Kimberley's Kyusu

Hey there Teacups! I’m back today with another Let’s Talk Tea post and this time around I’m going to be reviewing Plum Deluxe’s – Fog Cutter blend. I’ve followed Plum Deluxe for a while on Instagram and I’ve seen so many of my tea friends try their blends and love them, so when they emailed me and asked me if I wanted to try some of their blends I jumped at the opportunity and I’m so glad that I did. They very kindly let me go through their website and pick three of their loose leaf blends to try and it honestly took me so long to decide which three I wanted to try because they have so many blend that sound amazing, but in the end I went for the Fog Cutter blend, Uplifting Coconut Chai and Oregon Breakfast blend.

I decided to review their Fog Cutter blend first because it’s a black tea based blend with lemon and I’m a sucker for both black tea and blends with lemon in them so there’s no way that I could have tried anything other than this blend first. Most people love black tea paired with peach but honestly black tea and lemon is one of my favourite combinations and if I ever see a blend that has lemon or a lemon element like lemongrass or lemon peel in it I have to pick it up and add it to my collection.Here’s what Plum Deluxe have to say about this blend over on their website: ”Sometimes you need a bold black tea to help you clear through the emotional and mental clutter and help you focus on what you need to do to reach your goals and dreams.
That’s the intention with our “Fog Cutter” Irish breakfast blend with a hint of lemon.  It’s got all of our favourite black teas — Darjeeling, African, Ceylon, and Assam — along with a hint of lemon peel to provide brightness.  Expertly blended, you’ll love it hot or iced, steeped strong or weak, with or without your favourite extras.  Sail ahead, brave one, and clear skies are ahead!”

Ingredients: Assam Black Tea, Ceylon Black Tea, African Black Tea, Darjeeling Black Tea, Lemon Peel, Love, Gratitude. | Preparation Instructions: Steep 1 tsp in 8oz boiling water 3-6 min. | Suggested Uses: Brew whenever you need to clear your head. Great iced. Takes nicely to sweetener.

Tea Tasting Notes

– Almond, Burnt, Wood, Earth, Malt, Lemon, Raisins, Tannin, Caramel –

Just like English and Scottish breakfast blends, Irish breakfast tea also has Assam component, giving it a robust, malty flavour and reddish colour. It is stronger than English breakfast tea, but not quite as strong as the Scottish variety. Irish breakfast is honestly my favourite of all the breakfast blend because it falls perfectly between English and Scottish breakfast and I can’t get enough of it. This hearty Assam and Ceylon tea blend has a malty character, brisk finish and a rich colour.

Almost all breakfast blends I’ve tried in my life have been too strong and astringent to drink on their own so I almost always have to add milk and honey. But this breakfast blend was completely different and I was actually able to drink it on it’s own. There is a touch of bitterness to it but it’s nowhere near as astringent as most breakfast blends. The lemon isn’t too strong but is definitely present, although I’d probably like a touch more, as I’m a huge fan of black tea blends with strong lemon notes.

Even though I enjoyed this blend without the addition on milk or honey, with it being a breakfast blend I had to try it with them both just to see how well it took to having milk added to it. The black tea itself takes very well to milk and it takes even the little bit of bitterness this blend has away. However because the lemon element isn’t very strong the milk does drown it out a little. I have found that the addition of a little honey can help to strengthen it through. For me I’ll probably only end up adding milk and honey to this if I have it with my breakfast, if I end up drinking it at any other point in the day I’ll just have it on it’s own so it’s not as heavy. So far I’ve only had this hot but I do think that it would make for a really nice iced tea with some fresh lemon slices so I’ll be giving that a try soon.  Honestly this is probably one of the best Irish Breakfast blends I’ve had in a long time and when I’ve finished the sample I was sent (and my tea buying ban is over) I’ll be buying so much more of it.

Overall Teacup Rating: 5/5

If you want to find out more about Plum Deluxe and purchase some of their Fog Cutter blend for yourself, you can do both here. As always if you have any questions at all either stick them in the comments or send them to me on Twitter/Instagram @teaisawishblog and I’ll answer them all as soon as I can.

Speak to you all soon. Happy Steeping – Kimberley