The label says four black teas, SILVERTIPS and bergamot. The bergamot aroma when I open the envelope is nice. The tea in the sachet is very finely cut – almost powdery. That surprised me a bit. It may not be normal, as who knows what sat on top of it in the post office. I steeped this for 3minutes in just boiling water.
I had read the reviews before hand and kind of knew, how this tea gets interpreted depends on what level of bergamot one finds pleasing. On the one end of the bergamot scale I put Tazo Earl Grey, which I can’t detect the bergamot at all. On the other end I place Empire Tea Services Earl Green, which is highly flavored and very floral. In fact I had to cut it with another tea the first couple weeks I had it to tone it down. Halfway between these two extremes I put Twinings EG. It is bright and citrusy. Ahmad EG has just slightly less bergamot but a nicer base flavor profile. On the same scale, Ahmad No 1. is halfway between Tazo and Ahmad EG. Harney and Sons EG Supreme I place just below No 1. on my bergamot scale. Confused yet?
Let me simplify – You can taste the bergamot, especially as the cup cools, but you have to be paying attention. If you are looking for that citrus blast, then this tea will be quite disappointing. For that reason I wish H&S’s would have left Earl Grey out of the name and just called it Supreme. As a lightly flavored black tea this is really good. It is rich and malty. The bergamot actually supports the base instead of the other way around, and it does an excellent job of it. I do find this slightly astringent, like and Assam, as it leaves me with a bit of a dry mouth feel.
Earl Grey? Not by my bergameter scale. Wonderful lightly flavored black tea? Absolutely. I am scoring this based on the black tea aspect.
This was a gift from Ashmanra. Thanks for sharing.
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
I wish Harney would make an extra strong bergamot Earl since I love their other teas so much. None of their Earls have enough bergamot for me unfortunately (and I dislike the base too, which seems fairly different than some of their other bases)
That actually sounds good for when I want an Earl Grey, but don’t want that blast of citrus. Which is why I haven’t been drinking my Earl recently.
@MegWesley, for half the price the Ahmad No. 1 is lightly bergamot scented and worthy of giving a try unless you are putting together a large Harney order anyway.
Dinosara, have you tried their sachet Imperial Earl Grey? It might be strong enough for you.
KS: I have never had this bagged, only loose. I checked my tin and the leaf was not really that small, so either they use smaller in the bagged area or the post squished it, especially since they returned it to me even though it weighed less than an ounce and should have gone. Glad you liked it!
I actually haven’t! It would be interesting but I don’t have high hopes because I dislike something in the base they seem to use to all of their Earls.
Send me your addy and I will send a sachet. They are not super fresh but you could get the idea! Not sure when I bought them. You can also get them by requesting bags only at Barnes and Noble. They will sell you two tea bags for the same price as a large hot tea, but you get to make it at home and not taste burned leaves and paper cup!
I will check at my local B&N, and if they don’t have it then I’ll definitely take you up on that offer!
@Dinosara, I really liked the base tea in this one, but I can see how it could be interpreted as having a touch of dirty sock taste by anyone who did not care for it. I do not know my black teas well enough that I should be guessing but I thought maybe one of the four teas used in this was a Yunnan and that added what I considered the interesting element. Apparently, I like a higher number on the bergameter, just as you have a lower tolerance on the Ewww meter.
@Ashmanra, I didn’t know I could buy just the sachet without buying a whole tin. Definitely be checking this out next trip.
I actually emailed Harney about the base a while back and they told me it was a Keemun, Ceylon, Assam, and Oolong (just a tiny pinch of oolong) base, with the main tea being Keemun. Which is odd because I don’t think I dislike Keemun, but there you go. I also found out that the base for Paris and Tower of London is almost identical except one of the main teas is Hunan.
See I told you I shouldn’t be guessing. I can’t imagine which is adding that extra touch to this. Interesting.
KS: the first time I bought it that way I told them I wanted to order tea but I wanted them to give me the bag, not make it, and I would make it at home. (The only time I had tea there it was AWFUL! I tasted nothing but paper cup.) they were perplexed for a moment and then said they could charge me for a large, or whatever their fancy pants name is for it, venti maybe, because it takes two bags to make one and they would just charge as if they made it. They will put it in a brown paper bag for you ( I LOVE teeny brown paper bags! Why? )
or in a cup. I think it was about two dollars. That is ow I first tried Tropical Green which is really good.
Bergameter scale! KS that was genius! : ) I am still calibrating mine…
I wish Harney would make an extra strong bergamot Earl since I love their other teas so much. None of their Earls have enough bergamot for me unfortunately (and I dislike the base too, which seems fairly different than some of their other bases)
That actually sounds good for when I want an Earl Grey, but don’t want that blast of citrus. Which is why I haven’t been drinking my Earl recently.
@MegWesley, for half the price the Ahmad No. 1 is lightly bergamot scented and worthy of giving a try unless you are putting together a large Harney order anyway.
Dinosara, have you tried their sachet Imperial Earl Grey? It might be strong enough for you.
KS: I have never had this bagged, only loose. I checked my tin and the leaf was not really that small, so either they use smaller in the bagged area or the post squished it, especially since they returned it to me even though it weighed less than an ounce and should have gone. Glad you liked it!
I actually haven’t! It would be interesting but I don’t have high hopes because I dislike something in the base they seem to use to all of their Earls.
Send me your addy and I will send a sachet. They are not super fresh but you could get the idea! Not sure when I bought them. You can also get them by requesting bags only at Barnes and Noble. They will sell you two tea bags for the same price as a large hot tea, but you get to make it at home and not taste burned leaves and paper cup!
I will check at my local B&N, and if they don’t have it then I’ll definitely take you up on that offer!
@Dinosara, I really liked the base tea in this one, but I can see how it could be interpreted as having a touch of dirty sock taste by anyone who did not care for it. I do not know my black teas well enough that I should be guessing but I thought maybe one of the four teas used in this was a Yunnan and that added what I considered the interesting element. Apparently, I like a higher number on the bergameter, just as you have a lower tolerance on the Ewww meter.
@Ashmanra, I didn’t know I could buy just the sachet without buying a whole tin. Definitely be checking this out next trip.
I actually emailed Harney about the base a while back and they told me it was a Keemun, Ceylon, Assam, and Oolong (just a tiny pinch of oolong) base, with the main tea being Keemun. Which is odd because I don’t think I dislike Keemun, but there you go. I also found out that the base for Paris and Tower of London is almost identical except one of the main teas is Hunan.
See I told you I shouldn’t be guessing. I can’t imagine which is adding that extra touch to this. Interesting.
KS: the first time I bought it that way I told them I wanted to order tea but I wanted them to give me the bag, not make it, and I would make it at home. (The only time I had tea there it was AWFUL! I tasted nothing but paper cup.) they were perplexed for a moment and then said they could charge me for a large, or whatever their fancy pants name is for it, venti maybe, because it takes two bags to make one and they would just charge as if they made it. They will put it in a brown paper bag for you ( I LOVE teeny brown paper bags! Why? )
or in a cup. I think it was about two dollars. That is ow I first tried Tropical Green which is really good.
Bergameter scale! KS that was genius! : ) I am still calibrating mine…