a different note, we were surprised to have this arrive in a large plastic-lined paper bag THAT WAS MERELY TWIST-TIED SHUT. Yes, this arrives without any sort of seal, even a zipping-type of seal. All you do to get access to the tea inside is undo the two little edge twist-ties and then unroll.I do not think anyone at the Amazon warehouse will have tampered with the tea, but honestly, there's no way to prove that. Davidson's sells other bulk one-pound teas that have a zipper seal and are also tightly-glued above that seal. For those, there is no way to tamper with them without it being noticed.I am not "weirded out" enough to not purchase this very fine tea this way again, as it really just arrives as if you'd gotten it bulk from a local store in which you'd bagged it yourself, but I do think other people will be bothered by this. Those people are now warned.NOTE: Silver Needles tea leaves are supposed to be short. Since they are picked at the earliest time of the spring, they are not nearly fully-grown. It is also the reason the tea is "brittle"--the tea is dried and was only picked one time in the year. If you are expecting big leaves that are "moist", you are looking for a different tea.UPDATE: With out latest pound, Lot#: AMZ-S3110980, the flavor is quite different, tasting more like White Peony with a hint of Jasmine. The prior bag, Lot #: AMZ-T3278926, had no such hint to it. Both teas look identical, though.UPDATE (March 2011): The bag (Lot #: AMZ-T2662880) now comes in a tamper-proof bag, like many of the other Davidson's teas. Thanks, Davidson's!UPDATE (November 2012): Davidson's has removed the Lot numbers, but added a "Best By" date. Our bag, with a date of 08/09/2014, tastes like tree leaves somehow got in it. The individual leaves (buds) look a bit sickly compared with prior bags, too. Because it has always been good, we are overlooking this one bag's issue and will drink it up. We go through a bag roughly every three months. Sadly, this bag came in as the Amazon price had gone up, so we paid more for lesser quality than ever before.UPDATE (January 2013): Our tea with an 11/2/2014 "Best By" date looks almost as good as Teavana's. I found two small clover-type leaves, but otherwise, this looks and tastes the best we've seen in over a year. Excellent!

I love Masala Chai lattes (Masala meaning mixed spices) and set out to find a good bulk source and started with this one. Five stars for packaging and resealing for freshness. I am big on how a food product smells which to me says how something is going to taste and was not real impressed when first opening the sealed bag but it was a new product for me and differences are expected. I shook it to see if more of the spices would appear and they are there except that the green Cardamom pods were whole and not smashed to get the most flavor out of them so I crushed them for my first cup of tea. Not knowing how strong the flavors would be I opted for two teaspoons of the tea mix and steeped it in boiling water for 5 minutes. It was dark in color and had a bit of a concern for it being too bitter or strong but after sweetening with Agave Nectar and adding my Nut Pods creamer (I recommend for the non-dairy people like me) I was very pleased with the flavor. No bitterness, or too strong and was generally pleased with it. Like trying anything new there are going to be some taste and aroma differences in the brands tried before but this one is far and above anything I've tried in a packaged tea bag from major brands. I will always choose bulk from here on out. Enjoy!

The aroma is very light, but the flavor! - Smooth and "full". Not bitter, not strong, but a beautiful black tea! Would I buy it again? Absolutely! If you do not drink a lot of tea, this bag may last you a LONG time :) I have shared the tea with friends and family, so they can experience this wonderful tea! I can drink it clear or with milk, and I think it will make a great ice tea as well!, It is winter, so I like it hot!

Upon opening the bag I was struck by the fresh, earthy sweet aroma of the tea. Very pleasant. I brewed a teaspoonful in a mesh tea ball in a pint of water and let it cool. The resulting color of the liquor was a deep golden red. The tea has a grassy, sweetish scent, not very strong. The tea itself is full-bodied, grassy-leafy flavored, some tannins, with little hint of minty sweetness in the finish. Overall the flavors are very subtle. A rounded, pleasant glass of tea, perfect for relaxing. Another honey bush I’ve tried is more flavor forward, with twiggy, piney notes and bright honey sweetness. Like fine single malts, each expression of honey bush tea has its merits.

I don’t know if they are new to Amazon or I was just oblivious before, but I am very glad I came upon this tea. I drink tea in large quantities (20-40 ounces/day) while working, and have ordered whole-leaf tea by the pound from a local tea maker (good, but spendy) or from a place or two with reputable names here on Amazon (honestly, flat tasting is the way I’d describe it).I ordered both the Nilgiri tea and English breakfast due to the price, and haven’t regretted it for a moment. The Nilgiri has a fantastic flavor, full and no bitterness at all. I use a teaspoon for 16-18 ounces of tea, and it doesn’t have any issues producing full-flavor tea with only that amount. I will order it again when the bag is gone.

