Brooke Bond Red Label is a strong flavored, well-balanced black tea that makes a very good cup of milk tea, or masala chai if you are so inclined.

To be honest, I never heard about Brooke Bond Red Label before as it is a hard to find brand in NYC. You can’t find it here except at a South Asian supermarket such as the ones in Jackson Heights, Queens where I brought mine. At $2.79/450g this tea was pretty damn cheap compared to English-packaged teas blends (such as Fortnum and Mason) which go for $7/125g!

Part of that price difference is the fact that Red Label is made by the economical ’’CTC’’ method (crush-tear-curl) resulting in a quick brewing, strong flavored tea, i.e., ’’5 times the flavor, 1x the cost’’, than the traditional tea making method of crushing leaves through a huge roller. Dried CTC tea leaves such as Red Label almost look like miniature peppercorns. When boiling water is poured over it, they hydrate to resemble crude nuggets of instant coffee.

Whatever the method, it’s the flavor that matters in the end, and Brooke Bond Red Label is pretty good. Made from a blend of teas grown in Assam, the brewed tea features a deep reddish-brown liquor with a strong, yet well-balanced flavor. The downsides is the weak aroma, and the slightly tannic quality of the tea requiring milk and sugar to smooth out. Adding some green tea along with Red Label might give this tea some more character.

Brooke Bond Red Label is made in India, and distributed by Unilever Canada throughout North America. It can be found where most Indian groceries are sold.

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