Please Help Me Enjoy Earl Grey

So I’ve been a tea fan since I was about five years old – my grandmother and mother both drink tea religiously and I was brought up to prefer tea over coffee. I’ve tried just about every tea I can get my hands on, and while I don’t love all of them, MOST of them I can enjoy – at least a cup or two.

The only tea I can’t stand is Earl Grey – it tastes like watery fruit loops to me! :( Could someone please recommend a great quality and great tasting Earl Grey /Earl Grey blend that can help me change my mind?

18 Replies

I love Earl Grey, but I think it may be an acquired taste for some. I have 2 suggestions: St. Isaac’s Blend by Upton Tea (Russian blend that is only very slightly smoky) and Tippy Earl Grey from Golden Moon. Both are different than the typical overly bergamot Earls. But ultimately, if you don’t like Earl Grey, don’t force yourself.

Also, Cream Earl Greys may be an option for you to try because they tend to be mostly on the cream side of the flavor spectrum.

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Caitlin said

I too am not the biggest fan of earl grey either, but I positively loved art of teas earl grey creme. It tastes like a cheese danish. It is very creamy and good! Also if you aren’t ready to commit to a tea you have never tried, I tried it in their eco-pyramid sampler set which had a bunch of other awesome flavors.

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Cool, thanks guys. I’m willing to try anything – I have a friend who loves Earl Grey so I can always “dump” the leftovers on her. :)

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My favorite Earl Grey is from Lupicia, with a close second being Lord Bergamot from Steven Smith Teamaker. (These two are actually neck and neck with being my “favorite” because I love them both pretty much equally).

i must say LiberTEAS was right on loving lord bergamot, i tried some after seeing her tealog and it was great!

Suzi said

I’m not an Earl Grey fan at all, normally, but I second the recommendation for Lupicia’s Earl Grey. I found it quite nice :)

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Spot52 select said

Economy price: http://www.englishteastore.com/earlgreycream.html
-not your standard grey, but I like it. I make it iced A LOT.
or a more mellow, and pricier version:
http://shop.lightofdayorganics.com/category.sc;jsessionid=116C5D7E3BFA280A293011255317DF87.qscstrfrnt03?categoryId=74

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-Jessica- said

You could always try Lady Grey tea by Twinings. It is bagged, but you can pick it up at a grocery store and it is a lighter, more playful citrus tea than Earl Grey…plus you wont be out much money for it! This is my “Desk” tea at work hehe.

Kaitlin S said

I love Lady Grey! I wonder what kind of tea is in it – even the tea seems a bit lighter than regular Earl Grey. Thanks for reminding me that I need to pick up more of this – I find it perfect for work, too, since it doesn’t seem to be too sensitive to steeping parameters.

I second Jessica’s recommendation. I’ve not tried Twinings, but I often find the Bergamot in Earl Grey overpowering: Lady Grey has less but still some and I personally think it’s a better blend with the tea.

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I think the first question is whether you really like the taste of bergamot. Some Earl Greys are stronger on the bergamot than others. I tend not to like them really strong. I also don’t like them very perfumey.

LeafSpa has what I would call a very solid standard Earl Grey with a fair amount of bergamot but without too much perfume. You might try that one as a baseline and see if you like them with less or more bergamot.

My favorite Earl Grey is the Samovar Earl Grey because I love the tea base. It’s not perfumey or too strong on the bergamot, either.

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I’m honestly not sure if I like the bergamot or not – so I guess I should figure that out first, eh? ;) But I appreciate all the suggestions – I’ll try any kind.

@Jessica – I tried the Lady Grey from Twinings once years ago and it was decent, but now I can’t find it anywhere. I didn’t know they still made it – I’ll order online.

@Morgana – I’m going to hunt down the Samovar Earl Grey just in case I don’t like bergamot. Thanks for the suggestion!

-Jessica- said

I get mine from Whole Foods….perhaps try there or another grocery store that is similar?

I’ll be interested to hear your conclusion. I am quite sure I am not a bergamot fan, so maybe the samovar one would work.

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Chef8489 said

i i have a few earl grey I like from special teas. Send me a pm and I will try to get you an ounc or half ounce of the 2 I have.

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Earl Grey is one of my favorites because I love big, bold flavors. I look for preparations that are super heavy on the bergamot, but this is probably what’s turning you off to the tea. It’s definitely an acquired taste. I’d recommend that you check to see if your favorite tea merchant offers a “lady” or “creme” version as this will probably be more palatable. You can also try a quality bold and start out with cream-and-sugar and slowly work your way up to “straight.” You have to train your tongue not to curl up ;-)

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