First, opening this bag, smells AMAZING! it smells so fresh! The taste is fantastic too! Far better than any store shelf, pre-bagged Chamomile tea you will find. I mix equal parts with my peppermint tea for one amazing cuppa! Honey is beautifully paired with Chamomile too.

Great tasting tea and a good price. I liked it so much. I ordered the green tea with lemon grass and ginseng. Highly recommend this brand.

I am truly enjoying this Classic Chai! So, soooo much more flavor and aroma than a bagged tea. I appreciate that this Chai does not have black pepper in it. Beautiful aroma, lots of cinnamon, which I love. I can literally see the pieces of spice in it and it steeps so nicely.My new love!!!

This tea have a perfect balance of orange and cinnamon, and the black tea they use seems to be of medium or high grade (like Orange Pekoe).

This is a fair and honest review of Davidson's Organic Earl Grey Tea. This review is NOT being conducted in exchange for the product; I purchased this tea based upon the reputation that Davidson's teas have earned in our household.When purchasing tea on amazon.ca I always turn first to the offerings provided by Davidson's based first on quality, then selection and value. True to form, this tea did not disappoint!The tea was delivered on time, per Amazon's Prime guarantee, and the packaging was in good order. Inside the outer packaging was the customary brown paper envelope that has an interior lining of foil for strength and plastic to both preserve freshness and prevent dampness or taint during storage to affect the tea. The envelope is re-sealable via a classic zip-loc closure. A legible label is affixed to the outside of the brown envelope to describe the contents, display the logos for USDA Organic, Fair Trade & Kosher ingredients, and finally some generic brewing instructions.Finally, on to the tea!I believe that this is the best Earl Grey tea available. Understanding that 'tastes and preferences' are very unique to the individual, I would challenge anyone to find this tea anything other than truly outstanding. Breaking this tea down to the component parts, black tea and bergamot oil, both are exceptional. The underlying black tea flavour is not lost in the bergamot, and likewise the bergamot is not a simple afterthought when this tea was constructed. There is an exceptional balance between the two flavours, without one coming to the fore at the expense of the other. Based upon my experience, both the black tea and bergamot oil used to construct this tea are premium selections and no quality has been spared. The tea has been trimmed in long-leaf format so should not pass the holes of any strainer or infusing device that you care to use.I would recommend this tea to anyone trying to find a high-quality Earl Grey tea.

The Bergamot is real and the smell is good

Davidson's teas were recommended to me by my parents who have purchased various flavors for some time now and enjoy their quality. Having read some of the reviews, I was still hesitant. I made the order anyway. 1lb of tea for around $20 seems like a great deal. The packaging ensured the freshness as I couldn't smell anything prior to opening the bag. Once I opened the bag I was surprised by the strength of smell, which was pleasant and citrisy. When I buy, Twinings Earl Grey tea bags that smell is more what I've associated with bergamont so far. The smell of Davidson's Earl Grey reminds me more of a tea blend with Earl Grey and flowers I've had before, but I quite like it. I'm currently enjoying it without any additives like milk or sugar just to see what the tea itself tastes like. It tastes quite smooth and pleasant, rich enough in flavour without being bitter. As long as the quality of this product continues to be consistent with my future orders, this will be my new daily Earl Grey choice. I recommend giving it a try.

I absolutely love Davidson's Earl Grey with Lavender tea. The aroma alone puts a big smile on my face. Excellent price for what (in my opinion) is great quality tea. I find the lavender adds a soothing quality and is not overpowering. I recommend this product to anyone that enjoys Earl Grey tea.As a point of interest for those looking to purchase any of Davidson's Decaffeinated Teas. Here is the response I received directly from the manufacturer with respect to the decaffeination process."Davidson’s teas are decaffeinated under the CO2 extraction process, often referred to as "Effervescence". The tea is placed in a pressurized chamber, and Carbon Dioxide, an inert gas, is pumped in and locks on and extracts the caffeine from the tea leaves. This process is beneficial, as it does not leave any chemical residues or reduction in flavor. The process also maintains antioxidant levels and the flavor quality. The best advantage of CO2 is that it does not extract the polyphenols or the macronol oils. In other processes like the water Ethyl Acetates, approximately 40% of the polyphenols are removed, thus making the tea deficient of the vital flavor or health benefits."