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Irish tea is blended for a kitchen that takes it brown, strong and with plenty of milk, and Barry's Gold Blend is built for exactly that cup. Put it beside a British breakfast box and the difference shows in the colour before you taste a drop.
A Cork family blend
Barry's was founded in Cork in 1901 by James J. Barry, and until the 1960s its teas were sold mainly from the family shop on Prince's Street. The business is still family-owned and chaired by the founder's grandson, Peter Barry. In 1934 Anthony Barry won the Empire Cup for tea blending, and in 1960 his son Peter took the firm into wholesale and began buying from East Africa.
Those East African teas are behind the golden colour Barry's is known for. Gold Blend is a 100% black tea drawn from tea gardens in Rwanda, Kenya and the Assam Valley of India, and by the company's own account its master blender tastes the blends three times a day to keep the cup consistent.
Fuller and maltier than a British breakfast box
In Ireland the everyday cup is taken darker and milkier than in Britain, so the blend has to carry more body. Gold Blend does it with weight and malt: 250g of leaf across 80 bags is a little over 3.1g a bag. The liquor runs a deep copper before milk and turns a solid tan once it goes in. Briskness comes first, then a rounded, slightly sweet malt fills in behind.
So if you like your tea pale, look elsewhere; this is for a household that drinks tea all day with milk. Black, it is strong and a little hard; with milk it rounds out without thinning. Against a standard British breakfast box, expect more colour, more malt and more grip from the same mug.
Brewing it for milk
Barry's advises freshly boiled water and three to five minutes. We would aim for four when milk is going in: that gives the full colour the blend is built for, while going well past five mostly adds tannin rather than flavour, so the cup turns hard instead of stronger. A pot suits it, one bag per cup, with milk added to taste once it is poured.
The bags are made of paper and wood cellulose with a cotton string and a paper tag, and Barry's says they are meant for industrial composting, not a home compost heap. The company also states that its products are Rainforest Alliance Certified. Gold Blend is a straight black tea and naturally contains caffeine, so it belongs to the morning and the afternoon pot.
The packs we stock
- Barry's Tea Gold Blend, 80 Tea Bags 250g (barcode 5099810204055)
What to eat with it
- McVitie's Rich Tea The Classic One Twin Pack, 2 x 300g 600g: the classic quick dunk, light enough to leave a strong, milky cup in charge.
- McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Flavour Chips Oaty Cookies, 155g: oaty cookies with milk chocolate flavour chips beside a malty cup, a proper mid-morning pairing.
- Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: ginger heat and dark chocolate that stand up to a strong brew with milk.
- Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: a lemony biscuit to brighten a heavy, malty cup in the afternoon.
Elsewhere in the Barry's Tea range
The full range is on the Barry's Tea brand page.
FAQ
What is the difference between Irish tea and British tea? Irish everyday tea is blended to be drunk stronger and with more milk, so it carries more body and malt. Gold Blend drinks fuller and maltier than a standard British breakfast box.
Where does the tea in Barry's Gold Blend come from? It is a 100% black tea blended by Barry's of Cork from tea gardens in Rwanda, Kenya and the Assam Valley of India.
How long should I brew Barry's Gold Blend? Three to five minutes in freshly boiled water, as Barry's advises. Four minutes with milk is our pick.
Does Barry's Gold Blend contain caffeine? Yes. It is a pure black tea and naturally contains caffeine.
Can Barry's tea bags go on a home compost heap? No. Barry's says its bags are made for industrial composting rather than home composting.
Curator's note: Make a pot, not a mug, and give it the full four minutes. With milk and a slice of buttered brown soda bread, it tastes like a kitchen table in Cork. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Barry's Tea Gold Blend: What Makes Irish Tea Different
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Barry's Tea |
| Packs we stock | 80 Tea Bags 250g |
| Category | Everyday Tea Bags |
| Caffeine | caffeinated |
| Brew | Three to five minutes, freshly boiled water |
| Milk | Yes, it is built for it |
| Best with | A dunking biscuit or buttered soda bread |
More from the tea wiki
- How to Make Tea Properly: The Eight Step Method
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea Pairing Principles: Reason, Don't Memorise
- Builders' Tea: The Working Class Story
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