Coffee and tea together in one drink is unusual, but I must admit that it is growing on me. Even in Starbucks, you can order a dirty chai (espresso and masala chai) without too many weird looks.
But that doesn’t automatically mean that English Tea Shop Coffee Cream is a good blend to try. That’s why I’m reviewing it thoroughly here on the blog.
English Tea Shop are usually great, especially if you try the pyramid sachets and loose leaf. The teabags aren’t so amazing, however. Keep that in mind when you think about buying English Tea Shop teas for yourself!
ETS Coffee Cream Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Black tea and coffee with cocoa and safflower
- Flavour: Light coffee notes of black tea
This tea is quite nice. It’s mellow and gentle with soft coffee flavours and notes of black tea. It’s not particularly creamy, but it is smooth and there’s no bitterness.
Full Review - English Tea Shop Cofftea
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabags
- Tea: Ceylon black tea
- Additives: Coffee, cocoa, safflower, natural flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Mellow, coffee, tea, smooth, cream
- Aroma: Tea tannins, freshly brewed coffee
- Milk or Lemon: Sugar, if desired
- Where to Buy: Amazon
Ripping open the plastic packaging (booooooo) you are immediately hit with tea tannin notes. It’s that distinctive aroma that lets you know that it’s a teabag. The coffee and other flavours aren’t yet present.
Once you add water and let it brew – timings below – you are left with a clear but warm caramel coloured tea. The aroma swirling up from the cup is distinctly coffee-like, but the tea tannins are still present in the background.
As for the flavour, it’s really quite pleasant. Both the black tea and coffee are mellow. It’s a gentle black tea, likely from Ceylon, and a soft coffee flavour. It’s definitely not espresso strength!
I really like how smooth the texture is. You don’t need to add milk for it to glide down your throat. All in all, it’s a comforting but also energising tea. There’s no doubt that I will be finishing the entire box.
How to Brew Coffee and Tea Together
The key with this tea is to use very hot water and let it brew for a long time. It won’t get bitter or over-brewed, so don’t worry if you walk away and forget that it’s brewing in the kitchen.
Pour boiling water over the teabag and let it brew for 5+ minutes. I brewed it for 6 minutes total. There’s only 1.5g of tea per teabag, so maybe use 2 teabags for a large mug.
You don’t need to add milk, this cofftea is actually quite light. Milk will drown out the flavours. You can add some sugar if you want, to sweeten.
Why English Tea Shop Organic Teas?
English Tea Shop Coffee Cream has good certifications. It has the green leaf on it to show that it’s organic in the EU, and there’s the Soil Association logo on the box as well.
That means there are no harmful chemicals used in any part of production. No pesticides, no artificial flavourings, and with the exception of the plastic wrapper, the packaging is biodegradable as well.
You can see on the packet that the black tea element is sourced from Ceylon (that’s modern-day Sri Lanka) but the other ingredients are just from “different origins”.
I don’t like that the tea leaf and coffee beans are very finely chopped inside the teabag. This hampers the flavour and aroma and means this tea will go stale quicker.
Summary
Overall, I do recommend English Tea Shop Coffee Cream tea. It’s not amazing, but the flavour is pleasant and I doubt you will strongly dislike it either. If you want to get into coffee tea blends, this is a brilliant place to start.
I purchased it as part of the holiday bauble collection, but you may be able to find it sold separately.
Tea Recommendation
If you want to find obscure and unusual teas and blends, my Tea Review Index is an excellent place to get started. I’ve sipped and slurped so many different teas over the years, but they’re all carefully logged and recorded in the index. Enjoy!