Portsmouth Loose Tea 250g started life as an Assam Broken Pekoe blend, put together to suit drinkers in Portsmouth, and its reach has since spread well beyond that. The broken-leaf style is the key to it: cutting the leaf into smaller pieces exposes more surface area during brewing, so the cup comes out stronger and more full-flavoured than a whole-leaf Assam would. That strength sits alongside the smoothness Assam teas are known for, with malty depth running through the whole cup. Tasting notes lean toward lemon and honey brightness against a malty backbone, and milk works well against that malt if you prefer it that way. The liquor pours a coppery colour, light rather than dense, with a defined richness and sweet undertones underneath.
It's a black tea suited to any time of day rather than a strictly morning brew. Serve it with milk, sugar, honey or lemon, or leave it black if you want the malt and lemon-honey notes on their own. To brew, use freshly boiled water and let it infuse for three to five minutes — five minutes if you want the fuller, heartier end of that flavour range, less if you'd rather keep it lighter. Black tea of this kind has long been drunk as part of an everyday ritual valued for more than just the taste, though the tea itself is the reason to come back to it: a dependable, malty, citrus-edged cup that holds up to milk or takes well to nothing at all.
