Earl Grey Bravo

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Blue Cornflowers, Ceylon Black Tea, Natural Bergamot Oil, Orange Peel
Flavors
Bergamot, Citrus, Orange Zest, Perfume, Cake, Floral, Molasses, Orange, Creamy, Fruity, Astringent, Earl Grey, Cedar, Earth, Flowers, Leather
Sold in
Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Michael
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 45 sec 9 oz / 267 ml

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199 Tasting Notes View all

From Adagio Teas

A classic blend of premium black tea from Sri Lanka, flavored with bergamot (a citrus fruit). The perfect afternoon tea: zesty and exhilarating fresh citrus aroma, slightly dry to the nose, with a rounded and balanced orange rind flavor to match the tang of the Ceylon. Pleasantly dry finish with lingering citrus sweetness.

About Adagio Teas View company

Adagio Teas has become one of the most popular destinations for tea online. Its products are available online at www.adagio.com and in many gourmet and health food stores.

199 Tasting Notes

87
104 tasting notes

By steeping this earl grey for 2 minutes instead of 3 I suddenly have some thing yummy I can drink without additions, well except for a teaspoon of honey. However, that is just to round out the bitterness at the end of the cup. Not sure why the last swallow was so bitter, but I was able to do a second steep, and that last swallow was bitter as well, even with the honey. Still, I enjoyed it enough to bump the rating..

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
Uniquity

I find that a lot…something about last sips, maybe from the tiny particles that seem to always escape?

atuinsails

Probably. I have noticed that my ingenuitiea does have a problem with small bits of tea particles after a couple of washings.

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28
187 tasting notes

I should just throw in the towel with Earl Grey, or perhaps I didn’t like Adagio’s blend. Or maybe I brewed it up incorrectly. :(

Whatever the case, this didn’t work for me this morning. This tea smells absolutely delicious – more like a Lady Grey than an actual Grey. I’ve had my nose permanently stuck in it since my Adagio order came in. It’s mouthwatering. And pretty, with the little blues and the dark black of the tea.

And it steeped up to a beautiful amber hue, with a very pleasant smell. Bergamot and citrus and floral.

But the taste left something to be desired for me. It was fairly smooth at the get-go, but then there was a really bitter kick at the end. Very bitter. As in, over-steeped tea, even though I followed the directions that Adagio gave for brewing this baby. Or maybe it was bergamot overload. The bergamot flavor here comes on stronger in the sipping than it does on the nose. Like really, really strong.

I think I need to lower the steeping time on this one significantly. I’m feeling fairly disappointed right now, though. I thought I was going to experience an Earl Grey revelation. As in, “Ahhh, now THIS is what Earl Grey is supposed to be.” I was able to finish the entire cup, but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I hoped I would have. Maybe it’s time for me and Grey to part company – even though I really do love Twining’s Lady Grey.

I’ll keep experimenting with steeping time, though, and see if I can mellow this beast.

(P.S. This is one of the funniest reviews that I’ve read about this tea: http://www.teaviews.com/2007/06/25/review-adagio-earl-grey/ I can’t say my experience was AS bad, but it was disappointing on so many levels.)

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

Try another brand or come back to it later. You’re just getting started:) You may find that over time your tastes change. I started adding mint to everything and now I don’t think it’s all that great unless it’s iced… Or Adagio’s cocomint green… YUMMY!

Jillian

I’d suggest either lowering the steeping time (3.5 or 4 minutes, maybe?) or adding milk. That usually works well for my in terms of reducing the pungency.

Cofftea

Personal tastes aside, a black tea should do fine w/ boiling water, especially if you like other blacks steeped in boiling water. Maybe play w/ the leaf to water ratio as well.

Auggy

I’m with Jillian – a lower steep time is a good place to start (I think Adagio does insanely long steep times on some of their teas). Milk will work, too, to smooth it out a little. I pretty much can’t drink EG straight – too strong. Cofftea also brings up a good point – try other brands. All EGs are not created equal!

Ohh, if you’ve got a tea place around there that sells Mariage Freres, they’ve got some great EG and EG-like teas. Rushka is one of my favs and their 1854 is good too but a more floral/jasmine-like EG. Pretty much everyone has their own spin to EG so don’t give up just yet!

teaplz

The whole milk thing has been a thorn in my side for a while, since I’m lactose intolerant. :( I’m always hesitant to add soy since it has its own strong, nutty flavor that I’m afraid will overwhelm the tea. :(

I’m definitely going to lower the steep time, and see if I like it. The black tea in here didn’t seem like the best, either. I would never steep an Earl Grey for five minutes in bagged form (I’ve actually done 1-3 because they can get overwhelming very fast), but since I’m new to the loose leaf steeping, I’m unsure of the time-to-flavor ratios yet.

Mariage Freres is sold at Dean & Deluca, which are all over NYC, so I’ll try and pick up some gourmet French tea!

Auggy

Most flavored teas aren’t as high quality as unflavored. I typically start with 3:30 for most flavored black and go from there. Mostly though it is personal taste and you’ll just have to play a little to find out what you like best. As a general rule, the larger the pieces of leaves, the more time it can take without getting bitter.

MF also has a Lady Grey that is good. Just tell them you are looking for an EG or Lady EG and they should give you lots of options to choose from.

Not sure what to tell you about the milk substitute. I’ve used non-dairy creamer before so maybe something like that? If you decide you want to go the additive route.

takgoti

s in stock. Much lighter than typical EG fare.]

takgoti

I have NO idea what happened there. I swear it wasn’t me. I had much more typed out.

