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Unlike many of his characters, Charles Dickens was born to loving parents in February of 1812. However, when he was only 12, his father was imprisoned for debt and Charles was sent to work in a blacking factory where he labeled endless bottles of shoeshine. He would leave the factory four years later to finish his education, but those formative years deeply affected him and inspired many of the boyhood horrors he would later write about. He wrote many of his most famous novels like Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby episodically, with a new chapter appearing in a magazine each month. These works examined the lives of the less fortunate and found humanity amid the most inhuman conditions.
Tea appeared in Dickens’ work as a calming force like in David Copperfield, when the main character recounts how he “sat swilling tea until [his] whole nervous system, if [he] had had any in those days, must have gone by the board.” Or it could surface as a commonality between classes that allowed Dickens to emphasize the stark differences between lifestyles. While a “real solid silver teapot” and “real silver spoons to stir the tea with” are listed among the treasures of Old Lobbs in The Pickwick Papers, “a regular place of public entertainment for the poorer classes” described in Oliver Twist would provide “a public breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper all the year round.” Our Charles Dickens blend adds a flash of color to a traditional british tea. The blend is a hearty, well-rounded blend of China and Indian teas that has an amber cup with a light currant after-taste.
Ingredients: Black teas, oolong tea, flavoring, cornflower petals.
Certified Kosher
Brew tea at 212º - steep for 3 minutes.
4 Ounces of loose tea makes approximately 50 cups of tea.
Please note that the photo is shown for our 4oz tin. We are also offering this in a 4oz pkg size, which will come in one of our double lined bags labeled with the name of the tea.
A sampling of Dickens’ works:
The Pickwick Papers
Oliver Twist
Nicholas Nickleby
The Old Curiosity Shop
Barnaby Rudge
David Copperfield
A Tale of Two Cities
Great Expectations
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
A Christmas Carol
Mrs. Lirriper’s Legacy
Check with your local bookstore for more titles or for recommendations for further reading.
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A cup made of the finest the British Empire has to offer |
7/28/2020 |
So... flavor wise, this is a very good tea. One of those cups you sit and sip, trying to pick out the flavors, but it's a bit difficult because they blend so well. Oolong teas can range from black to green (hence the unpredictable-ness) but here they add the lightest leafy earth flavor of a green tea. Took me 2 cups to sort that out.
First cup was mostly me going "Black tea... yes, mmmmm so good...what is that slightly green tea tone?
I'm a fan of cornflowers in my teas, they show up in many of my favorites (Sunny Afternoon, for example) and provide a mellow back note that helps keep the balance between black and oolong in this cup.
So, overall, Charles Dickens if far too cultured and travelled a British gentleman to give you English Breakfast tea to PUNCH YOU AWAKE in the morning, he prefers a damn fine cup of tea that combines the best the Empire has to offer to give you your caffeine fix. |
- Chandler, GA |
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My favorite tea |
12/4/2019 |
This tea is my favorite tea of all time. It is absolutely delicious and I recommend it to everyone I know, even if they don't like tea. I cannot overstate how much I love this blend. |
- Katie Steele, CT |
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An okay blend, but it's a unique one anyway! |
1/7/2018 |
Great Expectations is one of my favorites, so I'm happy to try a Dickens blend! I'm a little puzzled by this one though. Interestingly enough, this is a black tea blended with a little green oolong. I don't think I've had many green oolong/black tea blends before, but the result basically just tastes like a roasted oolong instead of bits of green oolong with black tea. I can tell there is some sort of fruit flavor but I had to look up what it is - black currant. Not much flavor, just enough to tell it's there. Black currant isn't my favorite but I've had worse black currant teas. This is an interesting flavor combination but not really one I love.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 15 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep |
C B |
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Beautiful looking, invigorating |
1/24/2017 |
The Charles Dickens Literary Tea Blend is a gorgeous looking blend with a beautiful brewed color. It has a bright scent and an invigorating mild fruit taste thats naturally sweet without being cloying. |
- B Ford, NH |
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Beyond fault |
12/3/2016 |
This is absolutely my new favorite black. When flavored, flowery, and fruity arent my fancy and I need a reliable, sensible, sturdy go-to, this is it! As well rounded and bold as Dickens, have nothing less than great expectations for this tea! |
- Bethany Giles, MD |
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Excellent Flavor |
1/24/2016 |
I loved this tea. It has a hint of a fruity note. Delicious! It was also beautiful to look at with the blue cornflowers and pretty packaging. I will definitely purchase again. |
- Dana, MA |
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A very good buy! |
12/28/2015 |
I wasnt sure if I would care for this based on the description but I am glad that I took a chance on it! This tea was a great buy and I plan to keep it in my cabinet all year round! |
- CASSIE WILLIAMS, AR |
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