Earl Grey

I haven’t been logging my teas lately… The demanding work of being a design student!

Anyway, I’ll start logging in teas again starting with Andrews & Dunham.

I decided to purchase Andrew and Dunham’s because I was really intrigued with what was so “damn fine” about them. I received my collection of tins from series three, and two. I enjoyed the graphically designed labels, and the hand silk printed box it came in. Beautiful.

That aside. I started with Earl Grey.

Earl Grey has a special place in my heart, for being my first loose leaf tea I’ve ever brewed. It also happens to be the favorite, and the only loose leaf my best friend would drink. I cracked the tin, with the familiar aroma of bergamot. It’s a more aromatic version of the blend, reminds me of kinda like how a Tazo Earl Grey smells like, a bit more fresh, and no musk.

I steeped this in my white teapot, five minutes at boiling. The brew came out light amber. I tasted this straight with no additions. Nice start, full bodied, citrusy, but unlike other Earl Greys, its’ finish was surprising light, but still smooth, and (the shocker)- creamy…

I was so excited about the last detail so much that I immediately poured another cup, but with half and half with agave nectar. Delicious, enjoyable, sweet! Went well with a Russian tea cake I bought at Whole Foods.

I’d score this higher if it was organic, other than that- yes it is a DAMN fine cup of tea.

I drank Earl Grey this morning. It was cool out and this called for it! :) I wanted to try the Lavender Honey my mother gave me. WOW delicious! This tea didn’t need honey at all since it didn’t get bitter, and it was a nice mild, rounded taste. But the added honey was delicious! It added a slight lavender taste to the earl grey!

Earl Grey! My love. There’s pretty much nothing better to fix a morning where you’re really dragging your feet. There’s something about bergamot that gets me GOING.

This one is exceptional, which at this point, is no surprise to me. I’ve been drinking tea exclusively from A&D for the past several days and the world is so very blissful as a result. Another day, another review above 90%! God bless you, A&D, for procuring and selling wonderful tea in such a creative and interesting way.

This EG is not shy; one whiff of the dry leaves will make your hair stand on end. Indeed, after brewing my current cup (4 minutes is better than the suggested 5, by the by), the bright scent of bergamot is everywhere! The bergamot is certainly more citrusy than perfume-y in this case, which is much appreciated, and is much more subdued post-brew, which is a GOOD thing! The chocolate-coffee flavor of the base tea is just right. This is a cup that will demand your attention. Good for rainy days. A little milk and a biscuit makes it even better!

This is the third Earl Grey in my collection. I’ve yet to repeat any other variety this often. Apparently, I’m quite fond of Earl Grey. Who knew?

The smell is very sweet… almost like orange candy, as opposed to the harsher, flowery versions. The taste seems a bit smoother, too. I’ve never really known the proper term for this, but I’ve always had a problem with flavors that don’t blend. Noodles that tastes like chile THEN peanut, or in this case, Earl Grey that tastes like bergamont THEN tea. There needs to be a smooth transition, and this seems to have one.

This is a good Earl Grey. There’s no skimping on the bergamot, as a single smell or sip will tell you. It’s the best Earl Grey currently in my stash, if not the best I’ve ever had…quite good, though.

I tried some of this yesterday to help get me out the door.

It’s a very solid Earl Grey, I think. The Bergamot is very nice and boldly citrusy though it left me with a bit of an aftertaste I couldn’t put my finger on. I quite enjoyed this with a tiny splash of milk.

Stupid tea.

I hadn’t really been very particular about earl grey until I tried this one. Now I seem to be on a mission to find a similar non-limited release grey.
This earl doesn’t hide the tea under the Bergamot flavor, and it’s not a citrus extravaganza, which for some reason I can only really enjoy on hot summer days (don’t ask why, I don’t know either).
For me I can get 2.5 steeps out of it, with the last .5 being drinkable depending on the alignment of the stars and some variation of the previous steeps that I’ve been unable to work out. It’s my relaxing mid-morning to early afternoon pick me-up and I’m going to be seriously miffed if I can’t find a replacement before A&D runs out.

The dry aroma is bergamot-central, and mixes enticingly with the black tea when steeped. Sips when the brew is extremely hot are not as rewarding, as the flavors seem to blossom when the tea cools slightly. If anything, the bergamot outshines the tea, and I crave a bit more “tea” flavor, although overall this mix is well balanced. Like most of the A&D teas, the linger is very pleasant, with no bitterness or harshness in the finish – as long as it isn’t allowed to cool too much. I don’t remove the tea while drinking, and while that can be dangerous with some, this is a tea that can handle over-soaking. Not too delicate, not too harsh – I’m a big fan of this one.

Tried this for the first time this morning. I was a little busy and didn’t give it the proper attention it deserved, so I won’t write too much about it in this post. I brewed a spoonful’s worth of leaves for just about 4-5 minutes and was worried about oversteeping, so I was surprised when it wasn’t very strong in flavour. I will definitely try more tea or a longer brewing time the next time I try this. It was very smooth and pleasant to drink but I was hoping for something a tad stronger. I’ll see how it goes next time!

I am under the impression that the image on the front of the tin is Jupiter with lips to replace it’s great red spot.

Oh, this has a wonderful smell, and a very dark, rich colour brewed. I can smell the black tea a bit more in this than in Hazo’s, which I like. Hmm, five minutes (I followed the label) might have been oversteeping it. It’s okay with a bit of honey though. I think I might like Hazo’s better, still, but it’s good. I nice earl grey. Nice tea flavour, with a bit of bergamot citrus smell/after taste.

Edit: Hmm, the second cup (but of the same pot!) is much better, somehow. Doesn’t taste oversteeped, and didn’t require any honey. Mmm.

However, on that note, this tea is fairly broken up, and my mesh tea ball is no match for it. I think I’d need something finer. Because I went to pour the rest of the pot, and a thick layer of tea-grit settled onto the bottom of my cup. More than usual.

I’m not usually an Earl Grey fan. This one is nice (not bitter like some). The traditional orange/citrus flavors are there along with a nice black tea component.

This is a very good Earl Grey Tea. When you open the tin, the bergamot hits you on the nose. The taste is smooth and mellow with a little more bergamot than Twinings. I use about a 1/2 tsp raw cane sugar and it brings out the bergamot. Its a very tasty brew and I like it a lot. I drink EG tea every day and this one is one of the best I have had.

This tea had been on my list of teas to buy and luckily, my cousin gave me the rest of her tin. This is a bit of a mild tasting earl grey which is pleasant and easy to drink, but really lacking the impact that a few other Earl Grey blends that I love has.

The second steeping was more washed out than the first cup. Overall, drinkable but I don’t think I’ll get a tin of it on my own anymore.

Quite a good brew! I didn’t steep it for as long as they said to, but it was pleasant and light after about 3 minutes and I liked it quite a bit.

Not too flowery, the bergamot is well balanced, and is definitely the finest Earl Grey I’ve had in a very long time.

Very very interesting. I’ve never had an Earl Grey that was sweet.

The tea brews up a dark amber color. The smell of the tea is strong bergamot and honey (and maybe black pepper?). The taste is much more subdued than the aroma. A gentle citrusy sweetness with a touch of bitterness and very little astringency.

I love a good Earl Grey, and this is one of the best I’ve ever had. Smooth citrus accent that didn’t overpower, and the aroma!