Of course, now I can’t remember what I had typed out. Something about D&D having Harney and Sons tea as well and that you should take a look at their Winter White Earl Grey if they have it in stock.

Bethany

I LOVE Earl Grey, but I hated Adagio’s version. SpecialTeas’ Earl Grey de la Creme is a great one to start with if you’re just trying Earl Grey for the first time. They also have several other Earl Grey blends that I hear are great, including a new one that’s heavy on the citrus.

Auggy

@Bethany, that was my first EG and it holds a special place in my heart. So yum!

caustiq

I agree with your review, but I found this tea takes some tweaking to get a better taste.

Try this: 2.0g of it, 7oz 212F water, steeped for 2.5 min

TranquiliTeaHouse

I love Adagio’s Earl Grey Bravo, however, I too have found that following the brew instructions makes for a not-so-tasty cup of tea. I would definitely suggest the brew instructions that caustiq posted.

Brandice

This tea is definitely best with just a small teaspoon of tea per cup and boiling at 4 minutes, not 5. It packs a punch, so 5 minutes is much too long, IMO. Hope you’ve tried it again with other prep settings! :)

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70
1908 tasting notes

It’s been awhile since I had this. Its canister seems better at staying full than say Thai Chai for some reason… ;)

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
Ricky

I do wonder why =P

Rena Sherwood

I take it this is not Earl Grey Bravo but Earl Grey Yukko. I’ve never had it, so I’m tasting vicariously through you two.

Jillian

My boyfriend certainly thinks so! Me, I don’t mind it, but it’s a bit too heavy on the bergamot for me.

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85
257 tasting notes

I’ve taken to brewing this tea in Gong Fu style, using a very hot water and leaving the leaves in contact with the water only for 15-30 seconds. This method keeps the tea from becoming seriously over brewed and bitter, which happens VERY FAST with this tea. Latest batch is a bit light on the bergamot.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec
JacquelineM

Good idea! This is how I tend to brew Yunnan teas – they are so strong they make me feel like I am going to rocket out of the stratosphere! They taste sweet and full of caramel when brewed Gong Fu style.

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72
1629 tasting notes

I had this during breakfast. The dry leaves smell so good but for some reason it didn’t shine in the cup. It was still ok for breakfast, but it wasn’t strong enough.

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95
382 tasting notes

Went back to a staple this morning (although I am nearly at the end of my tin, and Adagio is still out! >:O )

Oh Earl Grey Bravo, you are the best Earl Grey. Why do I even try other Earl Greys, when you are so delicious and so good at letting early morning abuse roll off of you? You do not taste like soap, or like paper, you just taste like Earl Grey, super tasty Earl Grey. Perhaps there are better Earl Greys, but you also have the benefit of being relatively cheap! That is why I love you best.

Get back in stock sooooooooooooon

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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67
1112 tasting notes

I have been so! busy! – can you believe this is my first cup of tea since my last tasting note on Tuesday? I got to the point just now that if I didn’t make myself a cup of tea I would have a temper tantrum!!

Anyway! This tea, of course, tastes like the most wonderful tea ever brewed at any time by any person…ever! The citrus is delightful, the tea tastes wonderful, it’s brewed perfectly, the milk and sugar are just the right amount. On any other day, it would have been a quite good cup of tea, but today…it’s the pinnacle of deliciousness!!!

All is good in the world again, now that I have had this cup of tea! Thank you tea! And thank you Bethany, who sent me this tin :)

EDIT: did another infusion, and it’s still very flavorful! I’m surprised!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Bethany

Glad to see it’s getting some love!

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78
104 tasting notes

To me (and this may just be me) the leaves of this tea smell EXACTLY like Froot Loops. In fact, I was having childhood flashbacks just sticking my nose in the tin.

After the recommended steeping, the tea has a sweet, flowery aroma that’s both pleasant and powerful. Again, it’s very reminiscent of Froot Loops, and brings to mind the idea of smelling sugary. (Not sure if that’s even possible, but hopefully you know what I mean. It smells like the sugar coating on a bowl of Froot Loops.)

In terms of taste, this tea has a definite sweetness to it, as well as a bite on the edges of your tongue where the tart/tangy nature of the tea comes through.

There’s also a lingering, sugary sweetness to the flavor that rounds out the Froot Loop experience. It sounds crazy, but the association was so strong, it was hard to ignore.

Overall, I enjoyed this tea, and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys sweeter, flowery flavors.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Ricky

Why does Adagio teas always smell like fruit loops. Is one machine dedicated to blending fruit loops?

Cory O'Brien

Maybe they rub Froot Loops all over the machines before they use them and the flavor transfers?

Jillian

Maybe it’s all a ploy to get us to eat more Fruit Loops. XD

Stephanie

I love Froot Loops! It’s one of my favorite cereals (second only to Corn Pops). This connotation makes me want this tea even more!

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86
6768 tasting notes

Backlogging a bagged version of this. I was in a pinch. Backlogging 3 cups worth actually. It’s been a hellish week!

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84
323 tasting notes

Split open my sample of this today to make a few lattes. I don’t make them very often, because I’m lazy, but this is my third today… and I’ve started practicing latte art too! There was a heart in the foam here :)

Not sure if this should go under chance combinations or straight, but I mixed in a bit of lavender. I don’t like Earl Greys plain, but as an ingredient in other things I don’t mind them.

Sad night. Watched Interlochen’s Les Preludes webcast. Cried. Brought back so many memories. I probably go back to that night daily, the last time I was there, but I’ve forgotten what it was like, really.

But tea helps.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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